The Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) is a multi-sector initiative that offers independent, third-party auditing and transparency at mine sites. Earthworks was at IRMA’s founding in 2006; when IRMA formally incorporated, Payal Sampat, Earthworks Mining Program Director at the time, became a founding board member. Today, IRMA has grown to have a strong civil society membership, and in order to make way for new NGO leadership, Earthworks is stepping down from the board.
We will remain a committed member organization and enthusiastic supporter of IRMA. In the absence of strong laws and regulations, IRMA’s standard sets a high bar for best practices in mining, and IRMA’s audits provide much-needed transparency and an important tool to hold mining companies accountable to achieving those best practices.
This is true now, more than ever, with the industry-led effort to create a weaker, voluntary standard—the Consolidated Mining Standard Initiative—which is poised to offer mining companies the benefits of mine site certification without having to make meaningful disclosures or improvements regarding their social and environmental impacts.
At Earthworks, we will continue to center the priorities of frontline communities as we work as an IRMA member to ensure that standards continue improving to reflect best practices in human rights, environmental, and labor conditions. While we continue to advocate for enforceable mandatory legal requirements, IRMA provides a valuable tool for environmental protections and respect for the rights of Indigenous peoples and frontline communities.