BAKU, Azerbaijan, Mar. 25
By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend:
By becoming a signatory to the International Cyanide Management Code (Cyanide Code), Kazakhstan's Altynalmas AK company committed to follow the Cyanide Code's Principles and implement its Standards of Practice, and to have certification audits conducted at the operations it has designated for certification, International Cyanide Management Institute told Trend.
In June 2020, the International Cyanide Management Institute (ICMI) announced that it had accepted the application of AK Altynalmas JSC (Altynalmas) to become a signatory. The Cyanide Code is a voluntary industry program of best practice for companies involved in the production of gold and silver using cyanide and companies manufacturing and transporting this cyanide.
“These audits must be conducted by independent third-party auditors within three years of Alytnalmas’ initial application to ICMI, and every three years thereafter. Operations will be certified if found in compliance with the Code, and may be de-certified if ICMI determines that they no longer comply with the Cyanide Code,” the Institute said.
The Cyanide Code program focuses exclusively on the management of cyanide, mill tailings, and leach solutions. Its purpose is to limit the risks to human health and the environment from the use of cyanide in gold and silver mining, while assuring stakeholders of the safe handling of cyanide through the disclosure of results from periodic audits by independent professional auditors.
The implementation of best management practices for cyanide reduces risks to workers, communities, and the environment. The Cyanide Code’s third-party audits and transparent certification process allow operations to demonstrate to their stakeholders that they have taken the steps necessary for safer working conditions and improved protection of human health, and the environment. Given public concerns about the transport and use of cyanide, Cyanide Code certification can help assure workers, external stakeholders, and the general public that a company is a responsible corporate citizen.
The Cyanide Code can be an important tool for mines seeking government approvals for new projects as well as the “social license” to operate that can be more difficult to get and keep than official permits.
Committing to implement the Cyanide Code and/or having a record of its successful implementation at a company’s other operations can assure stakeholders that a new mining project will operate to globally recognized and internationally accepted standards for the responsible use of cyanide.
The Cyanide Code was developed under the aegis of the United Nations Environment Programme by a multi-stakeholder Steering Committee. The Cyanide Code is intended to complement an operation's existing obligation to comply with the applicable laws and regulations of the political jurisdiction in which the operation is located.
AK Altynalmas JSC performs operations on subsoil use in a variety of gold ore objects. These objects are deposits of Akbakai region in Zhambyl area and Pustynnoye deposit and Karyernyi site in Karaganda area.
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