Modern Mining May 2025

RESPONSIBLE MINING

AngloGold Ashanti

Visible gold-at AngloGold Ashanti’s Nyankanga, the main production pit of the Geita Mine, located in northwestern Tanzania.

AngloGold Ashanti

practices within responsible artisanal mining. Moreover, we are seeking durable, scalable solutions that can be applied elsewhere.” Over and above this, the WGC continues to advance initiatives that address challenges arising from artisanal miners operating adjacent to - or on the concessions of - larger gold producers “We have done much work in this regard and, a few years ago, published a report on how to address some of the more pertinent issues. Essentially, we are looking at ways to create a network of miners willing to help drive progress in the artisanal mining space.” Consolidated Mining Standards Initiative The Consolidated Mining Standards Initiative (CMSI) seeks to harmonise many of the established responsible mining principles from different commodities or regions into a single set of standards. Currently, the various industry bodies working on consolidation include associations such as the WGC, the International Council on Mining & Metals (ICMM), the Mining Association of Canada (MAC) and the Copper Mark, and all employ their own sets of responsible mining principles. “Although these standards may be from different commodities or segments of business – represented by the WGC, the ICMM, MAC, and the Copper Mark – overall, the standards are fairly compatible and often overlap. Large miners already adhere, perform and report against several of these frameworks. The aim is to have a single coherent standard for responsible and sustainable mining across all commodities. This means that guidance is no longer targeted at one market, one metal, one country; rather we move to one standard that defines responsible mining in total.” The CMSI recently concluded its first public consultation with the team currently reviewing feedback from the process. “There have been thousands of comments from the consultation process, which clearly illustrates

we still need to seek practical ways to reduce the negative impacts associated with small-scale and artisanal mining.” To address such challenges, the WGC has several programmes in place, such as bringing its members into potential partnerships with artisanal miners and other stakeholders. “We are collaborating with major and smaller mining companies – those members with perhaps only one or two assets - and the participants in the informal sector and encouraging them to identify joint solutions,” says Mulligan. Over the years, various attempts to formalise artisanal gold mining and incorporate it into the mainstream have failed, “in part, due to lack of sustained support from governments”. The WGC is currently engaging governments and Central Banks, which in some regions procure gold from local artisanal miners, to adopt responsible gold mining practices and demonstrate that the gold brought to banks is responsibly sourced. “We recently established a Central Bank Domestic ASGM Purchasing Programme, which encouragers artisanal miners that sell gold to Central Banks, to adopt established principles of responsible mining. Several Central Banks are already on-board with a few new entrants queuing up to participate in the programme.” Further to this, the WGC continues to explore the “viability of locations across the world, and particularly in Africa,” to pilot projects that demonstrate the success of incorporating responsible artisanal miners into the mainstream. The first pilot project currently being explored for implementation is in Cote d’Ivoire. “I believe we have buy-in from the government of Cote d’Ivoire, the support of larger scale gold miners, including Barrick Gold, and the support of local miners. With a supportive government and the World Bank’s overarching convening power, we hope to establish a site to demonstrate good

The principles are mandatory for the WGC members, with a large portion of gold now produced under those principles.

Responsible Gold Mining Principles The Responsible Gold Mining Principles (RGMPs) are a framework, first

launched in 2019, that set out clear expectations for

consumers, investors and the downstream gold supply chain as to what constitutes responsible gold mining.

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