TSM Summary Report Governance Framework (Primary Document)

1. Primary Document

1.1. Introduction

Established in 2004, the Towards Sustainable Mining™ (TSM) is a globally recognized program developed by the Mining Association of Canada (MAC) to provide mining operations a standardized way to evaluate and manage their environmental and social responsibilities. The TSM program outlines a set of eight (8) protocols that include indicators designed to assist mining operators in building, measuring, and publicly reporting on the quality of their management systems and performance in key areas of mining activity.

Acknowledgements The development of this documentation follows the governance framework created by the Trust over IP Foundation (ToIP) Governance Metamodel Specification created by the Governance Stack Working Group (GSWG).

The TSM Summary Report digital credential is provided “as is”, and MAC disclaims all representations, warranties, conditions, obligations, and liabilities of any kind, whether express or implied, in relation to the TSM Summary Report digital credential, including without limitation implied warranties with respect to merchantability, satisfactory quality, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement.

MAC does not guarantee that the digital certificate will operate, will operate error-free, or that the digital certificate will be available at all times or be available in a timely manner. Use of the digital certificate is at your own risk and may require third-party applications or services.

Use of the digital certificate means that you understand and agree that MAC will not be liable in any event for any loss or damage, including (i) consequential losses or damages; (ii) loss of actual or anticipated profits or income (whether direct or indirect); (iii) loss of contract or business or other losses or damages arising from your use of the digital certificate; and (iv) special, indirect, incidental or punitive losses or damages.

1.2. Terminology and Notation

Please reference Glossary - General Trust Over IP Terms.

Requirements include any combination of Machine-Testable Requirements and Human-Auditable Requirements. Unless otherwise stated, all Requirements MUST be expressed as defined in RFC 2119.

Mandates are Requirements that use a MUST, MUST NOT, SHALL, SHALL NOT or REQUIRED keyword.
Recommendations are Requirements that use a SHOULD, SHOULD NOT, or RECOMMENDED keyword.
Options are Requirements that use a MAY or OPTIONAL keyword.

Machine-Testable Requirements are those with which compliance can be verified using an automated test suite and appropriate scripting or testing software.

Rules are Machine-Testable Requirements that are written in a Machine-Readable language and can be processed by a Rules Engine. They are expressed in a structured rules language as specified by the Governance Framework.

Human-Auditable Requirements are those with which compliance can only be verified by an audit of people, processes, and procedures.

Policies are Human-Auditable Requirements written using standard conformance terminology. The Policies used in the Governance Framework will use the standard terminology detailed in RFC 2119 keywords. Note that all RFC 2119 keywords have weight from an auditing perspective. An implementer MUST explain why a SHOULD or RECOMMENDED requirement was not implemented and SHOULD explain why a MAY requirement was implemented.

Specifications are documents containing any combination of Machine-Testable Requirements and Human-Auditable Requirements needed to produce technical interoperability.

1.3. Localization

The standard language for this governing framework (GF) is English.

1.4. Governing Authority

The Mining Association of Canada (MAC) is the governing authority that leads the development, maintenance, and implementation of the Governance Framework (GF) for TSM. The governance and decision-making process for the TSM program includes the following groups and committees:

The TSM Governance Team is a subcommittee of the MAC Board of Directors. This group is responsible for providing strategic direction on all matters related to TSM and making recommendations to the Board on proposed changes to the program.
The MAC Board of Directors sets the overall objective and recommends changes. In practice, the MAC Board will only consider a decision if the Community of Interest Advisory Panel (COI Panel) is comfortable with the direction proposed.
The Community of Interest Advisory Panel (COI Panel) is an independent advisory body comprised of individuals from Indigenous groups, mining communities, non-governmental organizations, and organized labour, among others. Industry representatives participate in the panel on an ex officio basis.

Reference TSM 101: A Primer TSMGovernanceTriangle

The contact information for The Mining Association of Canada (MAC) is:

Name: Katherine Gosselin
Title: Director of Towards Sustainable Mining
Organization: The Mining Association of Canada
Email: kgosselin@mining.ca

1.5. Administering Authority

The contact information for The Mining Association of Canada (MAC) is:

Name: Katherine Gosselin
Title: Director of Towards Sustainable Mining
Organization: The Mining Association of Canada
Email: kgosselin@mining.ca

1.6. Purpose

The purpose of this Governance Framework (GF) is to define what a TSM Summary Report credential is and who is responsible for the authority and administration of its use.

