published “An Assessment of Third-Party Assurance and Accreditation Scheme.”
Lead the Charge assessed IRMA as a “robust scheme” that “was the strongest performer by a considerable margin” among the eight systems evaluated, and meets “nearly all of the minimum criteria for governance, auditing, and/or accreditation.”
authored the study, “Pedal to the Metal: how prepared are European carmakers for EV value chain transformation.” “To Decarbonize We Must Invest in the U.S. EV Battery Supply Chain.”
One of the study’s “Key recommendations” is “quicker adoption of best-in-class global standards (such as IRMA),” the only mining standard mentioned. A company’s commitment to the IRMA Standard is used as part of the study’s “Responsible supply chain practices” metric.
published “Tread Lightly: Why IFIs should put people and the environment at the centre of the transition mineral supply chain.”
One of the study’s “Key recommendations” is “quicker adoption of best-in-class global standards (such as IRMA),” the only mining standard mentioned. A company’s commitment to the IRMA Standard is used as part of the study’s “Responsible supply chain practices” metric.
published an article “How the IRMA standard guides sectors towards responsible mining.”
The article “urges the public and business sectors in The Netherlands, the European Union and elsewhere to adhere to the IRMA Standard for Responsible Mining, with an eye for the interests of both nature and people.”
, tagline “Europe’s leading clean transport campaign group,” released a briefing report “Paving the way to cleaner nickel.”
The briefing recommends “robust standards” naming only IRMA “to improve environmental and social stewardship.”
authored an opinion piece in eGreenews[i]: “To Decarbonize We Must Invest in the U.S. EV Battery Supply Chain.”
As RMI discusses how to meet U.S. domestic electric vehicle battery demand, they unequivocally endorse IRMA, “Any extraction must be done responsibly and meet the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA)’s responsible mining standard.”
released a report “Recharging Community Consent: Mining companies, battery minerals, and the battle to break from the past” which concludes “in general the battery mineral sector’s approach to free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) is not sufficiently ready to support a just energy transition under current company policies.”
To address this unreadiness, Oxfam unequivocally endorses IRMA, “Major lithium producers need to be recognized as being some of the first to undertake credible, third-party assurance of their social and environmental performance, including FPIC implementation, in accordance with the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA).” It also gives kudos to those lithium producers that have audited their operations against the IRMA Standard.
released a video – “Tompotika: Forests Nickel and Critical Choices” — highlighting the pressure of increasing nickel demand on Indonesia’s Tompotika tropical rainforest on Sulawesi and the threat it poses to critically endangered species.
To the extent that mining must occur in Tompotika, in the video AlTo says it “must occur according to mining best practices by applying the IRMA Standard for Responsible Mining.”
, an NGO working with capital market leaders to solve world sustainability challenges, published “Electric Vehicle Batteries: A Guidebook for Responsible Corporate Engagement Throughout the Supply Chain.”
The Ceres/CLEE guidebook recommends that EV battery manufacturers “Indicate a preference for batteries with minerals from IRMA-certified suppliers” and “Become a member of IRMA [to] publicly demonstrate a commitment to responsible sourcing.”
The Debate published a multi-sector discussion “How Can U.S. Safely Mine Minerals Critical to a Carbon-Free Economy?” which included an article by Earthworks’ Payal Sampat entitled “Transition Must Be Just, Equitable and Responsible”.
In it she recognizes that “reforms start with the rules governing mining” and that “some leading automakers and electronics companies are already asking suppliers to undergo assessments by the multi-sector-governed Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance.”
