ICMM president and CEO Tom Butler
JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – The International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) has published a water reporting guide to help mining companies disclose their water use data in a consistent manner to allow for easier comparison.
‘A practical guide to consistent water reporting’, which was released on World Water Day, includes a new minimum disclosure standard for external water reporting that will be adopted by ICMM member companies as part of their commitment to the water stewardship position statement published in January.
ICMM members, 23 of the world's leading mining and metals companies, have committed to publicly disclosing their approach to water stewardship and to report their water use in a consistent and comparable basis using standardised metrics from November 2018.
ICMM believes that, by publicly reporting how much water the industry uses, mining companies can support more sustainable and equitable management of global water resources.
“Water scarcity is a growing global challenge that requires action on every front and ICMM is committed to playing its part,” ICMM water stewardship manager Hayley Zipp said.
The ICMM hopes the wider mining industry will adopt its new minimum disclosure standard.
“We encourage the adoption of this approach by the broader industry as a way to provide meaningful information that supports better water use, effective catchment management and to contribute to overall improved water security and sanitation for all,” ICMM president and CEO Tom Butler said.