Modern Mining May 2025

RESPONSIBLE MINING

WGC drives industry wide responsible mining principles By Nelendhre Moodley The World Gold Council (WGC) has several initiatives aimed at advancing industry-wide responsible mining practices, including help to establish a single consolidated mining standard for all commodities, and pilot projects to demonstrate the benefits of incorporating artisanal gold mining into broader partnership with existing large-scale miners, as well as other local stakeholders.

Head of Sustainability Strategy at the World Gold Council, John Mulligan.

S peaking to Modern Mining on the sidelines of Investing in African Mining Indaba 2025 , Head of Sustainability Strategy at the World Gold Council, John Mulligan, said the Responsible Gold Mining Principles (RGMPs) were foundational in seeking to change the narrative around responsible sourcing and consumption of gold. “Over the past five years or so, we have been busy defining and implementing the Responsible Gold Mining Principles (RGMPs). There are 10 overarching key principles under which are 51 sub-principles – all of which seek to detail what responsible mining is in practice. The principles were arrived at after years of consultation with a wide range of stakeholders, including governments, mining companies and communities. The principles are mandatory for the WGC members, with a large portion of gold now produced under those principles.” The adoption of the RGMPs has effectively raised the standards of responsible mining in the gold industry. According to Mulligan, the establishment of the RGMPs has set a platform that allows consumers, investors, and stakeholders to demand from gold miners evidence of their performance in respect of responsible gold mining. “It is no longer enough for a company to tout being responsible, quoting ESG aspirations, they now have to

demonstrate their performance in a clear and transparent way against firm standards. Moreover, companies are keenly aware of the wider investor and societal expectations in relation to their ESG performance.” While the principles have introduced consistency, clarity and transparency to the market, they relate only to gold as it is mined and not to the gold that passes through to consumers via the refiners, says Mulligan. So, what exactly is being done to bring gold refiners into the fold? “What we need is for gold refiners to align to the principles of responsible mining. To date, there has been collaboration with the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA), which accredits responsible refiners as conforming to criteria laid out in its Responsible Gold Guidance. The responsible gold guidance explicitly references its equivalency with the WGC’s RGMPs, so refiners know what questions to ask when they source newly mined gold. This encourages a trusted chain of custody that is consistent with ensuring gold is responsibly sourced before it enters the market. The process encourages transparency and has allowed gold to enter the system from trusted gold miners. It also ensures that consumers purchase validated gold.” Further to this, the WGC, in partnership with the LBMA,

10  MODERN MINING  www.modernminingmagazine.co.za | MAY 2025