SCS Global Services

Audits

IRMA Announcement: Fenix Assessment (Livent) Stage 1

15 February 2022By
The Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) announces the commencement of a third-party independent assessment of Livent’s Fenix lithium brine extraction site against the IRMA Standard for Responsible Mining. The site produces a lithium-rich brine, which it purifies and concentrates into lithium carbonate and lithium chloride. The site is located in the Salar del Hombre Muerto, in Catamarca province, Argentina. SCS Global Services (SCS), an IRMA-approved certification body, will be carrying out the assessment, which begins with a desk review (stage 1), followed at a later date with an on-site audit (stage 2). IRMA will announce the dates of the on-site portion of the audit when those dates are known. For more on assessment scope, see the Fenix Assessment page on the IRMA website. Scope of the Assessment During the assessment the impacts and issues associated with the site will be reviewed, and each operation and facility will be visited. The assessment will include brine extraction, purification, evaporation/concentration, and waste disposal areas at the Fenix site. Stakeholder Engagement in the Assessment Stakeholders are invited to submit written comments to SCS on the social and environmental performance of Livent’s Fenix operations (in particular, how the site measures against the IRMA Standard for Responsible Mining). Stakeholders may also contact SCS if they are interested in being interviewed as part of the assessment process. Stakeholder comments and expressions of interest in being interviewed as part of the audit process should be submitted by email or mail to:
SCS Global Services 2000 Powell St. #600 Emeryville, California, USA 94608 Email: scourter@scsglobalservices.com
Interested stakeholders and members of the public can visit the Mines Under Assessment page of IRMA’s website to view up-to-date information on all mine site assessments, including the Fenix site (e.g., find out the timing of the stage 2 on-site visit, access the audit results, etc.). Please forward this announcement, and feel free to contact SCS directly to provide names and contact information for other stakeholders who may be interested in knowing about and participating in the Fenix assessment process. For More Information
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Audits

IRMA Announcement: On-site audit of Minas Rio, in December

10 November 2021By
The Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) announces that, in addition to the five audits recently announced, another on-site audit has been scheduled. Auditors will be carrying out on-site audit activities at the Minas Rio iron ore mine in December 2021.
  • Minas Rio, Zona Rural, Conceição do Mato Dentro, Minas Gerais, Brazil. On-site audit dates: 9 – 12 December.
SCS Global Services , an IRMA-approved certification body, will be carrying out the on-site assessment at the Minas Rio site. Stakeholder engagement in the assessment Stakeholders should contact SCS Global Services if they are interested in being interviewed as part of the assessment process. Interviews with local stakeholders will be scheduled to take place during the on-site audit and may be virtual or in-person, taking into consideration COVID-19 precautions. Stakeholders are also invited to submit comments to SCS Global Services on the social and environmental performance of the mine (in particular, how the site measures against the IRMA Standard for Responsible Mining).
SCS Global Services Email: scourter@scsglobalservices.com Mail: 2000 Powell Street, Ste. 600 Emeryville, CA 94608 USA Phone: +1 (510) 993-0127
Please forward this announcement, and feel free to contact SCS Global Services directly to provide names and contact information for other mine site stakeholders who may be interested in knowing about and participating in the mine site assessment process. For More Information
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IRMA’s 2nd Audit Report released: Anglo American’s Unki Mine

18 February 2021By

Today the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) is pleased to publish the results from Unki Mine’s independent, third-party assessment. The platinum group metals mine, located in Zimbabwe, is the first of Anglo American’s portfolio of mines to be assessed against the IRMA Standard for Responsible Mining – the most rigorous and high-bar set of metrics currently available for measuring responsible practices at mine sites globally.

The audit report details results from an independent assessment carried out by SCS Global Services. SCS awarded Unki an achievement level of IRMA 75, a first in the IRMA system and a representation of both Anglo American’s leadership in the sector and the improvements made at the site over the last few years to align with IRMA’s high-bar expectations. The achievement level of IRMA 75 means that a mine has met at least 75% of the requirements in each of the four principle areas of the Standard (Business Integrity, Planning for Positive Legacies, Social Responsibility and Environmental Responsibility), as well as a set of 40 critical requirements.

The audit report is now available for public review. Those reviewing the report should note that some requirements were not scored as part of the audit process. These requirements were identified as needing additional guidance to enable a more accurate and consistent rating of them. In order to be responsive to these challenges, IRMA will update its auditor guidance in 2021 and the Unki mine will have these requirements assessed during its surveillance audit, a process which will occur within 18 months of today’s release. Such learning and adjustment was expected in the first years of assessing mines against the IRMA Standard, and those mines that have stepped into the process during this early phase have allowed IRMA to learn and improve for the benefit of all stakeholders.

Anglo American has long been engaged with IRMA, and for close to a decade has served on IRMA’s Board of Directors and has helped inform and support the creation of IRMA’s Standard for Responsible Mining. The Unki mine was also the site of a field test of an early draft of the IRMA Standard.

“Anglo American’s leadership has been pivotal to the success of IRMA,” said Aimee Boulanger, IRMA’s Executive Director. “During the ten-year process of crafting IRMA’s Standard, they did not shy away from difficult conversations about how to best measure responsible mining in a way that is at once practicable for the industry and meets the expectations of civil society. Now, they are sharing the results of their own operations as measured against the world’s most robust definition of responsible mining. We commend their continued leadership in advancing IRMA’s vision.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

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Audits

Unki Mine Site Assessment Announcement

30 September 2019By

The Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) is pleased to announce the commencement of a third-party independent assessment of the Unki platinum group metals (PGM) mine against the IRMA Standard for Responsible Mining. The Unki mine, located in Zimbabwe, is operated by Anglo American Platinum.

SCS Global Services (SCS), an IRMA-approved certification body, will be carrying out the assessment, which includes a desk review (stage 1) followed by an onsite audit (stage 2).

Stakeholder Engagement in the Assessment

Interested stakeholders and members of the public can sign up to receive updates about the Unki mine assessment (e.g., the timing of the stage 2 onsite visit, link to pubic summary of audit results). The Mines Under Assessment page of IRMA’s website will also provide up-to-date information on all assessments.

Mine site stakeholders are invited to submit comments to SCS on the social and environmental performance of the Unki mine (in particular, how the mine measures against the IRMA Standard for Responsible Mining).

Unki mine stakeholders may also contact SCS if they are interested in being interviewed as part of the assessment process.

Stakeholder comments and expressions of interest in being interviewed as part of the audit process should be submitted by email or mail to:

SCS Global Services
2000 Powell St. #600
Emeryville, California, USA 94608

Email: visit the SCS website for this information and more on the audit.

Please forward this announcement, and feel free to contact SCS directly to provide names and contact information for other mine site stakeholders who may be interested in knowing about and participating in the mine site assessment process.

For more information on the Unki Mine Site Assessment, contact IRMA’s Director of Standards and Assurance: lsumi@responsiblemining.net

For general information on the IRMA mine site assessment and certification process, visit the IRMA website.

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