Overview

Wheaton has made several voluntary commitments to adhere to high standards of ESG performance. These voluntary commitments reflect our values and allow external stakeholders to hold us accountable.


World Gold Council

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Wheaton is a longstanding member of the World Gold Council (“WGC”), the market development organization for the gold industry. The WGC’s stated purpose is to stimulate and sustain the demand for gold, provide industry leadership and be the global authority on the gold market. In September 2019, Wheaton committed to the WGC’s Responsible Gold Mining Principles (“RGMPs”), a framework to address key environmental, social and governance issues for the gold mining sector. The ten RGMPs set out clear expectations for consumers, investors and the downstream gold supply chain as to what constitutes responsible gold mining. It is important to note that the RGMPs apply to gold operators and the majority of Wheaton’s gold production is by-product from base metal operations. As a signatory, Wheaton endorses these Principles, and will encourage gold mine operators to adopt this framework as outlined in our Partner/Supplier Code of Conduct.

On November 30th, the World Gold Council released a report entitled the Social and Economic Contribution of Gold Mining. The report provides quantitative insights into how large-scale mining and specifically mines operated by World Gold Council Member companies, contributes to economic advancement and improves livelihoods at a global, national and local community level. The report aims to inform and deepen the on-going discussion of the overall benefits of gold mining on host communities and countries, and to consider how those benefits can most effectively be supported and sustained.

“The World Gold Council’s latest report on the Social and Economic Contribution of Gold Mining further highlights Wheaton’s and its fellow member companies’ shared commitment to supporting sustained socio-economic development for the communities and countries in which we and our partners operate,” said Randy Smallwood, Wheaton Precious Metals President and CEO and Chair of the World Gold Council. “We are proud to see significant, quantifiable contributions made to host economies, including support to the livelihoods of its citizens and to community well-being during an unprecedented year of global challenge. We look forward to continuing to work with the World Gold Council on initiatives that support responsible gold mining.”


United Nations Global Compact

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In September 2019, Wheaton joined the UN Global Compact. We were the first precious metals streaming/ royalty company to commit to the largest corporate sustainability initiative in the world, leading the way for our peers. As a participant, Wheaton has committed to voluntarily aligning its operations and strategy with the ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption, and to take actions that support broader UN goals, including the Sustainable Development Goals. Since signing on, Wheaton has made several updates to its Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and developed new policies to align our operations and strategy with the UN’s ten principles. We report on our progress annually as part of this commitment through our sustainability report.