Standards

The IRMA Standard for Responsible Mining defines best practices for what responsible mining should look like at the industrial-scale. It provides the list of expectations that independent auditors will use as the benchmark for responsible mines.

Public consultation has finished for the draft Standard for Responsible Mining and Mineral Processing 2.0 which we aspire to release toward the end of 2025.

The requirements in the Standard include the following elements:

Business Integrity

  • Legal compliance
  • Community and stakeholder engagement
  • Human rights and due diligence
  • Complaints and grievance mechanisms, and access to remedy
  • Transparency in revenue payments from companies to governments

Planning for Positive Legacies

  • Environmental and social impact, assessment and management
  • Free, Prior and Informed Consent
  • Obtaining community support and delivering benefits
  • Resettlement
  • Emergency preparedness and response
  • Planning and financing reclamation and closure

Social Responsibility

  • Fair labor and terms of work
  • Occupational health and safety
  • Community health and safety
  • Mining and conflict affected or high-risk areas
  • Security arrangements
  • Artisanal and small-scale mining
  • Cultural heritage

Environmental Responsibility

  • Waste and materials management
  • Water management
  • Air quality
  • Noise and vibration
  • Greenhouse gas emissions
  • Biodiversity, ecosystem services and protected areas
  • Cyanide management
  • Mercury management

View the full IRMA Standard for Responsible Mining or individual chapters on our Resources page

Provide input or learn more about the Draft Standard for Responsible Mining and Mineral Processing 2.0.