Tailings are a by-product of the mining and refining process which remain after recoverable metals and minerals have been extracted from mined ore. These are commonly in the form of a slurry (a mixture of solids and process water) and are discharged into a TSF.
Manage our TSFs
Aim to protect our employees, surrounding communities, the environment and our physical assets throughout the TSF lifecycle.
Implement the GISTM
Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management implemented at all South32-operated TSFs and advocated at non-operated joint venture TSFs.
Monitor our TSFs
Assess controls for TSF risks to support continuous improvement.
Prepare for emergencies
Regularly update and test our tailings emergency preparedness and response plans.
Continuous improvement
Pursue opportunities that will improve reuse and recovery of our tailings waste streams thus reducing our environmental footprint.
Assess physical impacts
Anticipate required changes in management of our current and future TSFs due to the physical impacts of climate change.
We disclose information on our TSFs in accordance with the requirements of the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM) and ICMM expectations, as well as the Church of England disclosure requirements.¹
As at 30 June 2025, there were 28 operated TSFs at our operations.
You can find out more in our Sustainability Databook 2025 and Tailings Storage Facilities Directory 2025 or read more about our tailings work in our Annual Report 2025.
1 In response to the Church of England Pensions Board and the Council on Ethics Swedish National Pension Funds request. Each year our TSF disclosure is revised and published.
Our Approach to Tailings Management is designed to achieve stable tailings. This involves understanding tailings behaviour, reducing water content at TSFs, and developing innovative construction techniques for these TSFs.
As an ICMM member company, we are committed to maintaining compliance with the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM) for the TSFs that we operate.
As of August 2025, all South32-operated TSFs aligned with the GISTM in accordance with ICMM expectations.
Find details about TSFs at our operations and to see our GISTM disclosures for each TSF here.
We maintain adequate resourcing to meet the requirements of the GISTM.
The safety and integrity of our tailings facilities are included as key performance indicators that inform performance outcomes and incentive payments for all roles (including relevant executive managers) related to tailings management.
We conduct risk assessments at each of our operated TSFs and associated major projects to identify material risk issues.
We commission independent technical reviews of design, operational performance, and risk assessments of our operated TSFs, including dam safety reviews, in accordance with the GISTM requirements.
We manage risks associated with our TSFs in accordance with the consequence category defined by regulatory requirements, applicable guidelines and standards.
We inspect and monitor our TSFs.
This includes tailings deposition control, surface water management, instrumentation, and embankment performance in accordance with each operation’s Operating, Maintenance and Surveillance Manual.
TSF failure contingency and emergency response plans specific to each TSF are prepared and routinely tested, considering the hazards and consequence category of each TSF.
This includes the involvement of relevant local communities and emergency response agencies.
Learn more about emergency preparedness and response at Health and Safety.
We engage with local communities to build open and transparent relationships and share information on our approach and emergency response (where relevant) to ensure a shared state of readiness and understanding.
We conduct human rights due diligence on our tailings storage facilities over their full lifecycle in alignment with the GISTM requirements.
