Earthworks warns 'zero tailings' mining claims are misleading

Earthworks says mining projects marketed as “zero tailings” are not supported by current technology and can distract from safer waste management. The report argues the industry should focus on reducing tailings, improving accountability and cutting demand for newly mined minerals.

Why it matters: - Mine waste is the mining industry's biggest environmental challenge. - Tailings can be toxic and are often stored behind large dams that put communities, workers and ecosystems at risk. - Earthworks says marketing claims about “zero tailings” can delay the collaboration needed to manage mine waste safely for generations.

What happened: - Earthworks released a new report on June 23, 2026, in Washington, D.C. - The report is titled "The Future of Mine Waste: From the Myth of Zero Tailings to Real Solutions." - Earthworks says corporate claims that new mining projects do not create mine waste do not match current technology. - The report says there are no operating mines anywhere in the world that have eliminated tailings across all stages of production.

The details: - Mining produces three main outputs: waste rock, tailings and the minerals being mined. - Tailings are the waste left after processing and are often toxic. - Earthworks says some companies have made progress in reducing and repurposing tailings, but complete elimination remains a theoretical long-term goal for most projects. - The report says industry trade group ICMM has called tailings generation unavoidable and expected for the foreseeable future. - Earthworks says mining creates about 13 billion tons of tailings each year worldwide. - A 2025 study estimated that total tailings and waste rock volumes could reach 2 trillion tons by 2050. - The report says declining ore quality and the depletion of large mineral deposits are likely to increase both the amount and toxicity of tailings. - The report says eliminating tailings would require better technology, full use of extracted materials, reuse of tailings in other products and safe remining of old tailings to recover remaining minerals. - Earthworks says reducing demand for newly mined minerals would also cut mine waste. - The report points to Safety First: Guidelines for Responsible Mine Tailings Management, a set of 17 guidelines endorsed by 164 scientists, frontline community groups, Tribal governments and civil society organizations from 32 countries.

Between the lines: - Earthworks argues that “zero tailings” is more of a public relations term than a scalable technical solution. - The report says that framing can amount to greenwashing and can erode trust, waste time and obscure risk reduction. - The Brumadinho dam collapse in Brazil pushed mine-waste risks further into public view. - That disaster killed 272 people and affected the livelihoods of more than 3 million people downstream. - The report uses commissioned research by AECOM, led by Vice President and Brazil Country Director Vicente Mello.

What's next: - Earthworks says the practical path forward is to reduce tailings now, improve accountability and invest in longer-term waste-reduction solutions. - The group says safer mine-tailings management should be pursued wherever tailings are still being produced. - The report urges the industry to focus on collaboration and innovation instead of claims that imply waste has already been eliminated.

The bottom line: - Earthworks says mine waste is unavoidable for now, and the real challenge is managing it safely instead of marketing it away.