Blog

On-site audit announced for Eramet’s GCO

19 December 2023By IRMA

Feedback requested during the on-site, independent audit under the IRMA Standard for Responsible Mining of Eramet’s Grande Côte Operations (GCO), Departments of Tivaouane (Thies Region) and Kébémer (Louga Region) Senegal

This coming January, SCS Global Services (SCS) auditors will be on-site as part of the ongoing third-party, independent audit of Eramet’s Grande Côte Operations (GCO) mineral sands operation to evaluate its performance under the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) Standard for Responsible Mining.

The audit began in May 2023 with a desktop review of documents provided by the mine. This next on-site phase provides all affected stakeholders the opportunity to give feedback on the mine’s environmental, health, safety, and community performance.

During the on-site part of the audit the auditors will ask local stakeholders, including community members and organizations, public officials, and non-management mine workers to participate in interviews or meetings, or to provide information using other means including email or on-line. SCS will use stakeholder comments to help determine how GCO performs relative to the IRMA Standard.

Please contact SCS if you would like to provide your views. You can do so by interview or in writing. Interviews can take place in person, or virtually (telephone or videoconference). Use the links, QR code, or email below to contact SCS to request an interview, ask questions, or provide comments. Commenters’ identities and remarks are kept confidential upon request.

Online Comment Form or Email	Scan QR Code to Comment
https://info.scsglobalservices.com/irma-public-announcements-and-stakeholder-feedback https://info.scsglobalservices.com/irma-stakeholder-feedback feedback@scsglobalservices.com

Online Comment Form or Email

Scan QR Code to Comment

https://info.scsglobalservices.com/irma-public-announcements-and-stakeholder-feedback

https://info.scsglobalservices.com/irma-stakeholder-feedback

feedback@scsglobalservices.com

IRMA will publish the completed audit report at https://responsiblemining.net. The report will explain how SCS scored the mine site against the requirements of the 26 chapters of the IRMA Standard, and why. SCS will assign scores for each chapter. After the report is published, stakeholders may still comment on the mine’s performance to help guide the operation’s improvement as it moves through the IRMA 3-year audit cycle.

You can also view this document as pdf in English or French.

SCS is an IRMA-approved audit firm with head offices in Emeryville, California. For more information about SCS, please visit www.scsglobalservices.com.

The IRMA Standard is the world’s most comprehensive mining standard for industrial-scale mines and the only one equally governed by all stakeholders: mining companies, mineral purchasers, investors, organized labor, communities, and civil society NGOs. Mine site verification under the IRMA Standard is voluntary. For more information on the IRMA Standard requirements and certification, visit www.responsiblemining.net.

Unki on-site audit discussion. Credit: IRMAMining

Recording of the IRMA Deep Dive for Mining Companies

18 December 2023By IRMA

Thursday, December 14th, IRMA hosted a dedicated webinar for mining companies to learn more about the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance. It was simultaneously interpreted in Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, Indonesian, French, and Chinese.

Given our service to multiple sectors, we’re aware investors and companies who purchase mined materials are increasingly asking for mines to be independently assessed in IRMA system. Just as we seek to provide value to these sectors, as well as civil society, communities and labor unions, we’re equally committed to serving the mining sector.

The webinar was an open and candid discussion between representatives of mining companies that have been IRMA-audited, purchasing companies engaged in IRMA, and the key IRMA Secretariat staff who are dedicated to serving the mining sector. It highlighted the tools and training we’re developing to help mining companies better understand the standard and our assessment process. It also addressed common questions, hesitations, doubts and even frustrations, all with the aim of ensuring IRMA is responsive and useful to the mining sector.

The slides (English-only) are here. The webinars are available on our youtube channel and embedded below in Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, Indonesian, French, English and Chinese.

Spanish

Russian

Portuguese

Indonesian

French

English

Chinese

NOTE: At one point both interpreters talk simultaneously for a few minutes.

