Senegal

GCO operation. Credit: ErametGCO operation. Credit: ErametAudits

Eramet’s Grande Côte Operation completes first IRMA audit in Senegal

5 February 2026By
Senegal’s first mineral sands mine reaches IRMA 50 when audited against the world’s only equally governed mining standard

5 Feb 2026 – Today the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) released the audit of the Eramet Grande Côte Operation (EGC), the Senegalese subsidiary of the Eramet Group, against the IRMA Standard for Responsible Mining. Independent audit firm SCS Global Services (SCS) assessed EGC at IRMA 50 when measuring its performance against the Standard’s best practice social and environmental criteria.

Achieving IRMA 50 means SCS verified that EGC at least substantially met all 40 critical requirements of the IRMA Standard, as well as scored at least 50% in each of Standard’s the four principle areas: social responsibility, environmental responsibility, business integrity and planning for positive legacies.

The full audit reports (in English and French) are available on the EGC audit page on the IRMA website: https://responsiblemining.net/egc

The information stakeholders need to decide what’s going well — and what may require more attention.

“This report demonstrates that mines can point to transparent, independent evaluations of their environmental and social performance,” said Aimee Boulanger, Executive Director of IRMA. “Through detailed IRMA audit reports, mining companies, communities and companies that purchase mined materials can gain the information they need, to decide what’s going well — and what may require more attention — at specific mines.”

The IRMA Standard for Responsible Mining is recognized and adopted around the globe, where audits like EGC’s are steps in a deepening dialogue between mining companies and those affected by their operations.

“An increasing number of community members and workers are engaging in IRMA audits, and they’re using the audit reports to communicate directly with the mining company about their priorities for improvement,” Ms. Boulanger said. “If readers find results inconsistent with their experience, we encourage them to share their perspectives with IRMA and the company so that we can improve the audit review process and support continuing improvement at the site—as community members and NGOs have already done in this case.”

“Achieving IRMA 50 is a powerful validation of the progress made by Eramet Grande Côte Operations and of the Group’s commitment to Act for Positive Mining,” said Virginie de Chassey, Chief Sustainability and External Affairs Officer at Eramet Group. She continued, “IRMA provides the most comprehensive, transparent, and rigorous standard in our sector, and this assessment confirms that our responsible mining practices are delivering measurable outcomes on the ground. This milestone reflects not only the work of Eramet Grande Côte’s teams, but also our ambition to build trust by operating to the highest international expectations.”

Including the EGC operation, 27 industrial-scale mines worldwide are within the IRMA independent assessment system. After an initial self-assessment, a participating mine engages a third-party audit firm — trained and approved by IRMA — to conduct a detailed independent evaluation, including on-site visits to the mine and nearby communities. Following the release of the initial audit, a shorter surveillance audit checks on the mine’s performance. Three years after the initial audit, the operation is fully audited again. (Note: The first mines audited in the IRMA system have had extensions to this timeline due to Covid delays and launch-phase learning; updated full reviews will be required to maintain or increase achievement scores.)

The independent IRMA system is the only global mining standard that provides equal power to the public sector (communities and Indigenous rights holders, mine workers, and environmental and human rights advocates) alongside the private sector (mining companies, mined materials purchasers and investors).

For More Information:

About IRMA
IRMA is a nonprofit organization working to protect people and the environment directly affected by mining by creating financial value for industrial-scale mining operations independently assessed against IRMA’s best practice Standard for Responsible Mining. For more information, visit: responsiblemining.net

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GCO operation. Credit: ErametGCO operation. Credit: ErametAudits

L’exploitation Grande Côte d’Eramet réalise son premier audit IRMA au Sénégal

5 February 2026By
La première mine de sables minéralisés du Sénéral a obtenu le score d’IRMA 50 après avoir été auditée à l’aune de la seule norme minière au monde régie de manière équitable

5 février 2026 — L’Initiative pour l’assurance d’une exploitation minière responsable (IRMA) publie aujourd’hui l’audit de Grande Côte Opérations d’Eramet (EGC), la filiale sénégalaise du Groupe Eramet, réalisé par rapport à la Norme IRMA pour une exploitation minière responsable. Le cabinet d’audit indépendant SCS Global Services (SCS) a attribué le niveau IRMA 50 à EGC après avoir mesuré ses performances par rapport aux critères sociaux et environnementaux des meilleures pratiques de la norme.

