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Stewart Investors is 1st investment manager to join IRMA

14 October 2024By IRMA

EDINBURGH, United Kingdom and SEATTLE, United States — Stewart Investors, an active long-only equity specialist and a global leader in sustainable investing, has become the first investment management firm to become a member of the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA), an organization addressing the global demand for more socially and environmentally responsible mining.

With a global presence, IRMA’s members include both civil society and corporate entities from across the globe, representing the mining industry, consumer-facing brands, labor unions, NGOs, and mining-impacted communities, including Indigenous rights holders. Board members include: Anglo American, Mercedes-Benz, Human Rights Watch, IndustriALL Global Union, Batani Foundation, and Mining Affected Communities United in Action (MACUA).

As the first investment firm to become a member of IRMA, Stewart Investors joins a network of nearly 100 members committed to a common 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.

“Stewart Investors is strongly aligned with IRMA’s mission and looks forward to continuing to learn from its expertise as the first investment manager to become a member. Responsible mineral sourcing is a strategic imperative for companies and investors across sectors, and we see membership and collaboration with IRMA as an exciting opportunity to bring stakeholders together and leverage collective action to drive progress,” said Chris McGoldrick, Senior Investment Analyst, Stewart Investors

Stewart Investors became involved with responsible mineral sourcing in 2020 when discussions with companies, particularly in the electronics sector, led the investment team to commission research on conflict minerals in the semiconductor supply chain. Since then, Stewart Investors has engaged with over 30 companies on the issue and led an ongoing collaborative engagement initiative with over 160 investor supporters representing US$6.59 trillion of assets under management to encourage best practices in mineral due diligence and disclosure.

“We welcome Stewart Investors as the first investment manager in IRMA’s membership. Its team has already taken an active leadership role in the industry, leveraging a broad investor network to advocate for more responsible mining. This membership signals that investors are adding their voice to the chorus of consumer-facing brands encouraging mining companies to assess through IRMA. We commend the firm’s engagement and commitment to work with the other stakeholders to drive positive change in an industry upon which we all rely,” said Rebecca Burton, Deputy Director, Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance

IRMA is a system in three parts. It is a voluntary, global mining standard describing best practices to protect people and the environment, an assurance process to independently and transparently measure mines against that standard, and an organization that works to build value for all stakeholders involved in and impacted by mining. IRMA is unique in that its governance provides civil society and workers equal power to the mining industry and other corporate actors. This unique model contributes to its credibility, which in turn provides a range of benefits for mines assessed in the system.

Investment managers have a unique role in IRMA’s membership, as they can directly encourage mining companies to be assessed and also recommend consumer-facing brands in their portfolios to encourage their suppliers to engage.

About Stewart Investors
Founded in 1988, Stewart Investors is an active, long-only equity manager focused on sustainable investing. Based in Edinburgh, the firm also has offices in London, Frankfurt, Singapore, New York, Hong Kong, and Sydney. For more information, visit: www.stewartinvestors.com

About IRMA
IRMA is a nonprofit organization working to protect people and the environment directly affected by mining by creating financial value for industrial-scale mining operations independently assessed against IRMA’s best practice Standard for Responsible Mining. For more information, visit: responsiblemining.net

Media Inquiries

For Stewart Investors

EMEA
Bessie Stevens | MHP Group
SI@mhpgroup.com
U.S.
Margaret Kirch Cohen | Newton Park PR, LLC
+1 847 507 2229
margaret@newtonparkpr.com

For IRMA

Alan Septoff
+1 301 202 1445
aseptoff@responsiblemining.net

Credit: Harita Nickel/TBPPress Release

Harita Nickel mine is first in Indonesia to commit to IRMA audit

7 October 2024By IRMA

[Indonesian version]

Seattle/Jakarta – 07 Oct 2024 – PT Trimegah Bangun Persada, Tbk or Harita Nickel, an integrated nickel mining and processing company, has committed its nickel mining and related processing operations to third-party independent assessment against the IRMA Standard for Responsible Mining. Harita Nickel’s mine is the first in Indonesia to formally commit to an IRMA audit. Harita Nickel is located on Obi Island, South Halmahera, North Maluku.

