Companies such as those in jewelry, electronics, building, and autos want assurance that the minerals they buy are mined responsibly.  Civil society organizations and communities expect adherence to a standards system that is comprehensive, robust, and accountable to all affected stakeholders.

IRMA seeks to drive positive change in industrial-scale mining using credible third-party certification: a tool that has been proven to deliver better social and environmental outcomes in industries such as agriculture, forestry, and fishing.  IRMA offers the only third-party certification of industrial-scale mine sites for all mined materials that are governed equitably by the private sector, local communities, civil society, and workers.  It is the most comprehensive standard and is available now for mines all over the world.

IRMA verifies the performance of individual mines. Our robust, independent audits include both desk review and onsite visits to every mine that applies for assessment. Here are some important facts about our assurance program:

• It is the mine site, not the company, that gets certified.
• A mining company can choose to commit to putting a percentage of its mines into the program, or reach a verified performance level at all of its mines, and make claims about that commitment and achievement.
• We use a step-by-step approach, not a pass/fail certification system.
• Our Standard describes ‘best practice’ for mines globally but also encourages mines at any level to come in and be recognized for continuously improving (see levels below).
• We offer a self-assessment tool, verification of individual chapters of our Standard (called IRMA Transparency), and the IRMA 50, IRMA 75, and IRMA 100 Certified levels for further improved performance.  In the 50, 75, 100 levels of achievement, we always ensure a set of critical requirements are covered.  See more in the graphic below.