We encourage businesses to improve their resource efficiency and adopt sustainable practices along the value chain.
Green and circular economy
The Partnership for Action on Green Economy supports nations and regions in reframing economic policies and practices around sustainability to foster economic growth, create income and jobs, reduce poverty and inequality, and strengthen the ecological foundations of their economies.
UN Environment Programme works with small and medium-sized companies to promote the adoption of sustainable business practices and eco-innovation.
Technology and innovation
The Climate and Clean Air Coalition’s Oil and Gas Methane Partnership targets methane emissions, which are 84 times more potent as warming gases than CO2. Member companies, including Eni and Total, now report on performance. Collectively, these companies reduced methane emissions by 14,000 tonnes in 2015, equivalent to taking 74,000 cars off the road for a year. Watch a video explainer here.
UN Environment Programme worked with partners in Indonesia to introduce technology that removes mercury vapour created during gold ore processing and condenses it for reuse – protecting health and saving resources. The project reduced mercury emissions by 3,000 kilogrammes in one year.
Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management
The Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (the Standard, 2020) establishes the first global standard on tailings management for existing and future tailings facilities Strengthening current practices in the mining industry by integrating social, environmental, local economic and technical considerations, the Standard covers the entire tailings facility lifecycle – from site selection, design and construction, through management and monitoring, to closure and post-closure.
The Standard was developed through an independent process – the Global Tailings Review (GTR) –which was co-convened in 2019 by the UN Environment Programme, Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) and International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM).
More Information:
- Press release Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management
- International Advisory Panel to support new global Tailings Management Institute
- Global Tailings Portal: Bringing together all disclosures of mining companies about their tailings storage facilities. It gives communities, investors, regulators and the media unprecedented access to information about mine waste.