“By volunteering the Harita Nickel mining operation for independent audit against the world’s most rigorous global mining standard, Harita Nickel is providing unprecedented transparency into the operations of an Indonesian mine,” said IRMA Executive Director Aimee Boulanger. “Harita will provide affected stakeholders with information they can use to engage the company in dialogue about how to make their mine more responsible. This is especially timely given the importance of nickel to support the energy transition, and the demand from downstream purchasers to source more responsibly mined nickel, particularly for the automotive and renewable energy sectors.”

“Harita Nickel’s commitment to undergoing the rigorous IRMA audit reflects their dedication to responsible mining practices in Indonesia. We highly appreciate their initiative, which not only sets a benchmark for the industry but also supports the government’s vision for a more transparent, and environmentally and socially responsible mining sector. This effort underscores the importance of aligning national industrialization with global standards, ensuring long-term benefits for our communities and the environment,” said Septian Hario Seto, Indonesia’s Deputy of Coordinating Ministry of Maritime and Investment.

“We want our purchasers to have confidence that they are buying responsibly sourced nickel,” said Roy Arman Arfandy, President Director of PT Trimegah Bangun Persada, Tbk (Harita Nickel). “By undergoing an independent IRMA audit, we aim to align our operations with best practices and, with affected stakeholders and rights holders, identify areas for ongoing improvement. We are committed to aligning with international standards for responsible mining for the long term.”

The Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) is (1) a voluntary mining standard describing best practices to protect people and the environment, (2) an assurance process to measure mines against that standard, and (3) an organization equally governed by representatives of six affected stakeholder sectors – communities, organized labor, NGOs, finance, purchasers and mining companies — that controls the standard and the assurance process. IRMA is globally unique in that its governance provides communities equal power to mining companies, and the non-commercial interests have the same power as commercial interests.

Harita Nickel holds mining licenses, under which mining operations commenced in 2010. Through its subsidiaries and affiliates, the Company has been operating high-grade nickel ore (saprolite) smelters since 2017, low-grade nickel ore (limonite) processing refinery facilities since 2021, and a nickel and cobalt sulfate refinery since 2023. All these facilities are located in Harita Nickel’s 2 active mining concession areas, on former mining pits. Harita Nickel produces key raw materials for electric vehicle batteries – by processing and refining low-grade nickel ore (limonite) using High-Pressure Acid Leach to produce Mixed Hydroxide Precipitate (MHP), which is then further processed into nickel sulfate (NiSO4) and cobalt sulfate (CoSO4).

SCS Global Services, an IRMA-approved independent audit firm, will be carrying out the assessment, which includes a desktop review (stage 1) followed by an onsite audit (stage 2). Using the contact information below, members of the affected community, public officials, representatives of the workforce, or other interested parties are invited to submit comments starting now regarding how the mine site is managing their impacts to the environment including air, water, waste, greenhouse gasses, and ecosystems; how the mine supports their workforce; and how the mine interacts with the surrounding community, and how it impacts the community. Interested parties may also ask to be interviewed by auditors once they are on the mine site.

For More Information

To follow the progress of the IRMA assessment, visit the IRMA website for Harita Nickel independent assessment status page
If you would like more information on how the audits are conducted against the IRMA standard — contact IRMA’s Director of Assurance: Michelle Smith, msmith@responsiblemining.net
Interested parties may contact the independent audit firm SCS Global Services, to share comments or to ask to be interviewed as part of the audit process. At least 30 days prior to the onsite audit, SCS will make its own announcement and invitation directly to local communities and workers. The audit firm can be reached by email at: feedback@scsglobalservices.com

Rustenburg. Credit: Sibanye-StillwaterAudits

ERM CVS to Conduct On-site IRMA Assessment of Sibanye-Stillwater Rustenburg

5 October 2024By IRMA

ERM CVS Seeks Input from Local Community and Other Stakeholders

[isiXhosa | Setswana]

Today, 5 October 2024, ERM CVS announces that on November 4 – November 12, 2024 it will visit the Sibanye-
Stillwater Rustenburg mining operations in the Rustenburg local municipality, South Africa to conduct the onsite
phase of its independent, third-party Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) assessment of the
operation.

