Editor’s Note
This article announces the launch of a 60-day public consultation on a new draft consolidated mining standard. Key industry bodies are seeking stakeholder feedback on the proposed framework, which aims to harmonize sustainability and assurance practices across the sector.
LONDON, Oct. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Partners of the Consolidated Mining Standard Initiative (CMSI) – The Copper Mark, the Mining Association of Canada, the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), and the World Gold Council – have published drafts of a consolidated standard, governance model, assurance process, and related reporting and claims policies, and are encouraging stakeholders to provide feedback during a 60-day public consultation.
The vision of the initiative is a sustainable society enabled by the responsible production, sourcing, and recycling of metals and minerals. Its goal is to simplify the current landscape of mining standards and drive continuous improvement in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices across the entire metals and minerals value chain, from mining through smelting and refining.
The standard is designed to be adopted by mining companies of all sizes and to drive significant performance improvements across all commodities and locations. A key feature is its applicability to any facility worldwide that is committed to responsible practices.
Once finalized, the standard is expected to be used by existing members of ICMM, the World Gold Council, and the Mining Association of Canada, as well as participants in The Copper Mark. This broad adoption is anticipated to make it the most widely covered voluntary mining standard to date, encompassing approximately 100 mining companies across about 600 operations in roughly 60 countries.
The draft standard consists of 24 performance areas covering a wide range of topics relevant to responsible mining. Building on the attributes of the partners’ individual standards, each performance area features three levels:
- Foundational Practice: The starting point for alignment with minimum industry standards, upon which a facility can build and improve performance over time.
- Good Practice: A level of practice aligned with industry standards and international norms, frameworks, and guidelines that all responsible mining companies should aim to achieve.
- Leading Practice: A level of practice that goes beyond Good Practice, demonstrating leadership or best practices achieved by a smaller number of implementing companies.
Stakeholders are also invited to comment on a proposed governance model that envisions an independent entity to oversee the standard’s further development, promotion, and maintenance. This entity would implement the related assurance process, grievance mechanism, and reporting and claims policies, and provide a platform for publishing information such as assurance results. It would be governed by a diverse and independent board with equal representation from corporate and individual stakeholders and rights-holder groups across mining and the broader value chain, emphasizing consensus-based decision-making. The Copper Mark is intended to transition and evolve into this independent entity, including its board.
The process is guided by two advisory groups: one composed of industry representatives and another bringing together diverse voices from stakeholders such as NGOs, investors, Indigenous groups, downstream customers, and multilateral organizations. These groups have collaborated and provided expertise to shape the draft standard and the multi-stakeholder oversight system.
The development of the consolidated standard is guided by the ISEAL Codes of Good Practice and includes a transparent process involving two extensive public consultations. The first consultation, launched today, will be conducted online for two months, ending on December 16, 2024. A shorter second consultation is planned for 2025. The consultation aims to solicit feedback from around the world by providing consultation documents in Arabic, English, French, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, and Spanish.