IRMA achieves new ISEAL Community Member status

The Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) has met the new ISEAL Community Member Requirements.

They join the Round Table on Responsible Soy Association in becoming the first of two new ISEAL Community Members, following the launch of ISEAL’s new structure in November 2020.

IRMA was recommended by the Membership Committee to the Board of Directors and was approved on 2 December 2020. IRMA joins ISEAL as an organisation whose system meets our membership criteria in terms of scope and transparency and as an organisation committed to improvement. 

IRMA Executive Director Aimee Boulanger said, "Since our inception 14 years ago, IRMA has used the ISEAL codes, and benefited from the experience of ISEAL member organisations, as a guideline to inform our development.  Whether it be in standard-setting, assurance, claims or otherwise, ISEAL has helped us ensure that best practices are not just what we are asking of mining companies but also of our own multi-stakeholder governed systems. We look forward to continuing our efforts to grow and improve, using ISEAL tools and appreciating the insights of others in ISEAL's community."

In becoming an ISEAL Community Member, IRMA joins a growing number of well-respected sustainability systems that are driving positive social and environmental change across multiple sectors. They will be working alongside these mission-driven sustainability organisations to continuously improve the effectiveness of their systems and demonstrate impact.

ISEAL Executive Director Karin Kreider said, “I’m very happy to congratulate IRMA on becoming an ISEAL Community Member. This exciting step reflects their commitment to ongoing improvement and deepening their credible practices. We look forward to watching IRMA advance in their mission for socially and environmentally responsible mining and for their contributions to the ISEAL community.”

Following this announcement, ISEAL’s membership grows to 27 organisations operating in diverse sectors that address critical sustainability issues such as biodiversity conservation, resource use, working conditions and producer livelihoods. 

As the global membership organisation for ambitious, collaborative and transparent sustainability systems, ISEAL brings the movement together to scale up its collective impact and engage in discussions on credibility and effectiveness.

ISEAL members are sustainability systems and accreditation bodies dedicated to delivering benefits for people and planet. They are committed to continually improving their systems and impacts through learning and innovation; collaborating with stakeholders and peers; and are transparent and truthful about how their systems work and how they measure their impacts.

ISEAL encourages any organisation developing or operating a sustainability system with a multi-stakeholder approach and a commitment to credible practices to consider joining ISEAL. 

Find out more on our membership page.

About IRMA

IRMA’s approach to responsible mining is to certify social and environmental performance at mine sites globally using an internationally recognized standard that has been developed in consultation with a wide range of stakeholders.

Impartial, credible certification addresses purchaser demand for greater options in mined materials and civil society’s desire for transparency and truthfulness about whether a mine is taking steps to reduce potential harm and make continuous improvement.

Their global standard, developed over ten years and in consultation with more than 100 companies and organizations, covers all mined materials, except for energy fuels, for all sizes of industrial mines and in all parts of the world.

They are governed by labour unions, mining-affected communities, environmental and social justice organizations, as well as mining companies and those businesses that buy mined materials. In IRMA, no single type of organization or industry can make decisions that do not work for other stakeholder groups. 

Find out more about IRMA.