• operational risk aversion. Thus, while filtered tailings offer clear advantages in many scenarios, they are best evaluated within a comprehensive, site-specific comparison alongside thickened, paste, and co-disposal alternatives—an approach this paper intentionally adopts. Governance & Regulatory Drivers Rising Global Scrutiny on Tailings Facilities Over the past several decades, the mining industry has experienced increasing scrutiny following a series of high-profile tailings dam failures. Tailings dams failures have grown in frequency over the last 20 years, resulting in significant environmental, economic, and social impacts. This escalation in both frequency and severity has driven a global reassessment of how tailings storage facilities (TSFs) are governed, designed, and monitored. This trend is reinforced by broader industry analyses. (Josic TMW2024) notes that conventional slurry tailings continue to dominate global practice, even though their historical failure record remains a major concern. The document highlights that accelerated production of tailings— driven by growing demand for critical minerals—has increased the overall volume of material requiring storage. As a result, the limitations of traditional approaches have become more apparent, particularly in regions with constrained topography or high seismicity. The cumulative effect of these failures and rising production has been a decisive shift toward more conservative expectations for tailings risk management worldwide. Emergence and Influence of the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM) The Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM) was introduced as a direct response to these systemic issues. As described in Addressing the Barriers to the Implementation of Filtered Tailings, GISTM sets comprehensive requirements for governance, performance, and transparency, with the aim of preventing catastrophic failures and improving long-term accountability across the mining sector. It raises expectations not only for how TSFs are designed but also for how they are operated, monitored, closed, and integrated into the mine’s ESG framework. GISTM establishes stringent requirements across key domains such as: • Integrated knowledge base for decision-making • Site selection and design criteria incorporating extreme event scenarios • Enhanced monitoring—including instrumentation and independent review • Emergency preparedness and stakeholder engagement • Long-term closure and post-closure planning The adoption of GISTM is transforming the regulatory landscape, especially in countries like Chile, one of the world’s largest generators of tailings. Chile already faces significant water scarcity, seismic risk, and community pressure, making GISTM-aligned practices both necessary and politically salient. Countries in Latin America, North America, and parts of Europe are incorporating GISTM principles directly into permitting frameworks, while other jurisdictions treat the Standard as best
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