a network of advocacy groups working for an equitable, sustainable, and fossil-free auto supply chain, released its 2025 Leaderboard report: Accelerating automotive action on clean and equitable supply chains.
Their report uses IRMA as one indicator when measuring automotive manufacturer leadership for human rights and responsible sourcing.
authored an op-ed in Newsweek titled Global Demand for Minerals Requires New Mining Protections.
They recognize IRMA as “a voluntary initiative that has synthesized international human rights law and environmental standards into a single document defining responsible mining practices. The strength of [which] is its governance system which gives community representatives, labor unions, and civil society groups equal power, alongside mining companies and the private sector, to craft its standards.“
published a brief Biodiversity and Deforestation in Mining Standards.
In comparing the limitations of IRMA, CopperMark/RMI and TSM to avoid deforestation and minimize impacts on critical ecosystems, they conclude “the IRMA Standard consistently rises above other mining standards for evaluating biodiversity impacts, due to its stronger requirements, multistakeholder governance and transparency, among other criteria. As global mining operations increase, third party auditing will be necessary for ensuring that mining across the world is conducted in a responsible way that upholds human rights and minimizes adverse environmental impacts.”
and other organizations sent a letter to the ICMM, CopperMark, the Mining Association of Canada, and the World Gold Council expressing concerns over their Consolidated Mining Standard Initiative.
In doing so they “recognize that strong voluntary standards can help drive improved mining industry human rights and environmental performance if they have the level of transparency and rigor necessary to provide credible information,” and provides criteria that such a standard must meet.
As an example, the letter recognizes only IRMA by name: “There are existing standards, notably IRMA, that meet many of these criteria.”
compared Chilean and Peruvian mining regulations to the IRMA Standard in its report Estudio comparativo entre la normativa chilena y peruana con los requerimientos auditados por el estándar de minería responsable IRMA.
The Spanish language report concludes “the IRMA Standard audit is an opportunity to improve mining processes, strengthening socio-environmental and governance management.” (Spanish translation provided by Deepl)
released a new report “The Impact of the Bauxite Boom on People and the Planet.”
In the accompanying press release “Mighty Earth calls for all actors across the bauxite supply chain to join the Initiative for Responsible Mining (IRMA) and adopt its standards. IRMA is the only independent third-party program for assessing industrial scale mine sites for all mined materials. It is governed equally by the private sector, communities, civil society, and workers.”
released the report “Short Circuits: Exploring the broken links of mineral supply chain policies in the electric vehicle industry.”
In looking at third-party assurance, the report highlights that “only the IRMA standard is contingent on FPIC.” With respect to mining and sensitive ecosystems, the report mentions “the IRMA mining standard expands those commitments [not to mine in legally protected areas] by establishing as a requirement that mining projects should not adversely affect IUCN protected area management categories I-III, and core areas of UNESCO Biosphere reserve.”
published “Transition Minerals Tracker: 2024 Analysis.”
The report declares “The standard developed by the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) represents the most comprehensive, transparent, and credible mining sector audit standard available today.”
issued a press release “Ford Sustainability Report Shows Important Progress on the Rights of Workers and Indigenous Peoples but Disappoints on Clean Steel and Aluminum.”
The release declares that “Sourcing from an IRMA-audited mine is a step in the right direction, but Ford can and should do more to leverage its influence to safeguard its supply chain from human rights and environmental harms. The next step for Ford is to publicly disclose its timeline for demanding that all mines in its supply chain undergo IRMA audits.”
submitted a letter in response to a “Request for Comments on Promoting Supply Chain Resilience” by the United States Trade Representative.”
The letter requests the USTR to “ensure that critical minerals operations meet all standards set in the Indigenous Peoples and Free, Prior and Informed Consent chapter of IRMA.” The letter also calls on the USTR to require the IRMA Occupational Health. & Safety chapter, as well as “all environmental responsibility and other related standards set in IRMA.”