L’attribution du niveau de conformité IRMA 50 signifie que SCS a vérifié que l’exploitation satisfaisait au moins de manière substantielle à l’ensemble des 40 exigences essentielles de la Norme IRMA, et obtenait une note d’au moins 50 % dans chacun des quatre domaines principaux de la Norme : responsabilité sociale, responsabilité environnementale, intégrité de l’entreprise et planification pour un héritage positif.

Les rapports d’audit complets sont disponibles sur la page d’audit d’EGC1 du site Internet de l’IRMA : https://responsiblemining.net/egc

Les informations dont les parties prenantes ont besoin pour déterminer ce qui fonctionne bien et ce qui nécessite davantage d’attention.

« Ce rapport démontre que les mines peuvent se prévaloir d’évaluations transparentes et indépendantes de leurs performances environnementales et sociales », déclare Aimee Boulanger, directrice exécutive de l’IRMA. « Grâce aux rapports d’audit détaillés de l’IRMA, les entreprises minières, les communautés et les entreprises qui achètent des matériaux extraits peuvent obtenir les informations dont elles ont besoin pour déterminer ce qui fonctionne bien et ce qui nécessite davantage d’attention dans une mine particulière. »

La Norme de l’IRMA est reconnue et adoptée dans le monde entier. Ainsi, les audits tels que celui d’EGC constituent des étapes dans l’approfondissement du dialogue entre les entreprises minières et les personnes touchées par leurs activités.

« Un nombre croissant de membres des communautés et de travailleurs participent aux audits de l’IRMA et utilisent les rapports d’audit pour communiquer directement à l’entreprise minière leurs priorités en matière d’amélioration », explique Mme Boulanger. « Si les lecteurs constatent des résultats qui ne correspondent pas à leur expérience, nous les encourageons à partager leur point de vue avec l’IRMA et l’entreprise afin que nous puissions améliorer le processus de vérification des audits et soutenir l’amélioration continue sur place, comme l’ont déjà fait les membres des communautés et les ONG dans le cas présent. »

« L’obtention du score d’IRMA 50 constitue une validation convaincante des progrès réalisés par Eramet Grande Côte Opérations et de l’engagement du Groupe à poursuivre son projet d’entreprise minière responsable, Act for Positive Mining », déclare Virginie de Chassey, directrice du développement durable et de l’engagement d’entreprise du Groupe Eramet, avant d’ajouter : « L’IRMA fournit la norme la plus exhaustive, la plus transparente et la plus rigoureuse de notre secteur, et cette évaluation confirme que nos pratiques minières responsables produisent des résultats mesurables sur le terrain. Cette réussite reflète non seulement le travail accompli par les équipes d’Eramet Grande Côte, mais aussi notre ambition d’instaurer la confiance en satisfaisant aux attentes internationales les plus élevées. »

Le système d’évaluation indépendant de l’IRMA concerne 27 mines d’échelle industrielle, GCO comprise, réparties à travers le monde. Après une autoévaluation initiale, une mine participante engage un cabinet d’audit tiers, formé et approuvé par l’IRMA, pour mener une évaluation indépendante détaillée, comprenant des visites du site de la mine et dans les communautés voisines. Après la publication de l’audit initial, un audit de surveillance plus court vérifie les performances de la mine. Trois ans après l’audit initial, l’exploitation fait à nouveau l’objet d’un audit complet. (Remarque : les premières mines auditées selon le système de l’IRMA ont bénéficié de reports de ces échéances en raison des retards occasionnés par la COVID et de l’apprentissage inhérent à la phase de démarrage ; des révisions complètes actualisées seront nécessaires pour maintenir ou augmenter les niveaux de conformité atteints.)

Le système indépendant de l’IRMA constitue la seule norme minière mondiale qui accorde les mêmes pouvoirs au secteur public (communautés et titulaires de droits autochtones, travailleurs de la mine, défenseurs de l’environnement et des droits humains) qu’au secteur privé (entreprises minières, acquéreurs de matériaux extraits et investisseurs).

Pour plus d’informations :

About IRMA
IRMA est une organisation à but non lucratif qui œuvre à la protection des personnes et de l’environnement directement touchés par l’exploitation minière en créant une valeur financière pour les opérations minières à échelle industrielle évaluées de manière indépendante selon la norme IRMA relative aux meilleures pratiques en matière d’exploitation minière responsable. Pour plus d’informations, rendez-vous sur : responsiblemining.net

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GCO operation. Credit: ErametGCO operation. Credit: ErametAudits

On-site audit announced for Eramet’s GCO

19 December 2023By
Feedback requested during the on-site, independent audit under the IRMA Standard for Responsible Mining of Eramet’s Grande Côte Operations (GCO), Departments of Tivaouane (Thies Region) and Kébémer (Louga Region) Senegal

This coming January, SCS Global Services (SCS) auditors will be on-site as part of the ongoing third-party, independent audit of Eramet’s Grande Côte Operations (GCO) mineral sands operation to evaluate its performance under the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) Standard for Responsible Mining.

The audit began in May 2023 with a desktop review of documents provided by the mine. This next on-site phase provides all affected stakeholders the opportunity to give feedback on the mine’s environmental, health, safety, and community performance.

During the on-site part of the audit the auditors will ask local stakeholders, including community members and organizations, public officials, and non-management mine workers to participate in interviews or meetings, or to provide information using other means including email or on-line. SCS will use stakeholder comments to help determine how GCO performs relative to the IRMA Standard.

Please contact SCS if you would like to provide your views. You can do so by interview or in writing. Interviews can take place in person, or virtually (telephone or videoconference). Use the links, QR code, or email below to contact SCS to request an interview, ask questions, or provide comments. Commenters’ identities and remarks are kept confidential upon request.

Online Comment Form or Email Scan QR Code to Comment
https://info.scsglobalservices.com/irma-public-announcements-and-stakeholder-feedback

https://info.scsglobalservices.com/irma-stakeholder-feedback

feedback@scsglobalservices.com

 QR code for SCS-IRMA-feedback

IRMA will publish the completed audit report at https://responsiblemining.net. The report will explain how SCS scored the mine site against the requirements of the 26 chapters of the IRMA Standard, and why. SCS will assign scores for each chapter. After the report is published, stakeholders may still comment on the mine’s performance to help guide the operation’s improvement as it moves through the IRMA 3-year audit cycle.

You can also view this document as pdf in English or French.

SCS is an IRMA-approved audit firm with head offices in Emeryville, California. For more information about SCS, please visit www.scsglobalservices.com.

The IRMA Standard is the world’s most comprehensive mining standard for industrial-scale mines and the only one equally governed by all stakeholders: mining companies, mineral purchasers, investors, organized labor, communities, and civil society NGOs. Mine site verification under the IRMA Standard is voluntary. For more information on the IRMA Standard requirements and certification, visit www.responsiblemining.net.

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Eramet - GCO minerals sands. Source: GCO websiteEramet - GCO minerals sands. Source: GCO websiteAudits

Eramet commits GCO to IRMA independent assessment

11 May 2023By

The Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) is pleased to announce that the French miner Eramet has committed to a third-party independent assessment of its Grande Côte Opérations (GCO) site against the IRMA Standard for Responsible Mining. GCO is a Senegalese subsidiary of the Eramet Group that specializes in the recovery of ilmenite, leucoxene, rutile, and zircon. The mine and its two processing plants have been in service since 2014.

In making its own announcement, Eramet declared “After this first external audit in Senegal, Eramet aims to engage all its mining sites in this independent verification process by 2027.”

SCS Global Services, 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). After SCS’s draft audit report is reviewed by IRMA and GCO, GCO may release the report or has the option to take up to twelve months to implement a Corrective Action Plan before the audit firm assigns a Performance Level.

Stakeholder Engagement in the Assessment

Interested stakeholders and members of the public can sign up to receive updates about the GCO independent assessment (e.g., the timing of the stage 2 onsite visit, link to public 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 Global Services regarding the social and environmental performance of the GCO mine (in particular, how the performance of the mine site measures against the IRMA Standard for Responsible Mining).

Stakeholders of the GCO mine may also contact SCS Global Services 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 can also be submitted by email or mail to:

SCS Global Services
2000 Powell St. #600 Emeryville, California, USA 94608
feedback@scsglobalservices.com

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

For more information

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