When finished, an IRMA assessment results in a public audit report released locally and on the internet. This report
will describe how ERM CVS scored Sibanye-Stillwater Rustenburg against each of the 400+ requirements of the IRMA
Standard for Responsible Mining, and why ERM CVS gave Sibanye-Stillwater Rustenburg that score. The report will
also assign an overall achievement level: IRMA Transparency, IRMA 50, IRMA 75, or IRMA 100.
Sibanye-Stillwater can use this information about the environmental and social impacts of the Rustenburg mining
operation to improve its practices. Other stakeholders, particularly affected communities, may use this audit report to
engage with Sibanye-Stillwater and others on a more equal footing to improve the operation in the ways that matter
most to them.

During ERM CVS’s time at Sibanye-Stillwater Rustenburg, they will collect feedback from local stakeholders – anyone
directly or indirectly affected by the mine — including community members, mine workers, and government officials.
The ERM CVS team will also inspect the operation and its associated facilities.

November 4 – November 12, 2024

ERM CVS invites you to sign-up for an interview while we are in the area, and/or submit written comments about Sibanye-Stillwater Rustenburg using the contact details below. You must contact us before 21 October 2024 to be interviewed. Written comments submitted before 11 November 2024 will be considered.

On the web: ermcvs.com/contact-us
Email: post@ermcvs.com

Interviews occur without mine personnel present. Interviews with non-management workers occur without management present and occur offsite on request. Comments will be kept confidential upon request.

Your comments will help ERM CVS assess the impact of Sibanye-Stillwater Rustenburg on local communities and measure its performance against best mining practices.

ERM CVS is an independent IRMA-approved and trained audit firm. For more about ERM CVS visit ermcvs.com.

IRMA’s mission is to protect the environment and people directly affected by mining. For more about IRMA including
the assessment process, the IRMA Standard, and to see audit reports of other mines visit responsiblemining.net.

For Rustenburg audit status: responsiblemining.net/rustenburg

If you have concerns or complaints about the IRMA mine site assessment process or the IRMA Standard visit
responsiblemining.net/complaints

Oxidated copperBlog

ClimateWorks: Center Communities to Build Responsible Supply Chains

2 October 2024By IRMA

Below is an excerpt of a ClimateWorks blog by Lina Fedirko. Read the full version on their site.

The energy transition presents a unique opportunity to reshape mineral supply dynamics so that mining contributes to resilient, prosperous, and healthy communities. However, Indigenous Peoples and communities around the world have suffered from the consequences of irresponsible mining, such as deepening inequality, rising conflicts, and environmental degradation. A responsible mineral supply chain is necessary to help rebuild broken trust and ensure the energy transition does not replicate unjust and exploitative mining practices.

At ClimateWorks, we are actively seeking the insights and aspirations of our local partners around the globe to shape our collective effort to build a responsible mineral supply. Recently, I spoke with two regional leaders — Davidzo Muchawaya based in South Africa, and Pochoy P. Labog based in Indonesia — to gain their unique perspectives on the legacy of mining and their hopes for the clean energy transition.

Davidzo is the Africa Regional Lead for the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA), an organization that sets a globally recognized, rigorous, and best practice standard for the mining industry. Pochoy is the Southeast Asia Researcher and Representative with the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC), which monitors the human rights impacts of more than 10,000 companies worldwide.

What is your organization’s role within the broader ecosystem of organizations working on minerals in your regions? How do you collaborate?

Davidzo Muchawaya: IRMA is three things. It is a voluntary best practice mining standards and a process for independently measuring mines’ performance against that standard. It is also an organization overseeing the standard and measurement processes with representatives of affected stakeholder groups equally governing us: mining, purchasers, finance, organized labor, advocacy NGOs, impacted communities, and Indigenous rights holders. IRMA’s contribution to broader collaboration stems from our focus on capacity building among our stakeholders to help them better understand how to use our tools. We engage stakeholders, including the BHRRC, through regular outreach about engagement on mining issues and upcoming audits.

As a regional lead in Africa, I engage with civic organizations, impacted communities, organized labor, and other groups and regularly solicit feedback on our audit system and tools. IRMA’s vision is a world where the mining industry respects human rights, provides safe and healthy working conditions, minimizes environmental harm, and leaves positive legacies.

Read the full interview with Davidzo and Pochoy on the ClimateWorks website.

UNSG CETM Panel at the Aug 2024 Nairobi meeting.Energy Transition

Update: UN Critical Energy Transition Minerals Panel

3 September 2024By IRMA

On 20-21 August, the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General’s Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals held its last in-person meeting in Nairobi at the UN Environmental Programme Headquarters.

The meeting focused on developing a short list of actionable recommendations to accompany a set of voluntary principles on issues key to the panel aims of “building trust between governments, communities and industry, enhancing transparency and investment, and ensuring a just and equitable management of sustainable, responsible, and reliable value chains for terrestrial critical energy transition minerals.”

The Nairobi meeting followed a series of virtual discussions with civil society and Indigenous rights holders, industry, and artisanal and small-scale miners, convened by Panel Co-Chairs Ambassador Nozipho Joyce Mxakato-Diseko of South Africa and Ms. Ditte Juul Jørgensen, Director-General for Energy of the European Commission. These discussions and input received through a July UN-hosted written submissions period informed panel members and their input on the draft principles and recommendations.

The panel began its work in April 2024 and will finalize its report for the Secretary-General in early September for expected publication on the 11^th of September 2024.

While we do not have control over the final panel report, we hope that our input has contributed to bringing the experience and insights across all IRMA sectors into the principles and actionable recommendations. We appreciate all who took valuable time to submit comments and recommendations to inform the work of the panel.

Look for the final report to be posted soon in our social media feeds and on the UN Secretary-General’s Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals Website.

Greenbushes town and lithium mine. Credit: Talison LithiumAudits

Talison commits first Australian mine to IRMA audit

6 August 2024By IRMA

Talison Lithium commits first Australian mine to IRMA independent audit

Seattle/Perth – 6/7 Aug – Talison Lithium Pty Ltd has committed its Greenbushes Lithium Operation to third-party independent assessment against the IRMA Standard for Responsible Mining. Located in Western Australia, Greenbushes Lithium Operation is the first mine in Australia to volunteer its operation for IRMA audit.

“By volunteering Greenbushes Lithium Operation for independent audit against the world’s most rigorous global mining standard, Talison Lithium is providing unprecedented transparency into the operations of an Australian mine,” said IRMA Executive Director Aimee Boulanger. “They are effectively putting themselves under a microscope and welcoming affected stakeholders to examine their mine and help them make their mine more responsible.”

“We care about a better future—and we know our stakeholders do as well. Whether it be employees, the community, or customers, we want them to know we are committed to responsible mining and production practices” said Ian McGuire, Interim Managing Director, Talison. “To achieve this, we need to provide those affected by our mine the information they need to engage in meaningful dialogue about where Talison is achieving best practice, and where there is more work to be done. That’s why we’re doing an IRMA audit.”

Talison, a wholly owned subsidiary of Windfield Holdings Pty Ltd—privately held by Tianqi Lithium Energy Australia (TLEA), a joint venture between Tianqi Lithium Corporation (Tianqi) and IGO Limited (IGO) holding 51% and Albemarle Corporation (Albemarle) holding 49% operates the Greenbushes Lithium Operation. With over 40 years of industry leadership, the Greenbushes Lithium Operation has been central to the establishment of the Australian lithium sector. Located 250 kilometers south of Perth, it is renowned as the world’s premier lithium asset. Its high-quality ore reserves make it a key supplier of lithium, a critical mineral for the global shift to cleaner energy. Employing more than 1,500 people, Talison is committed to working closely with its workforce, shareholders and the local community as it continues to expand.

