Resources

The Standard for Responsible Mining

Full documentation and guidance

Principle 1: Business Integrity

Principle 2: Planning and Managing for Positive Legacies

Principle 3: Social Responsibility

Principle 4: Environmental Responsibility

Chain of Custody Standard

Previous Drafts

Draft Standards for Public Consultation

Draft Standard for Responsible Mining and Mineral Processing 2.0

Principle 1: Business Integrity

Principle 2: Planning and Managing for Positive Legacies

Principle 3: Social Responsibility

Principle 4: Environmental Responsibility

Glossary

Early Drafts

When draft Standard 2.0 is finalized, the standard and guidance will be updated and translated into multiple languages.

Exploration and Development Draft – IRMA Ready

Mineral Processing Draft

  • The 2021 IRMA Draft Mineral Processing Standard – (pdf | word)

Resources for Mines

Independent 3rd-Party Assessment

Audit-related Documents

Supporting Information

Resources for Auditors

Auditor Documents

Guides

Templates

Governance and Oversight

Other

Become an IRMA Independent Assessor

Introduction to the IRMA Audit Firm Approval Process

Frequently Asked Questions

  • If you are an audit firm and you want to apply to be an approved IRMA Certification Body, please complete the IRMA Certification Body Application Form and submit to audit.application@responsiblemining.net. More information about what it means to be a Certification Body is available here.
  • If you are an individual auditor and you want to be an approved IRMA auditor, please complete the IRMA Auditor Application Form and submit to audit.application@responsiblemining.net. This application process is open to auditors that are associated with, or who want to contract independently to, approved certification bodies. All IRMA audits must be conducted under the management of an approved certification body.
  • Is there a deadline for submitting applications?
    No, applications will be received on an ongoing basis. However, IRMA reserves the right to limit the number of certification bodies that are approved at any given time, to ensure that audit firms are supported in their IRMA assurance program.
  • Does IRMA recognize other programs in lieu of approval by IRMA?
    IRMA does not have any specific reciprocity agreements with other standards bodies for approval, however, experience with programs relating to management system certification, responsible extraction schemes, or experience in a variety of international performance standards will enhance a company or an auditor’s qualifications for approval. Details on qualifications are provided in our program documents and in the application forms.
  • Are there fees associated with becoming an approved certification body?
    Yes. Fees are described in the Oversight Procedure. There is an annual fee due to IRMA upon approval; this fee will be invoiced directly from IRMA to the certification body. There are also costs associated with the oversight process including costs to cover application review, head offices assessments, witness assessments, and others. These fees are due to our oversight body, Assurance Services International.
  • Are there fees associated with becoming an approved auditor?
    Auditors are not required to pay a separate fee to become approved. However, IRMA does provide required training, and there is a fee associated with training. These fees will be shared prior to the promotion of any training events.
  • What qualifications do you have to meet to become an approved auditor?
    The auditor qualifications, along with other key team members of an IRMA assurance team, are presented in Annex B of the Certification Body Requirements. IRMA does not provide general approval of auditors; however, auditors wishing to attend IRMA auditor training will be reviewed and approved for training participation. Auditors who have been identified to participate in an audit are reviewed in conjunction with specific audits and their roles on those audits. Once an auditor has submitted qualifications to IRMA, their credentials do not need to be resubmitted unless they intend to audit a subject area not previously reviewed and approved.
  • Do currently approved audit firms or auditors need to apply?
    Yes. Because this application process is new, we are asking all firms and all auditors to apply in order to establish a baseline of information about each applicant.
  • When will the next IRMA training occur?
    IRMA is currently working to plan our next series of IRMA auditor training sessions. IRMA training is a multi-day training requirement, and we are considering options for hybrid training methods that could include a combination of independent review, virtual training, and in person sessions. More will be shared as we confirm details. There will be a fee associated with auditor training.
  • Who is the primary contact for the audit firm and auditor application process?
    Initially, all applications are submitted to IRMA at audit.application@responsiblemining.net.
    After initial review by IRMA, audit firm applications are forwarded to ASI who will then facilitate the rest of the application process. Inquiries about the status and outcome of the application and oversight process should be directed to ASI. Questions about the IRMA assurance process, auditor training, or general inquiries about IRMA can be submitted to info@responsiblemining.net.
  • What is involved in the IRMA Assurance Process?
    The most current description of the IRMA process is described in the Assessment Manual for Mines. This document is currently under review; once completed and approved, it will be published to the IRMA website. Where recent documents, such as the Certification Body Requirements reference the “IRMA Assurance Manual”, the Assessment Manual for Mines can be consulted until it is replaced.

Resources for Communities

IRMA System Documents and Resources

Press releases, webinars/presentations and other material

IRMA Press Releases and Statements

IRMA Webinars

Albemarle Atacama Audit report – English (June 2023)

Albemarle Atacama Audit report – Español (June 2023)

Introduction to IRMA (April 2022)

IRMA Ready Introduction Webinar (15 December 2021)

IRMA Ready Pilot Webinar (16 December 2021)

Introduction to the IRMA draft Standard for Responsible Mineral Processing (29 June 2021)

IRMA – Due Diligence Beyond Geographic Criteria – Presentation for OECD’s 14th Forum on Responsible Mineral Supply Chains (26 April 2021)

IRMA Public Webinar: Climate Change and the Push for More Mining (25 September 2020)

IRMA Public Webinar:  IRMA’s Value for Mining Companies (27 July 2020)

IRMA Public Webinar: IRMA’s Value for Purchasers and Investors (18 June 2020)

IRMA Public Webinar:  Responsible Mining in the Time of COVID-19 (20 May 2020)

IRMA Public Webinar:  What is IRMA and how can you use it? (19 May 2020)

IRMA Public Webinar (July 2019)

IRMA Self-Assessment Webinar (October 2018)

Other IRMA Material and Presentations