Diversified miner Anglo American’s Unki platinum mine, in Zimbabwe, is the first to publicly commit to being independently audited against the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance’s (Irma’s) Standard for Responsible Mining.
This is in line with the commitment in Anglo’s Sustainable Mining Plan to have all of its operations assessed against credible responsible mining standards by 2025.
The Standard for Responsible Mining has been developed over ten years through a public consultation process with more than 100 different individuals and organisations, including mining companies, customers and the ultimate downstream users of mined products, nongovernmental organisations, labour unions and communities.
An initial self-assessment was completed by Unki ahead of the independent on-site audit and the operation performed well against the 26 areas covered by the standard, including working conditions, human rights, community and stakeholder engagement, environmental impact, and planning and financing reclamation and closure.
Anglo CEO Mark Cutifani on Monday said the mining group had a longstanding commitment as a leader in responsible mining, with numerous examples of progressive business decisions across many decades.
“We are pleased that Unki will be the first mine in the world to publicly commit to a third-party audit to determine its performance against Irma’s Standard for Responsible Mining,” he said, adding that customers and end-consumers could expect the highest standards of ethical production.
Anglo would put all of its managed mines through such rigorous certification processes by 2025.
Irma executive director Aimee Boulanger, meanwhile, said the initiative was hopeful that this would pave the way for others across the industry to make a similar commitment.
Other Anglo American operations currently completing the Irma self-assessment stage include the Barro Alto nickel operation, in Brazil, and the Amandelbult platinum group metals operation in South Africa.
The Unki and Amandelbult mines are held through Anglo’s Anglo American Platinum subsidiary.