2012 Towards Sustainable Mining Award winners announced

(L-R) Craig Ford, Inmet Mining; Robert Carreau, IAMGOLD; Pierre Gratton, Mining Association of Canada; Rob MacLean, BHP Billiton-EKATI; and Anne Marie

(L-R) Craig Ford, Inmet Mining; Robert Carreau, IAMGOLD; Pierre Gratton, Mining Association of Canada; Rob MacLean, BHP Billiton-EKATI; and Anne Marie Toutant, Suncor Energy.

During its annual Mining Day on the Hill reception on November 20, 2012, the Mining Association of Canada (MAC) recognized four deserving member companies with Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) performance awards for excellence in environmental and social performance.

BHP Billiton-EKATI, IAMGOLD Corporation, Inmet Mining Corporation and Suncor Energy Inc., each received awards for facility-level achievements in one or more of the three pillars of TSM: Communities and People, Environmental Footprint and Energy Efficiency.

TSM focuses on improving the industry’s sustainable development performance. Member companies follow a common set of principles and report on indicators that measure their environmental and social performance for specific mining activities. The program was collaboratively developed by industry and civil society and continues to be monitored by MAC’s Community of Interest Advisory Panel.

Participation in TSM is a condition of membership in MAC. The association requires members to report against performance indicators annually and to conduct an external verification of reported results every three years. TSM Awards are presented each year to MAC member companies that have taken a responsible approach to mining and integrated leading practices into all aspects of their business.

TSM has been recognized by independent experts as a “best in class” initiative of its kind across all industry sectors in Canada and within the mining industry around the world. Notably, TSM has been acknowledged as an important industry initiative by several leading organizations, including Five Winds International and Canadian Business for Social Responsibility. The program has been recognized with awards from the Globe Foundation for environmental excellence, and the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada for environmental and social responsibility.

Further information on the TSM program and awards is available in the annual Towards Sustainable Mining Sustainability Report, located on MAC’s website at mining.ca.

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 mining.ca.