GISTM Conformance: What the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management Actually Requires

The Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management was published in August 2020 by the International Council on Mining and Metals, the United Nations Environment Programme, and the Principles for Responsible Investment. It is structured around 15 principles grouped into six topic areas: affected communities, integrated knowledge base, design and construction, management and governance, emergency response and long-term recovery, and public disclosure.

Inspection and monitoring obligations are concentrated in the management and governance topic area. Operators must appoint an Engineer of Record (EoR) who is accountable for the design, construction, and ongoing surveillance of each tailings facility. Independent Tailings Review Boards (ITRBs) provide an additional layer of expert oversight, particularly for facilities classified as "high consequence" or above.

Operators must classify each facility by potential consequence of failure, using a defined methodology. This classification drives the depth of inspection, the frequency of formal reviews, and the public disclosure obligations.

Public disclosure under GISTM has been a major shift. Operators must publish information about each facility, including its classification, design, EoR, ITRB status, and emergency preparedness.

ICMM members committed to conformance for the highest-consequence facilities by August 2023 and for all others by August 2025. Non-members increasingly face the same investor pressure.