IRMA mining engagement December 2023Blog

IRMA Mining Engagement Update – Dec 2023

15 December 2023By IRMA

As of Dec 2023, 80 mining companies are now engaged in IRMA representing 101 sites:

59 sites are self-assessing under the IRMA Standard (38 have made this public), the first step before an independent audit;

24 are piloting the draft IRMA exploration (IRMA Ready) or mineral processing standard self-assessments

18 are in the independent assessment system: 14 audits are underway (USA, South Africa, Senegal, Mozambique, Brazil, Chile, Argentina) and 4 completed audits have been published (Zimbabwe, Mexico, Chile)

They encompass 30 countries.

Details and maps of the mining sector’s engagement with IRMA are available here.

Introduction to the IRMA Audit Firm Approval Process - thumbnailAudits

Introduction to the IRMA Audit Firm Approval Process

5 December 2023By IRMA

Co-hosted by IRMA Assurance Services International (ASI), held a meeting introducing the IRMA audit firm approval process, and how IRMA oversees its approved audit firms. The meeting recording and slides are below.

Development of robust standards are only one half of the IRMA system. Just as important to our mission is the work of highly competent and accountable audit firms to measure mine performance against those standards. 100+ mines owned by 75+ companies are engaged in the IRMA system. We are bringing on additional audit firms in response to increasing demand for IRMA audits.

More resources for audit firms are available on the Resources page.

Slides from the presentation

COP28 logoBlog

IRMA Engagement in COP28 UAE

30 November 2023By IRMA

IRMA is participating in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 28^th Conference of the Parties (COP28) in Dubai, UAE as an Observer and panelist in multiple events, represented by IRMA Law & Policy Director, Kristi Disney Bruckner.

Events include:

5 December 10:00–12:30 GST
Action Arena – Al Hur Room, Blue Zone
Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action Industry Action Event
Taking Stock of Climate Action on Industry and Energy: Accelerating Systems Transformations
Click here for livestream

This event, organized by the United Nations Climate Change High-Level Champions, Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action, and World Business Council on Sustainable Development (WBCSD) will focus on “the transformative levers within the energy and industry sectors, aligned with the Energy and Industry 2030 Breakthroughs and the Sharm el Sheik Adaptation Agenda of the Marrakesh Partnership. This event will provide a platform for stakeholders to collaborate, share insights, and create strategies to drive these essential changes, charting a course toward a more sustainable and equitable future for all.

IRMA will share a Call to Action, inviting State Owned Enterprises and others to engage in advancing responsible mining of transition minerals in Africa. Contact us at info@responsiblemining.net to inquire about IRMA engagement and available support.

5 December 15:00–16:00 GST
Al Shaheen Room, Blue Zone
Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action Implementation Lab
Enablers to Tripling Renewable Power Generation by 2030 Through a Just, Financed, and Equitable Transition
Click here for livestream

This event, organized by the African Export Import Bank, Global Renewables Alliance (GRA), IRMA, and Utilities for Net Zero Alliance, will launch a new report by GRA, the COP28 UAE Presidency, and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) detailing how to increase renewable energy capacity to 11,000 GW by 2030, including:

Infrastructure and operation;

Policy and regulation;

Supply chain, skills, and capacities;

Scaling-up finance; and

Enhancing international collaboration.

The event will highlight linkages between these key enablers and parallel efforts from IRMA and the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) regarding critical mineral supply chains, the African Export Import Bank regarding the scaling-up of finance, and the Utilities for Net Zero Alliance across all enablers.

5 December 16:15–17:45 GST
Science for Climate Action Pavilion, Blue Zone
Private Adaptation to Climate Change: The Case of the Mining Industry
Click here for livestream

This event, organized by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Philanthropy Cortés Solari through MERI Foundation, and l’Université Côte d’Azur, features examples of adaptation responses of companies in the mining sector, as well as the importance of cooperation between the public, private, and civil society sectors to ensure private sector adaptation efforts.

6 December 10:30–11:30 GST
Chez International Chamber of Commerce Pavilion, Blue Zone
Regional Approaches to Financing Just Transition
Click here for livestream

This event, organized by Ceres and Barclays, will “explore the regional aspects of a just transition and tailor financial strategies to diverse geographical needs. Global banks must account for local nuances to ensure an equitable shift towards a sustainable economy and this panel hopes to understand what dialogues banks should engage in with clients concerning regional just transition aspects, including the influence of local communities on banks and their portfolio companies, and evaluate the just transition metrics financial institutions can utilize to incorporate regional considerations into their clean energy transition product and service offerings.” RSVP to Ceres is encouraged here and anyone with a Blue Zone pass may attend.

