A public comment period for the draft GRI Mining Standard is underway, in what will become the latest addition to a growing suite of Sector Standards.
Developed by a multi-stakeholder expert group, the Standard identifies 25 topics that encapsulate the full range of impacts for mining organizations, including:
Environmental: climate change, greenhouse gas and air emissions, biodiversity, water and waste;
Social: community engagement and human rights, including those of Indigenous Peoples, land and resource rights, modern slavery and forced labor; and
Economic: anti-corruption, procurement, and payments to governments.
The exposure draft, open for consultation until 30 April, features three topics that are new to the GRI Standards: tailings facilities and hazardous waste streams, artisanal and small-scale mining, and operating in conflict zones.
Crucially, it sets expectations for site-level reporting, which is needed to establish local accountability and underpins the ‘social license to operate’ of mining firms.
Judy Kuszewski, Chair of the Global Sustainability Standards Board (GSSB), the independent body that sets the GRI Standards, said: “From raw materials for infrastructure, to vital components in transportation and communications, demand for mined minerals continues to rise.
“Furthermore, renewable energy development and storage, essential for the low-carbon transition, is a mineral intensive enterprise.
“Mining operations can be an important contributor in lower-income economies yet companies in the sector have well documented negative impacts.
“These range from biodiversity loss and pollution, to human rights concerns such as the displacement of communities, and financial corruption.
GRI’s draft Mining Standard reflects the likely material topics that any organization in the sector can be expected to report on, reflecting stakeholder demands for consistent, site-specific disclosure.
“I encourage all those with an interest in mining and its impacts to take part in the public comment and shape a standard that will advance transparency throughout the sector.”
This Standard will apply to all organisations engaged in mining and quarrying – including exploration and extraction, primary processing, and related support services – with the exception of Coal, and Oil and Gas (for which GRI Sector Standards are already available).
The draft Standard aligns with existing ESG and disclosure frameworks for the sector – including those set by the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA), Copper Mark (all represented on the working group), the OECD, Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), and Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM).