Ministry of Environment creates environmental mining seal

The Ministry of Environment and sustainable development has just issued Resolution 2210 of 2018, regulating the use of the Colombian environmental seal that seeks to create a differentiation for activities based on the exploitation and /or profit making of precious metals, which present a better environmental performance, encourage the domestic market of these metals, promote good practices in their exchange and provide verifiable information to the consumer, among others.

The seal is of a voluntary nature and is granted by a third party certification body to the products (gold, silver and platinum) obtained from the exploitation or profit making of precious metals. The National Agency of Environmental Licenses (ANLA) will be in charge of accrediting the certification bodies and exercising their surveillance.

The period of use of the seal will be of three years extendable upon compliance with certain requirements. To obtain the seal, a series of requirements must be met, including, among the main ones, that there is no use of mercury, that the solvents used do not affect the ozone layer, that the cyanide management protocols are followed, and that the machinery is not put to work on the riverbeds. In addition, the applicant should carry out investments in restoration or additional recovery and programs related to the environment.

The standard seeks to contribute in this way to the efficient use of renewable natural resources and the protection of health and the environment.