Access COP28 UAE updates and get involved here.

Unki on-site audit discussion. Credit: IRMAMining

IRMA: a deep dive session for mining companies

30 November 2023By IRMA

On Thursday, December 14th, IRMA is hosting a dedicated webinar for mining companies to learn more about the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance.

This will be an open and candid discussion between mining company representatives, purchasing companies engaged in IRMA, and the key IRMA Secretariat staff who are dedicated to serving the mining sector. In particular, we’ll highlight the tools and training we’re developing to help mining companies better understand the standard and our assessment process.

We’ll also address common questions, hesitations, doubts and even frustrations, all with the aim of ensuring IRMA is responsive and useful to the mining sector.

Our draft agenda is as follows:

An introduction to IRMA, including addressing some of the most common questions we receive from mining companies
Short presentations from representatives from purchasing and finance, sharing their motivations for participating
Insights from mining companies who have undertaken third-party assessments, sharing their experience and learnings
A Q&A session with attendees

Register here for the session, taking place from 10:30AM – 12PM Eastern on December 14th. In case you’re not able to make this date, please register in any case, as a recording will be shared.

Cover of IRMA Draft Standard 2.0 Proposed Normative Requirements for Exploration, Development and Mineral ProcessingStandards

Std 2.0 and Exploration, Development & Processing

29 November 2023By IRMA

The IRMA Draft Standard for Responsible Mining and Mineral Processing 2.0 incorporates the draft IRMA Standard for Responsible Mineral Development and Exploration (the ‘IRMA-Ready’ Standard – Draft v1.0 December 2021), the draft IRMA Standard for Responsible Minerals Processing (Draft v1.0 June 2021), and the IRMA Standard for Responsible Mining 1.0 (2018) into one integrated standard that covers all phases and types of mineral development activities.

The 2023 proposed revisions for version 2.0 are meant to apply at any phase of the mineral development life cycle (e.g., exploration, project development, permitting, construction, mining and processing operations, reclamation and closure, post-closure).

To highlight and clarify those additions, we have released a summary of the draft Normative Requirements for those phases — where IRMA requirements are modified to govern stages of exploration, development or mineral processing. The IRMA Draft Standard 2.0 Normative Requirements for each chapter are provided and discussed in Appendix A.

In the context of this guidance document, a normative requirement modifies a given IRMA requirement from the IRMA DRAFT Standard 2.0 for a specific phase, by either replacing or supplementing the original text of this requirement. We use the terminology “normative requirements” here since they modify the elements that would actually be required and that auditors would measure against, not just guidance that helps to enrich or guide understanding of those requirements.

These Normative Requirements are part of the Draft Standard 2.0, so just as with the rest of the draft Standard, they are proposed and open for public comment until January 26, 2024.

Topic consultations for draft Standard 2.0

28 November 2023By IRMA

Over the next two months IRMA is hosting live, virtual consultations to discuss and comment on different topics covered by the Draft Standard for Responsible Mining and Mineral Processing 2.0. Facilitated by the IRMA Secretariat, these virtual meetings share what you need to know about the proposed changes and/or new areas in a specific topic inside the Standard (download or view specific chapters here). They will ask some guided questions where IRMA especially seeks feedback. And we encourage all comments — these Zoom sessions are meant to be inclusive and collaborative spaces for such discussion.

All consultations will be in English and last for 60 minutes. Registration is required, all times are UTC-0. Please register through the links provided below for any topics you might be interested in. NOTE: all consultations below are for the Standard for Responsible Mining and Mineral Processing. Visit the Chain of Custody Standard page for those webinars.

