Expert Speakers

The SME Arizona Conference is proud to present speakers who are experts in their respective fields with a focus on industry developments, trends and innovations specific to the Southwest.

* Please check back often for updates on speakers.

With the continued scrutiny across the globe on mine operators and their lifecycle management of tailings and tailings facilities, the International Council of Mining & Metals (ICMM) created the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM) in 2020. GISTM was developed “to prevent catastrophic failure and enhance the safety of mine tailings facilities”. All ICMM members committed to implement GISTM following its development. Those operators with “extreme” or “very high potential” consequences of failure were to be in conformance by August 2023, and others not in a state of “safe closure” are to be in conformance by August 2025. This presentation provides a broad overview of tailings facility management and the current state of the practice in light of GISTM. It will then focus on some best practices being implemented by various operators subject to the Standard.

Based on the classic Brundtland Commission definition of sustainable development as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs,” the presentation discusses how metal mining can be compatible with sustainable development and how sustainability considerations have been applied in the primary copper industry, using examples of sustainable mining practices from past and current ASARCO LLC operations. 

The presentation then discusses how such considerations might be applied in the future, by examining the emerging trends and drivers that will influence the mining industry in the coming decades. The trends include: (1) declining ore grades; (2) staffing of  mines with the baby boom generation retiring; and (3) transitioning to a low carbon economy and (4) re-gaining stakeholder trust and license to operate.  Addressing these trends will require mining companies to subscribe to a purpose that goes beyond profits, develop coherent sustainable development strategies that are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and seek strategic collaboration with companies outside the industry.