San Juan, Argentina - Veladero has become the first mine in the country to achieve compliance with the Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) Standard, earning a special distinction from the Argentine Chamber of Mining (CAEM) during the Arminera 2023 summit, the industry's flagship event in the country.
By completing this process, Veladero has confirmed its status as an open and transparent mine, fully accountable to society.
At the Arminera 2023 summit, Marcelo Álvarez, Executive Director of Government Relations for Barrick South America, with CAEM President Franco Mignacco.
"Attaining TSM verification for Veladero is a testament to our commitment to society, especially our employees, neighboring communities, and future generations, in developing sustainable mining practices. This achievement is the result of interdisciplinary work and collaboration with CAEM, involving a profound cultural change and placing us in the highest international standards. By completing this process, Veladero has confirmed its status as an open and transparent mine, fully accountable to society," said Marcelo Álvarez, Executive Director of Government Relations for Barrick South America, upon receiving the special mention.
The transformation effort at Veladero spanned four years of intense work across all departments in the company, involving an annual self-assessment, action plans to enhance compliance with protocols, external verifications, and the milestone achievement of hosting the Independent Interdisciplinary Advisory Panel of the TSM program at the mine last November.
About the Towards Sustainable Mining Program
Towards Sustainable Mining is a standard developed by the Mining Association of Canada (MAC) that sets quality and control standards to ensure responsible and transparent mining operations. The system consists of protocols with ratings that cover the most relevant environmental and social aspects, including biodiversity conservation, community engagement, human rights, and mine closure, among others.
Participating companies undergo a self-assessment which is subsequently endorsed by external auditors accredited by MAC. The process involves a voluntary and independent Interdisciplinary Advisory Panel comprising members of the community and civil society.
During the recent edition of Arminera in May 2023, Pierre Gratton, President, and CEO of MAC, highlighted that Argentina was the first country to join the initiative in 2017. He also emphasized that many other countries, including Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Guatemala, Panama, Spain, Norway, Finland, and Australia, among others, have since embraced TSM, making it the most widely adopted standard for ensuring industry quality and control in world increasingly in need for minerals.
Enquiries
Marcelo Álvarez
Executive Director of Government Relations, Barrick South America
Phone: +54 9 11 3188-9957
Email: marceloalvarez@barrick.com