Burkina Faso goldmine honored with Toward Sustainable Mining Award

Burkina Faso's Essakane Mine was one of three African mines to earn 2015 Toward Sustainable Mining (TSM) Leadership Awards from the Mining Association of Canada.

IAMGOLD Corp. owns Essakane Mine. Two other goldmines it owns in South America and Canada also won awards. This was the first year mines outside Canada were eligible for TSM awards.

"IAMGOLD's commitment to corporate responsibility flows from our Zero Harm philosophy," Benjamin Little, IAMGOLD's senior vice president of corporate affairs, health, safety and sustainability, and people, said. "The inclusion of our three mines among the eight mines honored this year is the result of the tireless efforts and commitment of our employees."

To win a TSM Award, a mine must achieve or exceed a Level A ranking in the areas of health and safety, Aboriginal and community outreach, and the management of crisis, tailings, biodiversity conservation, energy use and greenhouse-gas emissions.

"We are proud to receive these awards and will continue to seek further innovative ways of excelling in health and safety performance, respect for the environment and relations with our community partners," Little said.

IAMGOLD (www.iamgold.com) operates four gold mines on three continents.