The Copper Mark, Mining Association of Canada, ICMM, and World Gold Council – partners in the Consolidated Mining Standard Initiative (CMSI) – have released a draft consolidated standard, governance model, assurance process, and related reporting and claims policy, and invite stakeholders to provide feedback during a 60-day public consultation.
The Initiative’s objective is to build a sustainable society through responsible metal and mineral production, sourcing, and recycling. Its purpose is to simplify the current mining standards landscape while also encouraging continuous development of environmental, social, and governance practices throughout the metal and mineral value chains, from mining to smelting, refining, and beyond.
The goal is for this Standard to be adopted by a diverse range of mining firms, both large and small, across all commodities and locations, in order to promote scaled performance improvement. One key aspect of the Standard is that it applies to any facility, wherever in the world, that is committed to responsible practice.
Once finished, the Standard is planned to be used by existing ICMM, World Gold Council, and Mining Association of Canada members, as well as The Copper Mark participants. This widespread adoption would give the Standard the broadest coverage of any voluntary mining standard to date, with implementation expected to include almost 100 mining corporations with approximately 600 operations in 60 countries.
The draft Standard includes 24 Performance Areas that address a wide range of themes relevant to ethical mining activities. The Standard expands upon the characteristics of the Partners’ specific standards, and each Performance Area has three levels: Foundational Practice (a starting position of conformance with minimum industry standards, which a facility can build on and improve performance over time); Good Practice (a level of practice in line with industry standards and international norms, frameworks, and guidelines, which all responsible mining companies should aim to achieve); and Leading Practice (a level of practice that goes beyond good practice and demonstrates leadership or best practice, which a minority
Stakeholders are also requested to provide feedback on the proposed governance model, which envisions an independent institution overseeing the Standard’s future development, promotion, and maintenance. It will implement the related assurance process, grievance mechanism, and reporting and claims policy, as well as provide a platform for public publication of information such as assurance results. This institution will be led by a diverse, independent Board of Directors, with equal representation from firms and individuals representing stakeholder and rights holders from across the mining industry and the wider value chain. This paradigm will prioritise consensus-based decision-making. It is intended that The Copper Mark, including its Board, move and evolve into this autonomous business.
Two advisory panels have directed the process: one with corporate representatives and the other with a diverse spectrum of stakeholder voices, including NGOs, investors, Indigenous organizations, downstream customers, and multilateral organisations. These groups collaborated and shared their experience to shape the draft Standard and multi-stakeholder oversight structure.