MAC releases its 2012 Towards Sustainable Mining Progress Report

OTTAWA, Dec. 14, 2012 /CNW/ - The Mining Association of Canada (MAC) has released its eighth annual Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) Progress Report. The 2012 report takes a detailed look at MAC members' 2011 performance in the areas of communities and people, environmental footprint, and energy efficiency.

"Through TSM, MAC members showcase their commitment to responsible resource development by publicly reporting their facility-level performance in critical environmental and social areas," said Pierre Gratton , MAC's President and CEO. "Over the last eight years, we have seen notable progress in the way our members engage with communities and manage their environmental risks as they work to meet society's needs for minerals and metals."

Participation in the TSM program is mandatory for all MAC members. The 2012 TSM Progress Report describes their efforts in minimizing their operations' environmental impact and the initiatives companies have undertaken to positively contribute to the communities where they operate. The report includes facility-level results for 20 member companies and externally-verified results for five companies.

The eighth annual report shows steady improvement in company results, including such highlights as:

• Over 90% of facilities have strong engagement practices within their communities.
• The number of facilities with a comprehensive reporting system for energy use has increased by 20% over the last year to 64%.
• Over 80% of facilities have assigned accountability and responsibility for tailings management to the company's Chief Executive Officer or Chief Operating Officer. This demonstrates a commitment to best practices in tailings management at the highest levels of the organization.

TSM is an industry-wide, performance-based program that was developed by MAC to help mining companies evaluate and manage their environmental and social responsibilities. The program's main objective is to enable mining companies to meet society's needs for minerals, metals and energy products in the most socially, economically and environmentally responsible way. In essence, TSM ensures companies are operating in a way that aligns with evolving societal priorities and expectations as they relate to community engagement, safety and health, energy use and the environment.

To download the 2012 TSM Progress Report, or to learn more about the program, please visit www.mining.ca/tsm.

About MAC
The Mining Association of Canada is the national organization for the Canadian mining industry.  Its members account for most of Canada's production of base and precious metals, uranium, diamonds, metallurgical coal, mined oil sands and industrial minerals and are actively engaged in mineral exploration, mining, smelting, refining and semi-fabrication. Please visit www.mining.ca.

SOURCE Mining Association of Canada (MAC)