1.7. Scope

A TSM Summary Report credential issued according to this GF, provides summary information for each protocol as required.

1.8. Objectives

To allow the credential holder proof of summary data for each protocol in a variable credential format that is both secure and tamperproof: TSM Protocols & Frameworks):

The TSM program outlines the following objectives in its Theory of Change

1) Multi-Stakeholder Engagement 2) Continual Improvement 3) Driving Change Across the Mining Industry 4) Credible Performance Reporting

The TSM summary credential includes a combination of pass/fail scores and letter grades ranging from Level C to Level AAA based on the below rating scale:

TSMRatingScale

1.9. Principles

TSM has a set of Guiding Principles, which all participating members must commit to. These Guiding Principles, address the expectation of its members towards adopting social, economic, and environmental practices that align with the priorities and values of their communities of interest.

1.10. General Requirements

Verification Process

Every three years TSM self-assessed scores are validated by an appointed TSM Verification Service Provider (VSP). More information about the verification process can be found in the TSM Verification Guide

TSMVerificationLayers

1.11. Revisions

Version 1.0. MAC as the secretariat of TSM approves all revisions and changes.

1.12. Extensions

There are no extensions to this Governance Framework.

1.13. Schedule of Controlled Documents

The TSM Guiding Principles are backed by a suite of protocols against which mining companies measure and publicly report their performance in the annual TSM Progress Reports.

2. Controlled Documents

2.1. Glossary

Verification Service Provider (VSP): Independent third-party verifiers act as auditors that validate self-assessed TSM scores. Every three years, a trusted VSP critically reviews a company’s self-assessments to determine if there is adequate evidence to support the performance ratings reported.
Community of Interest (COI) Advisory Panel: Independent multi-interest advisory body comprised of individuals from Indigenous groups, mining communities, non-governmental organizations, and organized labour, among others. The MAC Board also selects a few representatives from the TSM Governance Team to participate in the panel on an ex-officio basis.
MAC Board of Directors: The Mining Association of Canada (MAC) is governed by a team of industry leaders from our membership who were selected for their breadth and depth of mining experience. Through their strategic guidance and oversight, these professionals collectively play a vital role in advancing the work of MAC and the industry at large.

2.2. Risk Assessment

The Mining Association of Canada (MAC) Board of Directors (Board) is the primary authority for the risk assessment process of the TSM Program.

2.3. Trust Assurance and Certification

Trust Assurance and Certification is determined primarily by the MAC Board of Directors.

MAC utilizes the TSM Mutual Cooperation Agreement Template as a trust assurance framework for international adoption. MAC has identified the following minimum categories of requirements for Licensees:

Guiding Principles
Performance Indicators
Facility-level Reporting
Independent Verification
Public Reporting of Facility Level Reporting
Community of Interest Advisory Body
Condition of Membership

2.4. Governance Requirements

The TSM Summary Report Credential is governed by the TSM Program Governance

2.5. Business Requirements

The primary use of the TSM Summary Report Credential is verification of TSM scores, see Mining Association of Canada (MAC) Verifier Governance Framework

2.6. Technical Requirements (Credential)

The Verifiable Credential format for this credential is AnonCreds specification (https://hyperledger.github.io/anoncreds-spec/)

2.6.1 Schema Definition

Schema Name: tsm.summary.report

Schema Version: 1.0

This schema definition follows the AnonCreds specification (https://anoncreds-wg.github.io/anoncreds-spec/)

