The initiative partners are working to consolidate our four existing mining standards into one standard, assurance process and multi-stakeholder governance model. The purpose of this work is to reduce the complexity of the current standards landscape, meet the needs of a wide range of stakeholders and drive improved performance on responsible mining at scale.
Our goal is to retain and build on the best attributes of these four existing standards. The new standard will be developed with the support of the stakeholder and industry advisory groups, and subsequently through engagement with a wider group of stakeholders through a global public consultation process.
The draft standard, assurance process and multi-stakeholder governance model will be shared for two rounds of public consultation, and we encourage all stakeholders to respond and engage in the process. This will help us to develop a standard, governance model and assurance process that meets the needs of a wide range of stakeholders and has the potential for driving impact at scale.
The consolidated standard aims to:
- Be practical and implementable by any industrial mining operation of any size and any commodity anywhere in the world that is committed to responsible mining practices.
- Be applicable to operating facilities but may also be used for new projects and closed sites.
- Be applicable to downstream activities up to and including smelters and refineries.
- Address all environmental, social and governance issues relevant to the mining sector.
- Have independent, multi-stakeholder governance and a clear, transparent, and independent assurance process.
- Include clear, auditable requirements that are defined in performance levels to reflect foundational practice, good practice, and leading practice.
- Have access to technical and administrative capacity to support implementation, including a process for accrediting assurance service providers and related comprehensive training programmes.
Development Process
The development of the Consolidated Mining Standard Initiative (CMSI) was initiated by the four partners and is inspired by ISEAL’s Codes of Good Practice. A Stakeholder Advisory Group (SAG) and an Industry Advisory Group (IAG) were set up to play an essential role in providing a balance of independent and industry advisory input on the three core components:
- Standard — The scope and technical content of the consolidated standard.
- Assurance — The assurance process that helps underscore the integrity of the system and credibility of any conformance claims associated with the standard.
- Governance —The multi-stakeholder governance model for the consolidated standard, which should embody a power-sharing model between industry and stakeholders.
Both the SAG and IAG will be engaged throughout the process, virtually and in-person. While these two groups are structurally separate, functionally they are integrated and meet together.
The draft standard development process will include two rounds of broad public consultation. The first consultation will last for two months followed by a shorter second consultation in-line with ISEAL’s Codes of Good Practice. The consultations will be online and will be available in different languages including English, Mandarin, Japanese, Spanish, French and Portuguese. This provides an opportunity for all interested stakeholders to share their feedback. The four partners will also seek input and advice through their own established stakeholder networks.
The partners will provide a summary of feedback received and how it has been addressed after each of the public consultations. The partners will also aim to achieve consensus support for each element of the standard from the SAG and the IAG prior to each public consultation phase.
Decision Making Process
The partners will aim to achieve consensus support for each element of the standard from the SAG and the IAG prior to each public consultation phase. The objective is to establish the multi-stakeholder board prior to the finalisation of the Standard to ensure it enjoys broad based multi-stakeholder support. This Board will make the final decision on the adoption of the new standard. The four partners ambition is for the new standard to be implemented by all its members and participants.
The four partners are working towards a consolidated standard will be governed by an independent, multi-stakeholder board and any future updates and revisions to the standard will be overseen by the board.
The consolidated standard will also encourage stakeholder participation around the world by promoting the formation and functioning of national, multi-stakeholder panels. These panels will help to promote the consolidated standard, support dialogue between the mining sector and its stakeholders and support its oversight and implementation.
Terms of reference for the initiative can be found here and you can learn more about the initiative here.
