Jun 17 2008
A new study by Five Winds/Strandberg Consulting indicates that the Mining Association of Canada's (MAC) Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) initiative has positioned Canada's mining industry as a leader in sustainable development.
"MAC won a Globe Foundation award in 2005 for its work on TSM," stated Gordon Peeling, President and CEO of MAC. "This new study reaffirms that TSM is effective, credible and enabling our members to demonstrate their commitment to improved sustainable development performance."
The study was based on a set of benchmarks emerging from a report completed in 2007 for Natural Resources Canada on the Role of Industry Associations in the Promotion of Sustainability. The study concludes that TSM:
- is credible, comprehensive and relevant
- provides excellent opportunities for networking and shared learning among peer members
- has helped put sustainable development on the radar screen of member companies
- is addressing emerging issues, such as biodiversity
- enables successful engagement of stakeholders
- enjoys the high commitment of MAC Board
- leads best practice through implementation of third party verification
"The TSM program is a world class example of the leadership role an industry association can play in promoting sustainable development," stated Kevin Brady, Director of Five Winds International. "It meets or exceeds best practice on the key benchmarks we examined and the program is well positioned to help MAC's members respond to market expectations on the sustainability performance of materials in the 21st Century."
The results of the study and its recommendations will help to inform the MAC Board's strategic decision-making. A copy of the study is available on MAC's website at www.mining.ca.
MAC also announced today recipients of this year's TSM awards. To be eligible for an award, a facility's performance had to be externally verified. Three facilities - Williams Operating Corporation, Teck Cominco Trail smelter and Syncrude Canada Ltd., won a total of eight awards this year. A special award was presented to Syncrude Canada Ltd. for achieving TSM performance goals in all performance categories.