Attribute	Format	Rules	Notes
company_name	String	Not NULL	name of business entity
facility_name	String	Not NULL	name of facility or site
facility_address	String	Not NULL	address of facility or site
country_operation	String	Not NULL	country of facility or site
products_name	String	Not NULL	name of products or metals produced on site
operation_type	String	Not NULL	mining, concentrate blending, smelting, refining, other
infrastructure_type	String	Not NULL	roads, rails, ports, other
verification_company_name	String	Not NULL	name of verification company
accredited_tsm_verifier	String	Not NULL	yes, no
verification_dates	String	Not NULL	date range of verification activities, YYYY/MM/DD
verification_period	String	Not NULL	date, YYYY/MM/DD
verification_method_summary	String	Not NULL	textbox, description of method
verification_activities_summary	String	Not NULL	textbox, description of activities
verification_statement_tor	String	Not NULL	checkbox, checkbox indicates yes
verification_statement_accuracy	String	Not NULL	checkbox, checkbox indicates yes
verification_statement_limitations	String	Not NULL	textbox, verifier identified limitations
verification_statement_comments	String	Not NULL	textbox, verifier comments
verification_statement_lead_name	String	Not NULL	textbox, full legal name of the lead verifier
verification_statement_date	String	Not NULL	date, YYYY/MM/DD
verification_statement_signature	String	Not NULL	textbox, printed signature of lead verifier
summary_tsm_min	String	Not NULL	levels C - AAA, minimum level awarded for all TSM protocol
indigenous_q1	String	Not NULL	levels C - AAA, Community of Interest (COI) Identification
indigenous_q2	String	Not NULL	levels C - AAA, Community of Interest (COI) Engagement
indigenous_q3	String	Not NULL	levels C - AAA, effective Indigenous engagement and dialogue
indigenous_q4	String	Not NULL	levels C - AAA, community impact and benefit management
indigenous_q5	String	Not NULL	levels C - AAA, Community of Interest (COI) response mechanism
indigenous_summary_min	String	Not NULL	levels C - AAA, minimum level awarded for indigenous protocols
safety_health_q1	String	Not NULL	levels C - AAA, commitments and accountability
safety_health_q2	String	Not NULL	levels C - AAA, planning and implementation
safety_health_q3	String	Not NULL	levels C - AAA, training, behaviour and culture
safety_health_q4	String	Not NULL	levels C - AAA, monitoring and reporting
safety_health_q4_pd	String	Not NULL	checkbox, link to public disclosure
safety_health_q5	String	Not NULL	levels C - AAA, performance
safety_health_summary_min	String	Not NULL	levels C - AAA, minimum level awarded for safety and health protocols
corp_crisis_and_communication_preparedness	String	Not NULL	yes, no
corp_crisis_and_communication_review	String	Not NULL	yes, no
corp_crisis_and_communication_training	String	Not NULL	yes, no
labour_forced_q1	String	Not NULL	yes, no - preventing forced labour
labour_child_q2	String	Not NULL	yes, no - preventing child labour
corp_climate_q1	String	Not NULL	levels C - AAA, coporate level management
site_climate_q2	String	Not NULL	levels C - AAA, site level management
site_climate_q3	String	Not NULL	levels C - AAA, site performance targets and reporting
climate_summary_min	String	Not NULL	levels C - AAA, minimum level awarded for climate protocols
biodiversity_conservation_q1	String	Not NULL	levels C - AAA, corporate conservation commitment, accountability, and communications
biodiversity_conservation_q2	String	Not NULL	levels C - AAA, conservation planning and implementation
biodiversity_conservation_q3	String	Not NULL	levels C - AAA, conservation reporting
biodiversity_conservation_summary_min	String	Not NULL	levels C - AAA, minimum level awarded for biodiversity protocols
tailings_management_q1	String	Not NULL	levels C - AAA, management policy and commitment
tailings_management_q2	String	Not NULL	levels C - AAA, management system and emergency preparedness
tailings_management_q3	String	Not NULL	levels C - AAA, assigned accountability and responsibility
tailings_management_q4	String	Not NULL	levels C - AAA, annual review
tailings_management_q5	String	Not NULL	levels C - AAA, operation, maintenance, and surveillance
tailings_management_summary_min	String	Not NULL	levels C - AAA, minimum level awarded for tailings management protocols
water_stewardship_q1	String	Not NULL	levels C - AAA, water governance
water_stewardship_q2	String	Not NULL	levels C - AAA, operational management
water_stewardship_q3	String	Not NULL	levels C - AAA, watershed-scale planning
water_stewardship_q4	String	Not NULL	levels C - AAA, reporting and performance
water_stewardship_summary_min	String	Not NULL	levels C - AAA, minimum level awarded for water stewardship protocols

2.6.2. Credential Implementation

Ledger | SCHEMA DEF | CRED DEF | Notes — | — | — | — BCovrin Test | TBD | — | —

2.7. Information Trust Requirements

MAC Privacy of Information

2.8. Inclusion, Equitability, and Accessibility Requirements

MAC Advancing Diversity and Inclusion

2.9. Legal Agreements

MAC is the owner of intellectual property that TSM consists of. MAC licenses TSM to industry associations that choose to adopt TSM based on the following agreement template:TSM Mutual Cooperation Agreement

Industry adopters of TSM are also bound to agree and abide by the TSM Claims and Labels Policy. Claims and labels are the messages, logos and imagery used to communicate that an entity meets a certain level of Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) performance. Claims and labels may be used in marketing and communications materials, annual reports, and other media by companies and facilities that are members of associations implementing TSM.