Mexico's mining association joins MAC's sustainable mining

The Mexican Mining Chamber, known as Cámara Minera de México (Camimex), has decided to adopt the Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) program, which is the Canadian equivalent of the Mining Association of Canada (MAC). A formal signing ceremony was held at the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada's (PDAC) convention in Toronto.

TSM is a Canadian-made system that enhances environmental and social practices in the mining industry by evaluating eight critical aspects of ESG performance against 30 specific performance indicators. It is the world's first mining sustainability standard that mandates site-level assessments, which are independently verified and publicly reported.

Camimex is the fifth Latin American mining association, joining Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, and Argentina, and the twelfth association worldwide to adopt the TSM standard. To reflect the unique characteristics of Mexico's mining industry, the Mexican mining chamber will customise the performance areas of TSM.

"Signing this collaboration with the Mining Association of Canada to share the TSM standard reflects the commitment of the mining sector affiliated with Camimex to continue implementing the best international standards in environmental and social performance, as well as transparency and promoting communication channels with all stakeholders," said Jaime Gutiérrez, president of Camimex. 

According to numbers posted on the Camimex website, Mexico employed over 406,000 people in its mining sector in 2021. The number includes both producers and suppliers.

The value of metals produced in Mexico during 2021 included US$6.65 billion for gold, US$5.15 billion for copper, US$3.45 billion for silver, and US$3.45 billion for zinc. Mexico is also a producer of lead, cadmium, selenium, molybdenum, coke, and iron pellets.