SCS Global Services, an IRMA-approved independent audit firm, will be carrying out the assessment, which includes a desk review (stage 1) followed by an onsite audit (stage 2). Using the contact information below, members of the affected community, public officials, representatives of the workforce, or other organizations are invited to submit comments starting now regarding how the mine site is managing their impacts to the environment including air, water, waste, greenhouse gases, and ecosystems; how the mine supports their workforce; and how the mine interacts with the surrounding community, and how it impacts the community, positively or negatively. Interested parties may also ask to be interviewed by auditors once they are on the mine site.

For More Information:

To follow the progress of the IRMA assessment, visit the IRMA website for Talison Lithium’s Greenbushes Lithium Operation independent assessment status page
If you would like more information on how the audit of the Greenbushes operation will be conducted against the IRMA standard — contact IRMA’s Director of Assurance: Michelle Smith, msmith@responsiblemining.net
Interested parties may contact the independent audit firm SCS Global Services, to share comments or to ask to be interviewed as part of the audit process. 30 days prior to the onsite audit, SCS will make its own announcement and invitation directly to local communities and workers. The audit firm can be reached by email at: feedback@scsglobalservices.com

Press Release

KPMG PRI approved to conduct IRMA audits

29 July 2024By IRMA

The Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) is pleased to announce that KPMG Performance Registrar Inc. (KPMG PRI) is now approved to conduct independent assessments of mining operations against the IRMA Standard for Responsible Mining. KPMG PRI joins ERM CVS and SCS Global Services to become the third IRMA approved verification body.

IRMA is a system in three parts:

a global standard describing best practices for environmental and social responsibility, against which mines at any point in their journey to improve practices may be measured;
an assessment process to measure achievement of mining operations against that standard such that the process builds trust in the independence of that assessment, and value for more responsible practice; and
equal governance and oversight by mining affected stakeholders such that communities, labor unions and other public sector representatives have the same voting power as mining companies and other private sector representatives.

KPMG PRI will transparently and independently assess those mining operations which volunteer to be assessed against the 26 chapters and 400+ requirements of the IRMA Standard. Verification bodies announce their assessments in advance so that assessors can interview not just mine management, but also affected community members and mine workers (among others).

“The addition of KPMG PRI as an approved verification body underscores IRMA’s commitment to answering the increasing demand for responsibly sourced minerals.” — Aimee Boulanger, Executive Director of IRMA.

“KPMG PRI is proud to become an IRMA approved verification body. We believe mining must be done responsibly, and the public and private sectors need transparent, independent assessments of mineral extraction that they can trust. KPMG’s reputation as a trusted assurance provider globally, combined with our deep knowledge of the mining sector means that we are well positioned to provide these services.” — Kim Swanzey, ESG and Sustainability Partner, KPMG LLP.

At the Unki audit. Credit: Michelle SmithBlog

Community perspectives on IRMA: The Unki Mine audit

22 July 2024By IRMA

In late June the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA, an IRMA member) published Community success stories: Tracking service delivery and environmental issues, a blog explaining the Shurugwi Development Trust’s experiences with the independent audit of Anglo American’s Unki platinum group metals mine in Zimbabwe. We excerpt it below:

Through meetings facilitated by the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA), Unki mine embarked on a third party-audit process against the IRMA standard in 2019 that involved the Shurugwi community, [achieved] IRMA 75 in the audit report. In 2022, a surveillance audit for Unki Mine was done, communities shared their concerns with the audit firm SCS Global. This was after the mine publicly audited against the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) [voluntary] standard for Responsible Mining in 2019.

ZELA, which is the only Zimbabwean member of the IRMA Civil Society Organisations global working group on worker and community engagement rights participated in development of data collection tools for communities such as the Community impact survey, IRMA Audits and Communities, sample letter to mining company, tools that can be used to monitor service delivery, engage with mining companies and government. The IRMA processes have enhanced Unki Mine’s relationship with the community, through the community engagement forum which meets quarterly to discuss the company’s mining operations in the community.

Benefits of the Unki IRMA processes and audit to the Shurugwi Community

There is now great improvement in the relationship and trust between the company and the community.

There is now an active quarterly community engagement forum meeting where 2 people were selected from each of the surrounding villages to represent the community. The relationship is promoting access to information which is enshrined in Section 62 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe.

