Launched in 2004 by the Mining Association of Canada, the Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) initiative is a performance system that helps mining companies and their facilities evaluate and manage their environmental and social responsibilities. TSM includes a set of tools and indicators to drive continuous performance improvement, provide transparent results to communities of interest, and ensure that key mining risks are managed effectively.
TSM focuses on six operational areas for which tools, referred to as Assessment Protocols (or Protocols), have been developed to assist mining companies in understanding and achieving the TSM Guiding Principles they subscribed to. The six Protocols are:
- Aboriginal and Community Outreach
- Crisis Management Planning
- Safety and Health
- Biodiversity Conservation Management
- Tailings Management
- Energy Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Management