2023	2024
07 December 14:00-15:00 Water Management Watch the recording 🔗 Presentation	10 January 09:00-10:00 Sector-specific: Mineral Processing Watch the recording 🔗 Presentation
08 December 14:00-15:00 Gender Equality & Gender Protections Watch the recording 🔗 Presentation	10 January 17:00-18:00 Sector-specific: Exploration and Development Watch the recording 🔗 Presentation
11 December 14:00-15:00 Occupational Health & Safety Watch the recording 🔗 Presentation	11 January 16:00-17:00 Sector-specific: Mining Companies Watch the recording 🔗 Presentation
11 December 16:00-17:00 Waste & Materials Management (incl. tailings) Watch the recording 🔗 Presentation	12 January 07:00-08:00 Water Management 🔗 Presentation
12 December 14:00-15:00 GHG Emissions & Energy Consumption Watch the recording 🔗 Presentation	12 January 14:00-15:00 Land & Soil Management Watch the recording 🔗 Presentation
12 December 16:00-17:00 Indigenous Peoples & FPIC Watch the recording 🔗 Presentation	15 January 07:00-08:00 Occupational Health & Safety Watch the recording 🔗 Presentation
13 December 14:00-15:00 Management of Physical Stability (incl. tailings) Watch the recording 🔗 Presentation	16 January 07:00-08:00 *Waste and Materials Management (including tailings)* Watch the recording 🔗 Presentation
14 December 14:00-15:00 Planning, Financing Reclamation and Closure Watch the recording 🔗 Presentation	18 January 07:00-08:00 Management of Physical Stability (including tailings) Watch the recording 🔗 Presentation
18 December 14:00-15:00 Land Acquisition, Displacement, and Resettlement Watch the recording 🔗 Presentation	19 January 07:00-08:00 GHG Emissions & Energy Consumption Watch the recording 🔗 Presentation

Standards

Chain of Custody webinar recordings available

27 November 2023By IRMA

Introductory webinars for the draft Chain of Custody Standard now open for public consultation are now available on the IRMA Chain of Custody Standard page.

The consultation period is open until 26 January 2024. Please provide your comments and feedback at the IRMA website.

Listening to CommunitiesAudits

Audit Community Engagement Learnings

22 November 2023By IRMA

For companies that depend on mined materials to make their products, any assessment of supply chain impacts must include a focus on the point where minerals are extracted from the earth.

There are various tools companies can use to better understand impacts at the point of extraction, including assessment of a specific mine’s performance against an established standard for responsible mining. The value of such an assessment depends on the quality of the standard and on the rigor and independence of the actual audit process. Among the diverse ways auditors assess a mine’s environmental and social impacts, one of the most crucial is direct engagement of communities and Indigenous rights holders.

Community members should have the opportunity to ask questions, to express concerns or outright opposition, and to learn firsthand how a mining company intends to address their needs and share the long-term benefits. People everywhere want a say in decisions that will shape their lives and they rightly expect their voices to be heard.

Over the past several years, as we’ve overseen an increasing number of independent audits, we’ve been exploring various approaches to better include communities living near mines in the process. We’re doing a great deal of testing and learning along the way, making small refinements and a few major course corrections, guided by insights from the six diverse constituencies who govern our initiative.

Supporting us in this effort is Mercedes-Benz Group AG, an IRMA member since 2020.

In 2022, Mercedes-Benz provided funding for IRMA to enhance and further explore how best to engage with mining communities. By implementing new practices and experimenting with alternative approaches to the auditing process, we’ve found ways to improve the community engagement already built into IRMA’s audit process.

The result of our collaboration is this report. It will guide our own practices as we continue to improve and, we hope, illustrate to all purchasers of mined materials — as well as mining companies, investors, regulators, other standards systems, NGOs and, of course, affected communities — how assessments in the industry might be strengthened, ultimately accelerating our common aim: to protect human rights and make mining more responsible.

Blog

Feedback requested during the on-site, independent audit under the IRMA Standard for Responsible Mining of Eramet’s Grande Côte Operations (GCO), Departments of Tivaouane (Thies Region) and Kébémer (Louga Region) Senegal

Spanish

Russian

Portuguese

Indonesian

French

English

Chinese

IRMA is participating in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) in Dubai, UAE as an Observer and panelist in multiple events, represented by IRMA Law & Policy Director, Kristi Disney Bruckner.

IRMA is participating in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 28^th Conference of the Parties (COP28) in Dubai, UAE as an Observer and panelist in multiple events, represented by IRMA Law & Policy Director, Kristi Disney Bruckner.