NGOs

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.

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.”

published a Q&A: “EU’s Flawed Reliance on Audits, Certifications for Raw Materials Rules”.

Even as the authors describe third-party audits as “inherently limited”, they explain that HRW is an IRMA board member because IRMA is “unique among mining sector standards initiatives because it is equally governed by civil society and the private sector.” And “the combination of IRMA’s equal governance system, its detailed standard, and its public audit reports makes it the comparatively strongest standard that mining companies can use to provide transparency on their conduct and practices.”

published a report providing “Guidance for Electric Grid Infrastructure Decisionmakers and Stakeholders.”

The report only mentions IRMA by name as a “standard that aims to reduce the damage caused by resource extraction.”

during the World Economic Forum (WEF) at Davos published “Why business and finance should prioritise a nature-positive Amazon” on the WEF website.

In describing global importance of the Amazon, its severe degradation and mining’s ongoing role in that decline, the authors call upon “business and finance to promote certification by Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance.”

issued the report: “The Future is Circular: Circular Economy and Critical Minerals for the Green Transition.”

The authors acknowledge the need for continued primary extraction and call for change of course towards a less harmful mineral supply. IRMA is described in this section, being the only mining standard mentioned, as providing “a verification and certification for a more socially and environmentally responsible mining.

Clean Vehicles Director Julia Poliscanova was quoted in an article sharing three pillars which must be part of the European Union’s Critical Raw Materials Act.

In addition to recommending any mines in Europe meet best-practice standards, she noted: “Although domestic production is the goal, imports will be inevitable. It means transparent and diverse markets, supported by strong sustainability standards such as the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA), are key to guaranteeing responsible supply.”

published “An Examination of Industry Standards in the Raw Materials Sector.”

Germanwatch determined that, unlike all other evaluated standards, IRMA satisfied the majority of its evaluation metrics. Regarding audits in they remarked, “we should emphasise in particular here the certification report by IRMA, which provides detailed and differentiated information about the knowledge acquired within the scope of the audit and sheds light on details on the state of implementation [where others do not]. IRMA shows that transparent communication is possible.”