mining

Unki on-site audit discussion. Credit: IRMAUnki on-site audit discussion. Credit: IRMAMining

Recording of the IRMA Deep Dive for Mining Companies

Thursday, December 14th, IRMA hosted a dedicated webinar for mining companies to learn more about the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance. It was simultaneously interpreted in Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, Indonesian, French, and Chinese.

Given our service to multiple sectors, we’re aware investors and companies who purchase mined materials are increasingly asking for mines to be independently assessed in IRMA system. Just as we seek to provide value to these sectors, as well as civil society, communities and labor unions, we’re equally committed to serving the mining sector.

The webinar was an open and candid discussion between representatives of mining companies that have been IRMA-audited, purchasing companies engaged in IRMA, and the key IRMA Secretariat staff who are dedicated to serving the mining sector. It highlighted the tools and training we’re developing to help mining companies better understand the standard and our assessment process. It also addressed common questions, hesitations, doubts and even frustrations, all with the aim of ensuring IRMA is responsive and useful to the mining sector.

The slides (English-only) are here. The webinars are available on our youtube channel and embedded below in Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, Indonesian, French, English and Chinese.

Spanish

Russian

Portuguese

Indonesian

French

English

Chinese

NOTE: At one point both interpreters talk simultaneously for a few minutes.

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IRMA mining engagement December 2023IRMA mining engagement December 2023Blog

IRMA Mining Engagement Update – Dec 2023

As of Dec 2023, 80 mining companies are now engaged in IRMA representing 101 sites:

59 sites are self-assessing under the IRMA Standard (38 have made this public), the first step before an independent audit;

24 are piloting the draft IRMA exploration (IRMA Ready) or mineral processing standard self-assessments

18 are in the independent assessment system: 14 audits are underway (USA, South Africa, Senegal, Mozambique, Brazil, Chile, Argentina) and 4 completed audits have been published (Zimbabwe, Mexico, Chile)

They encompass 30 countries.

Details and maps of the mining sector’s engagement with IRMA are available here.

 

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Unki on-site audit discussion. Credit: IRMAUnki on-site audit discussion. Credit: IRMAMining

IRMA: a deep dive session for mining companies

On Thursday, December 14th, IRMA is hosting a dedicated webinar for mining companies to learn more about the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance.

Given our service to multiple sectors, we’re aware investors and companies who purchase mined materials are increasingly asking for mines to be independently assessed in IRMA system. Just as we seek to provide value to these sectors, as well as civil society, communities and labor unions, we’re equally committed to serving the mining sector.

This will be an open and candid discussion between mining company representatives, purchasing companies engaged in IRMA, and the key IRMA Secretariat staff who are dedicated to serving the mining sector. In particular, we’ll highlight the tools and training we’re developing to help mining companies better understand the standard and our assessment process.

We’ll also address common questions, hesitations, doubts and even frustrations, all with the aim of ensuring IRMA is responsive and useful to the mining sector.

Our draft agenda is as follows:

  • An introduction to IRMA, including addressing some of the most common questions we receive from mining companies
  • Short presentations from representatives from purchasing and finance, sharing their motivations for participating
  • Insights from mining companies who have undertaken third-party assessments, sharing their experience and learnings
  • A Q&A session with attendees

Register here for the session, taking place from 10:30AM – 12PM Eastern on December 14th. In case you’re not able to make this date, please register in any case, as a recording will be shared.

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IRMA mining engagement Sep 2023IRMA mining engagement Sep 2023Blog

IRMA Mining Engagement Update – Sep 2023

As of Sep 2023, 76 mining companies are now engaged in IRMA representing 99 sites:

59 sites are self-assessing under the IRMA Standard (36 have made this public), the first step before an independent audit;

23 are piloting the draft IRMA exploration (IRMA Ready) or mineral processing standard self-assessments

15 are in the independent assessment system: 11 audits are underway (South Africa, Senegal, Mozambique, Brazil, Chile, Argentina) and 4 completed audits have been published (Zimbabwe, Mexico, Chile)

They encompass 29 countries:

  1. Argentina
  2. Australia
  3. Brazil
  4. Canada
  5. Chile
  6. Colombia
  7. Dominican Rep.
  8. Finland
  9. France
  10. Indonesia
  11. Liberia
  12. Mexico
  13. Mozambique
  14. Namibia
  15. New Caledonia
  16. Norway
  17. Panama
  18. Portugal
  19. Philippines
  20. Russia
  21. Senegal
  22. South Africa
  23. Spain
  24. Sri Lanka
  25. Turkey
  26. Ukraine
  27. United States
  28. Zambia
  29. Zimbabwe

And 52 minerals and mineral types:

  1. Aggregates
  2. Barite
  3. Bauxite
  4. Cerium
  5. Chromite
  6. Chromium
  7. Coal (metallurgical)
  8. Cobalt
  9. Copper
  10. Diamonds
  11. Europium
  12. Feldspar
  13. Gadolinium
  14. Gold
  15. Graphite
  16. Iridium
  17. Iron
  18. Kyanite
  19. Lanthanum
  20. Lead
  21. Limestone
  22. Lithium
  23. Magnesium
  24. Mica
  25. Mineral sands
  26. Molybdenum
  27. Monazite sand
  28. Neodymium
  29. Nickel
  30. Osmium
  31. Palladium
  32. Praseodymium
  33. Platinum
  34. Potash
  35. Quartz
  36. Rare earth elements
  37. Rhodium
  38. Ruthenium
  39. Samarium
  40. Sand
  41. Selenium
  42. Silver
  43. Staurolite
  44. Sulphur
  45. Talc
  46. Tellurium
  47. Titanium
  48. Tourmaline
  49. Vanadium
  50. Xenotime
  51. Zinc
  52. Zircon
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Blog

Can Lab-Grown Diamonds Ever Really Be Sustainable?

In recent weeks, we have seen several lab-created diamond producers move away from calling themselves “eco-friendly.” That’s largely due to the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) warning to lab-grown diamond producers that they should stop using “general benefit environmental claims” like eco-friendly and sustainable, and in part due to a growing cry that companies need to actually prove their eco-friendliness, beyond saying bad things about diamond mines.

Natural diamond miners will soon get a chance to label their gems with a similar phrase—“responsibly mined”—thanks to the work done by the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA), Mathuram notes. That label could also be used to certify the gold and other mined metals used to create lab-diamond jewelry.

Read full article on JCK Online

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