Becoming an IRMA Member

We welcome your interest in becoming a member of the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA).

IRMA is the answer to a question posed at its founding in 2006: What does it mean to mine responsibly and how can we best assess operations at a mine site?

Over the course of a decade, IRMA did the heavy lifting to respond to this query, bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders to craft the world’s first shared definition of responsible mining—the IRMA Standard for Responsible Mining. This Standard is now the world’s most comprehensive and rigorous definition of responsible practices in mining. While the Standard describes best practice, IRMA welcomes mines at any level in their journey toward environmental and social responsibility to be measured against this Standard.

IRMA’s system pairs the Standard for Responsible Mining with an independent assurance program, measuring a mine’s performance against the Standard in a manner accountable and credible to diverse stakeholders.

As a member, you will help shape the future of the Standard and the verification system and join others in advancing IRMA’s vision: a world where the mining industry respects the human rights and aspirations of affected communities, provides safe, healthy and supportive workplaces, minimizes harm to the environment, and leaves positive legacies.

Member Benefits and Qualifications

Benefits of Membership:

1. Voting Rights to shape the future of IRMA
2. Participation in Member Meetings, including the Annual General Assembly
3. Opportunities for Learning, Sharing Insights and Coordinating Strategy with IRMA’s expert staff and other members
4. Members-Only Communications, such as advance notice of IRMA news and key insights on developments in responsible mining
5. Public Listings of your organization on IRMA’s website
6. Member Logo to publicly demonstrate your support for more responsible mining

Membership Qualifications:

• Aligned with IRMA’s Vision
• Registered as a Legal Entity
• Agreement to IRMA’s Principles of Engagement and Membership Principles
• Mining Companies must have at least one site that has been independently audited against the IRMA Standard and achieved at least IRMA 50. If the company owns/operates more than one mine site, they must also submit a plan and timeline to audit a diversity of their operations against the IRMA Standard.
• Exploration and Development, and Mineral Processing Companies cannot yet apply for membership, but may join IRMA Working Groups to help develop and test the Standard for Responsible Exploration and Development or the Standard for Responsible Mineral Processing. Once these Standards have been finalized and are available for independent audit the IRMA Board will decide achievement levels required for membership.
• Purchasers of Mined Materials and the Finance Sector agree to encourage mining companies to be assessed through IRMA and communicate an interest in sourcing materials from, or investing in, mines independently audited in the IRMA system. The Finance Sector will also encourage Purchasers of Mined Materials to become members in IRMA.
• Members representing NGOs, labor unions and mining-affected communities agree to make statements that engaging in IRMA is an active way for mining companies and purchasers of mined materials to improve environmental and social responsibility in the mining supply chain and that audit reports are valued for providing key information to support more informative dialogue between stakeholders.

Becoming an IRMA Member

• Member Benefits and Qualifications
• Application Process and Timeline
• Organization Categories
• Checklist
• Membership Dues
• IRMA’s Principles of Engagement
• IRMA’s Membership Principles

Application Process and Timeline

1. Complete this Application

Respond to all relevant fields (pages 4-7).

Review and sign that your organization agrees to IRMA’s Principles of Engagement and Membership Principles (pages 8-9).

Send the completed application with any necessary attachments (see checklist on page 7) to info@responsiblemining.net.

2. Applications are Reviewed

Once the IRMA Secretariat has reviewed your application and finds it generally meets the membership criteria, a summary of your application will be shared with the IRMA Board of Directors for a two-week comment period.

In its review, the board may ask questions of applicants related to the application and membership commitments. When such an exchange is initiated, it will be handled expeditiously, while also allowing board members sufficient time to review the information. During this review, the board may seek outside perspectives and thus applicants should be aware the application process is not confidential.

As part of this review, a board member(s) may oppose granting membership. In such cases, they must provide substantiated evidence as to why the applicant does not meet one or more of IRMA’s membership principles and / or commitments. Other board members will then review and decide on the appropriate course forward, which could result in denial of membership or in a suggestion that the applicant undertake one or more actions to demonstrate a willingness to address the concerns. In all cases, these reviews must be fair, reasonable, non-discriminatory, and free of conflicts of interest.

If membership is denied, the applicant will be provided clear and specific reasons for the decision. If membership is conditional, the applicant will be provided with clear metrics and outcomes as to what must be done to address the concerns raised.

It should be noted that once the board approves a member, other members and stakeholders are allowed to file grievances related to membership, should there be an assertion that a member’s actions conflict with the qualifications of membership.

3. Payment of Membership Fees

Upon approval of membership, IRMA will request payment of the annual fee, if applicable (see page 6).  No dues should be paid until the application has been reviewed and approved following the process outlined in #2.

4. Communications Support

Upon approval of your membership and payment of associated fees, as applicable, your organization will receive the IRMA member logo and examples of approved messages to communicate your engagement as detailed in the IRMA Claims and Communications Policy (which can be found in the Resources section of the IRMA website under IRMA Policies and Procedures).

Please note that if you wish to announce your membership, all members must secure prior approval from the IRMA Secretariat for any public statements and press about your engagement and membership in IRMA. The review ensures such statements meet the IRMA Claims and Communications Policy.

IRMA can also provide you with quotes and supporting text to contextualize your membership.

