LONDON -- Tin producers have started reporting against the industry code of conduct developed by the International Tin Association.

These company reports highlight the activities of leading members of the tin industry that contribute to matters such as good governance, environmental performance, health and safety, community relations and protection of human rights.

These unique and informative reports are aligned with the needs of tin users and key stakeholders to understand how tin is responsibly produced, and where improvements are continually being made. The use of a single industry code will allow consumers and investors to be well informed and confident in the use of harmonised and comparable reporting standards, ITA said.

The scope of the code encompasses a range of expectations to international standards while remaining relevant and accessible to tin mining or smelting operations by permitting progressive improvement. The reports are generated through a review by an independent external assessor to provide an accurate picture of company activity, whether informal, conforming or already verified by third party audit.

Kay Nimmo, manager of sustainability at ITA, said in a press release: “The tin production industry has been at the forefront of the responsible sourcing movement for many years, leading the development of effective industry programmes to address new expectations. We are excited to begin publication of the code reports as another important and unique step forward for our members to demonstrate their continued and proactive commitment to positive change.”

The first reports made publicly available can be accessed via the dedicated code of conduct webpage of the ITA site and further reports will be progressively released by other members.

ITA and its members have been working together on developing the tin code of conduct’s 10 principles, supported with more than 70 standards. The code's approach to progressive reporting has been adopted to provide an opportunity for positive change among all operators, including the many small scale and artisanal miners whose livelihoods depend on the mineral sector and who make an important contribution to tin supply.