Mining giant BHP says a new dual-pillar governance framework is at the heart of Brazil’s record-setting R$170 billion (AU$46.7 billion) socio-environmental settlement, with integrated management and a monitoring structure speeding up the execution of reparations in the basin.
The New Doce River Agreement, finalised in late 2024, establishes a 20-year roadmap to remediate the Rio Doce basin following the catastrophic 2015 collapse of the Fundão tailings dam.
The collapse of the Samarco tailings dam, which sent toxic mining waste sweeping across two Brazilian states, occurred at an operation jointly run by Samarco, the BHP–Vale joint venture.
A London judge later found BHP liable for Brazil’s worst environmental disaster, ruling in 2025 that the company’s negligence or lack of skill contributed to the failure.
The agreement introduces a clear operational division separating “to do” execution from “to pay” financial guarantees. Under the structure, Samarco serves as the primary operational entity executing environmental recovery, completing resettlements, and finalising individual indemnities. BHP Brasil and Vale act as secondary payment guarantors.
Supervised by the Federal Regional Court of the 6th Region (TRF-6), the model replaces the dissolved Renova Foundation to streamline accountability through semi-annual reporting and public oversight.
Between its November 2024 ratification and April 2026, the updated framework allocated R$42.11 billion toward reparations, raising total disbursements since the collapse to R$80.39 billion.
“The New Doce River Agreement marks a new moment for mining, in which reparation and governance are inseparable,” stated Paulo Chung, Legal and Reparation Vice President at BHP Brasil.
“This allows the obligations of the agreement to be conducted with rigour, transparency, and in alignment with the expectations of responsibility of municipalities and communities.”
