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The IRMA Standard – A Tool For U.S. Mining Law Reform

1 September 2022By

IRMA a Tool for U.S. Mining Law Reform_Examples of Gaps in U.S. Framework - coverOn Tuesday August 30, the IRMA Secretariat submitted a letter to the Biden Administration’s Interagency Working Group (IWG) on mining reform.

The letter provides examples of areas where there are gaps between the good practices in the IRMA Mining Standard and the U.S. legal framework governing the mining sector. Although not comprehensive, the examples identify areas where gaps can be addressed to ensure conformity with good international practice.

These examples are based on a preliminary review of the U.S. legal framework. A requirement-by-requirement comparison between the IRMA Standard and the U.S. legal framework would be necessary to identify all the gaps, and could guide the work of the IWG and support recommendations for improvements to the U.S. legal framework. We recommend that such a study be funded and completed to inform IWG efforts.

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OECD discussion – Is the implementation of responsible sourcing accelerating?

30 June 2022By

As part of the 2022 OECD Forum on Responsible Mineral Supply Chains, IRMA joined a conversation hosted by RE-SOURCING to discuss good practices in responsible sourcing. The discussion included IRMA’s Rebecca Burton, Oliver Grouz of KYBURZ Switzerland, Jessie Cato of Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, and Mathia Schluep of World Resources Forum Association. The hour-long webinar has been divided into sections, with each focusing on a specific question.

Introductions

Presentations

Panel – Is the implementation of responsible sourcing accelerating?

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IRMA presents to the U.S. State Department

17 June 2022By

Today IRMA executive director Aimee Boulanger, and senior policy advisor Kristi Disney Bruckner presented before the Department of State’s Clean Energy Resources Advisory Committee (CERAC). CERAC “advises the Department of State’s Bureau of Energy Resources on strategies, programs, and policies related to clean energy mineral supply chains.”

IRMA made nine recommendations to CERAC:

  1. Recognize the importance of equal governance in multi-stakeholder leadership, engagement, and public access to information.
  2. Adopt a holistic lens to mining sector management, including a wide range of environmental and social factors.
  3. Use the IRMA Standard for Responsible Mining to assess gaps in domestic legal frameworks, and incorporate best practices on international to local levels.
  4. Promote an inclusive, participatory, transparent rights-based approach to relationships between mines and communities, with access to remedy.
  5. Use IRMA standards and audit reports to guide more responsible sourcing of mined materials.
  6. Encourage mines to engage in IRMA, which connects market value with environmental and social responsibility, and encourages continuing improvement while striving toward best practice.
  7. Identify and act on opportunities for the U.S. to be a “first mover” on responsible sourcing of mined materials, due diligence, and circularity.
  8. Foster innovation, strategic planning, and meaningful engagement of workers, communities, NGOs, companies, and investors in the “green” transition
  9. Collaborate with other governments to enhance environmental and social performance and transparency of the mining sector and supply chains.
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Blog

IRMA cited in White House report on building resilient supply chains

15 June 2021By

We are pleased to share that the U.S. White House mentions IRMA in their recent report from Biden’s Executive Order on building resilient supply chains. Both the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Defense reference the IRMA Standard as a road map for best practices in mining materials needed for large capacity batteries related to renewable energy and for critical minerals related to electronics and mobility:

“The Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) is an international coalition of businesses, nongovernmental organizations, labor unions, mining operators, and other stakeholders that has developed a Standard for Responsible Mining and established a system for independently certifying mines worldwide that adhere to that standard. IRMA may provide a method for U.S. companies and the Federal Government to ensure that minerals are being sourced from mines with robust environmental, social, and financial responsibility policies, and also could provide a model for responsible development of additional mines in the United States.”

With a measurement model built on social responsibility, environmental responsibility, business integrity and planning for positive legacies, a governance model founded on consensus across multi-stakeholder interests, and a reporting model capturing unprecedented detail while prioritizing transparency, IRMA provides the most credible assurance standard for the mining industry. As recognized by the Biden Administration, IRMA’s standard can inform and provide a template for improved laws and regulations for mines developed in the United States (and elsewhere), and IRMA’s independent assurance program can help to recognize and foster more responsible mineral supply chains globally.

This important recognition is thanks to the commitment and years of collaborative work invested by IRMA’s visionary multi-stakeholder board.

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