The Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) has released the second and revised draft Standard for Responsible Mining for a sixty-day review and public comment period ahead of the first-ever global certification program for industrial-scale mine sites, planned to begin in late 2016. This second draft of the Standard for Responsible Mining reflects the input from over 1400 points of comment contributed by more than 70 organizations and individuals worldwide, including industry and technical experts.
The Standard for Responsible Mining’s best practice requirements for mining include elements such as health and safety for workers, human rights, community engagement, pollution control, mining in conflict-affected areas, rights of indigenous peoples, transparency in revenue payments from companies to governments, and land reclamation once mining is done, according to a press release from the IRMA.
With growing awareness and demand for ecologically and socially-responsible products jewelers, electronics businesses and others have sought assurances that the minerals they purchase are mined responsibly. The Standard seeks to emulate for industrial-scale mine sites what has been done with certification programs in organic agriculture, responsible forestry and sustainable fisheries.
“We believe that using our brand to advocate for critical issues like responsible mining is one of the most important things we can do. Today, collaboration across sectors is necessary to drive systemic change. As a founding member of IRMA, working across sectors to strengthen mining standards, we are proud IRMA is close to launching its certification. We believe IRMA’s progress represents a significant step toward a global standard in responsible mining,” enthuses Chief Sustainability Officer at Tiffany & Co. Anisa Kamadoli.
