Mining standards and regulations have historically varied by region, nation, or locale, making for a patchwork of guidelines and laws for environmental protection, water and emissions management, proper waste disposal, worker rights, and engagement with Indigenous communities. Multinational mining companies, manufacturers, downstream customers, and socially conscious investors have for years pressured the industry to adopt common international standards, but it took a tragedy to finally spur action.

In January 2019, a dam holding back sludge at an iron ore mine in southeastern Brazil collapsed. Around 2.6 billion gallons of the watery waste, or tailings, burst out, flattening settlements, destroying a bridge, and sending a surge of toxic mud into a river used for sustenance by the indigenous population. Approximately 270 people died as a result of the Brumadinho dam disaster (Figure 1), and the biggest mining company in Brazil, Vale S.A., was ordered to pay $7 billion in damages to the affected communities.