Automating TSF Disclosure with Quartex’s Tailings Database

Industry Call to Action

  • The Brumadinho TSF failure in January 2019, which claimed 270 lives, was the industry’s tipping point.
  • In response, investors led the Investor Mining & Tailings Safety Initiative to spur data disclosure.

An Industry-Wide Response

Just two days after the Brumadinho disaster, the Church of England Pensions Board and Swedish AP Funds co-led an investor coalition. Their Investor Mining & Tailings Safety Initiative drove two key outcomes:

  1. Creation of a Global Tailings Standard.
  2. Development of a TSF disclosure data repository via the Global Tailings Portal.

GRID-Arendal’s Global Tailings Portal consolidated disclosures from 726 extractive companies. Over 86 % of the industry (by market capitalisation) responded, giving regulators, investors and communities unprecedented transparency.

Meeting Topic VI: Public Disclosure

The Global Tailings Standard’s Topic VI mandates public disclosure of TSF information. Yet manual collation of disparate datasets can take up to six weeks per site—a major inefficiency for operators with dozens of facilities.

Quartex’s Tailings Database Solution

To streamline TSF reporting, Quartex developed an integrated database that enables mining companies to:

  • Capture & manage all tailings data in one central platform
  • Automate disclosures to portals like the Global Tailings Portal via API
  • Visualise facility locations and data clusters on a map
  • Track actions with audit trails, reminders and escalations
  • Export reports instantly for regulators, investors or auditors

This approach slashes data-collation time from weeks to minutes, ensuring ongoing compliance with industry frameworks (ICMM, UNEP, PRI) and enhancing stakeholder confidence.

Seamless Integration & Continuous Updates

Quartex’s API integration with GRID-Arendal automates TSF data feeds into the Global Tailings Portal. Regular, effortless updates reduce manual workload and support a robust governance framework.

Next Steps

Discover how Quartex’s Tailings Database can transform your TSF disclosure process. Contact us to discuss your requirements and arrange a personalised demonstration.