Resources

The Standard for Responsible Mining

Full documentation and guidance

  • The Standard for Responsible Mining v.1.0 (English – EN)
  • The Standard for Responsible Mining v.1.0 (Español – ES)
  • The Standard for Responsible Mining v.1.0 (French – FR)
  • The Standard for Responsible Mining v.1.0 (Português – PT)
  • The Standard for Responsible Mining v.1.0 (Chinese – ZH)
  • Guidance Document for the Standard for Responsible Mining (English – EN)
  • Guidance Document for the Standard for Responsible Mining (Español – ES)
  • Guidance Document for the Standard for Responsible Mining (Português – PT)
  • Guidance for Chapter 2.1-Environmental and Social Impact Assessment and Management (English – EN)
  • Guidance for Chapter 2.1-Environmental and Social Impact Assessment and Management (Español – ES)
  • Guidance for Chapter 2.6-Reclamation and Closure: financial assurance (May 2023 – this supersedes Nov 2022 guidance) (English – EN)
  • Guidance for Chapter 4.1-Waste and Materials Management: application to brine operations (English – EN)
  • Critical Requirements from the IRMA Standard (English – EN)
  • Fact Sheet: Gender Equality and Gender-Based Protections in the IRMA Mining Standard (English – EN)
  • Fact Sheet: IRMA’s Approach to Indigenous Rights and Free, Prior and Informed Consent (English – EN)

Principle 1: Business Integrity

Principle 2: Planning and Managing for Positive Legacies

Principle 3: Social Responsibility

Principle 4: Environmental Responsibility

IRMA System Documents and Resources

IRMA Draft Mineral Processing Standard

IRMA’s first 60-day comment period on its draft Standard for Responsible Mineral Processing closed on 16 August 2021. IRMA is in the process of considering comments received to-date, and will be piloting the draft Mineral Processing Standard in the next few months before revising the document and circulating a second draft for public comment.

Feedback on the first draft is still welcome, and can be sent to:  comments@responsiblemining.net

–> Download the draft Standard as a pdf document (English, Spanish)

–> Download the draft Standard as a Word document (English, Spanish)

 

Draft IRMA-Ready Exploration and Development Standard

IRMA’s initial comment period on its draft IRMA-Ready Standard for Responsible Mineral Exploration and Development closed on 15 April 2022. However, if stakeholders are still interested in providing comments, please feel free to submit an extension request to comments@responsiblemining.net

In the following months, IRMA will review input received, including comments from a set of mineral development companies that are in the process of piloting the draft IRMA-Ready Standard. Based on all input, we will then revise the document and circulate a second draft for public comment.

Please visit our dedicated IRMA-Ready web page for much more information, and to download the draft IRMA-Ready Standard.

IRMA Draft Chain of Custody Standard

IRMA’s draft Chain of Custody (CoC) Standard is still available for download.

–> Download the draft CoC Standard

IRMA is in the process of considering comments received to-date, and will be piloting the draft CoC Standard in the next few months before revising the document and circulating a second draft for public comment.

Feedback on the first draft can still be sent to: comments@responsiblemining.net

Resources for Auditors

Certification Body Program Documents

  • The requirements that must be met by Certification Bodies are provided in IRMA’s Certification Body Requirements (May 2023). This document is currently in the process of being reviewed; however, these requirements are effective on the date of publication.
  • IRMA has elected to use an external firm to support the assessment of qualifications and conformity to the IRMA requirements. The details of this process are described in the IRMA Oversight Procedure for Certification Bodies (May 2023).

Become an IRMA Independent Assessor

Application FAQ

  • 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 A 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

Resources for Mines

Independent 3rd-Party Assessment

Press releases, webinars and other presentations

IRMA Press Releases and Statements

IRMA Webinars

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 Presentations