Ottawa (ON), July 18th, 2023 - Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM), a performance system that improves environmental and social practices in the mining sector, has launched a new subscription service for global mining companies to publicly report on key sustainability data. Ioneer, an emerging lithium-boron producer with a mining project in Nevada, is TSM’s first subscriber.
First established in 2004, TSM helps drive performance improvement at the site level and contributes to securing support for mining activities from the communities where it operates. Demand for minerals and metals are on the rise due to their role as central components in clean energy technologies. Businesses, investors, stakeholders, and the public are also increasingly demanding insights into sustainable commitments to meet this growth.
“The new TSM subscription service represents a natural evolution for the standard as uptake by mining associations internationally continues to grow alongside individual company interest focused on prioritizing greater transparency on how their mines operate,” said Pierre Gratton, President and CEO of the Mining Association of Canada, TSM’s founding member. “14 mining associations on six continents now incorporate TSM as a mandatory component of their membership and we are proud to welcome companies in our sector, like Ioneer, that are voluntarily opting to hold themselves accountable to the high ESG standards that form the baseline of the program.”
Ioneer, as the first TSM subscriber, has committed to the standard’s implementation. In its next ESG report, set to be released in September, the company will publicly report on its performance on the standard’s eight protocols, including climate change, tailings management, water stewardship, Indigenous and community relationships, safety and health, biodiversity conservation, crisis management and preventing child and forced labour.
“Ioneer is proud to utilize TSM’s standards as part of our corporate reporting process. Transparency is key to stewardship, and we are committed to being a leader in the mining industry for both,” said Bernard Rowe, CEO and managing director at Ioneer. “We look forward to sharing our progress as Ioneer works to provide lithium and boron, critical and strategic materials produced at our Rhyolite Ridge site in Nevada, and accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles in the United States.”
To learn more about TSM’s subscription service, visit: https://tsminitiative.com/members.
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About TSM
The Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) initiative is a globally recognized sustainability program that supports mining companies in managing key environmental and social responsibilities. Mining companies are expected to report regularly on the implementation of each protocol. In addition, their activities will be evaluated by an external auditor every three years. Please visit www.TSMinitiative.com.
About Ioneer
Ioneer Ltd is the 100% owner of the Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Project located in Nevada, USA, the only known lithium-boron deposit in North America and one of only two known such deposits in the world. The Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) completed in 2020 confirmed Rhyolite Ridge as a world-class lithium and boron project that is expected to become a globally significant, long-life, low-cost source of lithium and boron vital to a sustainable future.
In September 2021, Ioneer entered into an agreement with Sibanye-Stillwater where, following the satisfaction of conditions precedent, Sibanye-Stillwater will acquire a 50% interest in the Project, with Ioneer maintaining a 50% interest and retaining the operational management responsibility for the joint venture. In January 2023, Ioneer received a conditional commitment from the U.S. Department of Energy Loan Programs Office for up to $700 million of debt financing. Ioneer signed separate offtake agreements with Ford Motor Company and PPES (joint venture between Toyota and Panasonic) in 2022 and Korea’s EcoPro Innovation in 2021.
To learn more about Ioneer, visit www.Ioneer.com/investors.
For more information, please contact:
Cynthia Waldmeier, TSM Communications
Email: TSM@mining.ca
Phone: 613-894-2128
Ioneer Contacts
Chad Yeftich
Ioneer USA Corporation
Investor Relations (USA)
E: ir@Ioneer.com
Media Relations (USA)
Daniel Francis
FGS Global
E: daniel.francis@fgsglobal.com
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TSM is an internationally recognized performance-based program whereby mining operations evaluate, manage and publicly report on critical environmental and social responsibilities.
Cynthia Waldmeier, Director of Communications
T: 613.233.9392 ext. 225
E: cwaldmeier@mining.ca