In addition to the Community Engagement Forum, there is an emergency and response Coordinator which includes village chairpersons.

The IRMA audit report is a source of information, assists in identifying gaps and strengths to improve our engagements with government through evidence gathering on mining operations and their impact on communities’ wellbeing, rights and the environment.

The IRMA audit reports assist us in carrying out our advocacy work and provides us with information to participate in national, regional and international dialogues such as Alternative Mining Indaba.

Unki mine funded 4 partners – Technoserve, World vision, Zvandiri and Apostolic Women Empowerment Trust (AWET) – to implement community development projects.

The company is capacitating women with knowledge on their health and empowering them to stand for their rights. It also encourages women in the apostolic sect to register and go for hospital deliveries. In support, AWET also trains behavior change facilitators (BCFs) on safe motherhood.

Unki mine promoted hygiene in the community, building Double Blair Ventilated Improved Pit Latrines in ward 19 and part of ward 18 (now ward 4).

UN Secretary General's Critical Energy Transition Minerals Panel in CopenhagenEnergy Transition

Inform the UN Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals

17 July 2024By IRMA

Input Requested by 30 July to Inform the UN Secretary-General’s Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals

This July IRMA participated in the first in-person meeting of the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General’s Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The panel is charged with developing “a set of global and common voluntary principles on issues which are key to building trust between governments, communities and industry, enhancing transparency and investment and ensuring a just and equitable management of sustainable, responsible, and reliable value chains for terrestrial critical energy transition minerals.”

The work of the panel is a UN-wide effort with technical support from the UN Environment Program, the UN Conference on Trade and Development, and other UN bodies.

Panel Timeline: April to September 2024

The panel is working under a tight timeline. UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced the panel on 2 December 2023 at COP28 in Dubai. The panel was launched on 26 April this year and the first substantive panel meeting was held in a virtual format on 22 May.

Between the May and early July, panel members worked across four workstreams divided into four related topics:

Benefit sharing, local value addition and economic diversification;
Transparent and fair trade and investments;
Sustainable, responsible and just value chains; and
Mineral value chain stability and resilience.

Each workstream met twice in virtual formats to discuss and propose principles and recommended actions in preparation for the in-person 8-9 July panel meeting in Copenhagen. Prior to the Copenhagen meeting, a set of Civil Society Recommendations for the panel, supported by over 136 organizations around the world, was submitted to inform the panel’s work.

The last panel meeting will be held in person 20-21 August in Nairobi. The final panel report is to be submitted to the Secretary-General by early September 2024.

Opportunity to Submit Comments

On 2 July the UN published a panel background paper and opened a portal for public submission of comments to inform the panel. The portal will remain open through 30 July. We encourage you to submit comments and share the opportunity to do so with your networks.

IRMA also welcomes your recommendations regarding our engagement in the panel and any aspect of the panel’s work. Please contact us at contact@responsiblemining.net to inform this effort.

Useful Links:

RIA Conference Vancouver 2024Finance

IRMA at Responsible Investment Association

11 June 2024By IRMA

In May IRMA presented at the annual conference of the Responsible Investment Association in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Launched more than 30 years ago, the RIA’s vision is to align capital with sustainable and inclusive development as codified in the Paris Agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Today, the RIA today serves the needs of investment institutions, financial planners and industry service-suppliers collectively managing more than C$44 trillion in assets. The RIA serves as a secretariat for Climate Engagement Canada, a finance-led initiative to drive dialogue between finance and industry to promote a just transition to a net zero economy.

IRMA participated as part of the Critical Minerals and Mining: Balancing Net-Zero Ambitions with Social Responsibilities panel. IRMA board and secretariat members also hosted a side session to introduce IRMA to Vancouver-based colleagues, and to talk about the issues of climate, energy transition, materials needed from mining, Indigenous rights and the role investors serve.

Given Canada’s large support for mining and mine finance, Canadian investors have the potential to play a major role in encouraging mining companies to pursue the IRMA Standard. IRMA’s strategy includes an effort to engage the RIA and its institutional members.