Organization Categories

Member Groups with Voting Rights

• Mining Companies including companies focused on exploration and development
• Purchasers of Mined Materials including brands, retailers, and manufacturers
• Labor or Trade Unions
• Civil Society including nonprofits and NGOs focused on, and advocating for, stronger environmental and social protections related to mining
• Mining-Affected Communities including both formal or informal associations
• Finance including investors, insurance companies, banks and pension funds

Member Groups without Voting Rights

• Governments and Intergovernmental Agencies including national, regional or multilateral organizations
• Private Sector Entities such as consulting firms and trade associations
• Academia and Research including research institutes, universities and think tanks
• Standard-Setting Organizations in the mining sector or in other natural resource-based sectors
• Other Organizations^,

Checklist

• Attach the company or organization’s registration document, verifying it is a legal entity.
• Attach a digital copy of your company or organization’s logo.
• Obtain an appropriate signature agreeing to IRMA’s Principles of Engagement and Membership Principles (see page 8-9).
• Check this box to indicate your commitment to abide by the IRMA Communications and Claims Policy regarding use of the IRMA membership logo and claims of achievement and association which are allowed under membership.
• Check this box to confirm you understand and agree to the terms of IRMA’s Policy on Association.
• List the website you wish us to link to on the IRMA Members webpage:
  ______________________________________________________________
• Calculate membership dues, if applicable (see chart below): $________
  • Attach proof of the company’s latest reported annual revenue, if applicable
• For mining companies, check this box to indicate you understand and agree to IRMA’s Membership Qualifications (see page 2). Please also send any additional documents demonstrating plans and timelines to independently audit a diversity of your mines against the IRMA Standard.
• For purchasers and investors, check this box to indicate you understand and agree to IRMA’s Membership Qualifications (see page 1). Please also send any additional documents demonstrating existing commitments to promoting and supporting responsible sourcing (see page 5).

Membership Dues

Membership is free for civil society organizations, labor unions, mining-affected communities, government agencies, and academia. For all others, membership dues are assessed annually based on the dues schedule below. VAT will be added at the applicable rate.

Total Annual Revenue in USD	Annual Fee
0 – 10 million	USD 500
10 million – 100 million	USD 2,500
100 million – 1 billion	USD 5,000
1 billion – 5 billion	USD 15,000
5 billion to 10 billion	USD 25,000
10 billion or greater	USD 35,000

IRMA’s Principles of Engagement

We agree to the following principles as a basis for our participation in any IRMA initiatives or projects:

1. We are committed to and recognize the value of a multi-sector process and solutions with the participation of all sectors.
2. We acknowledge that we must develop strategies and systems that add value for all sectors, recognizing that different sectors define value differently.
3. We recognize that while we may not always agree, and that sometimes our disagreements may be aired in public, we see value in finding solutions where we are able to find agreement. We are therefore committed to dialogue despite these disagreements or differences of opinion.
4. We are committed to a process aimed at improving and promoting best practices and standards in respect of human rights and the rights of Indigenous Peoples.
5. We will seek to learn from and build upon current examples of site-based good practice as well as broader initiatives that are underway.
6. We will seek to identify and recognize progress and improvements at existing operations, understanding that there could be, in some cases, inherent limits as to what can be achieved at these sites. We recognize that in certain cases sites with complex and challenging issues could implement improvements that could lead to certification.
7. We recognize that in certain cases, whether or not there is governmental approval, due to potential impacts or other values or benefits, no mining could be the best option. We seek to advance methodologies that allow such decisions to be made within a sustainable development context. We also recognize that we must pursue solutions that avoid simply leaving the mining of such sites to less responsible operators.
8. We will ground our standard setting and verification process in sound science with regard to all stages of mine development through closure, considering identified risks, while recognizing that scientific uncertainty is not a reason for inaction, and respecting traditional knowledge, custom and values.
9. We agree that efficiency is essential. We seek to develop and advance criteria, targets, benchmarks and processes that integrate, whenever possible, existing tools, processes and resources, such as current reporting or auditing. We seek to build on existing knowledge and systems where applicable.
10. We recognize that it is essential to develop a system that enables mutually acceptable, credible, independent, third-party verification of compliance with standards, thresholds or performance targets. Accordingly, we seek to create a system that offers public recognition for such compliance and a mechanism to ensure that these commitments are being met in practice on an ongoing basis.

IRMA’s Membership Principles

The following principles apply to all members of IRMA.

IRMA’s mission is to protect people and the environment directly affected by mining. We do this by creating financial value for mines independently verified to achieve best practices and share this value and greater confidence with the businesses that purchase material from these mines.

As an IRMA member, you commit to supporting this mission by promoting, influencing, or implementing responsible mining within your sphere of influence or within your supply chain, and/or with your partners, clients, customers, stakeholders or beneficiaries.

Additionally, you agree to uphold the following Membership Principles:

• Active Support for IRMA:  As members, we actively and constructively communicate and support the IRMA Standard for Responsible Mining, IRMA processes and the implementation of IRMA projects in the world;
• Concrete Actions for Responsible Mining:  As members, we develop and implement actions to the best of our ability within the appropriate channels and mechanisms in our company or organization, in order to further responsible mining in the world;
• Shared Participation: As members, we know improvement requires many actors and we understand we can all participate in transforming the mining sector towards more responsible practices
• Continuous Improvement:  As members, we support and promote continuous improvement and we encourage mines and mining companies at any stage in their journey to engage in IRMA and to continuously improve;
• Transparency: As members, we act responsibly and are transparent in our dealings with IRMA;
• Credible Communications: As members, we do not make any misleading or unsubstantiated claims about our involvement in IRMA, our IRMA membership, our IRMA achievement levels (for mines), or our sourcing (for purchasers), our investing practices (for investors), nor about the impact associated with our engagement in IRMA. External communications about IRMA are truthful, accurate and based on robust systems. (Note: the IRMA Communications and Claims Policy provides specific guidance in support of IRMA members on this issue.)