IRMA-Ready (Standard for Responsible Mineral Exploration and Development)

The Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) is a multi-stakeholder organisation established to meet global demand for more socially and environmentally responsible mining.

In December 2021, IRMA published a draft IRMA Standard for Responsible Mineral Exploration and Development (the “IRMA-Ready Standard”) in response to requests from exploration and mining companies, directly affected communities, purchasers and others for a comprehensive standard defining responsible practices during mineral exploration and development, prior to the operational phase of a mine. The draft was referred to as the “IRMA-Ready” Standard because a project meeting its requirements was intended to be well prepared to meet the requirements of the IRMA Standard for Responsible Mining if subsequently developed into an operational mine.

The draft IRMA-Ready Standard covered six stages of exploration and development: three stages of exploration, followed by pre-permitting, permitting and mine construction. A public consultation on the draft was held from December 2021 to April 2022. The draft was not endorsed as a final IRMA Standard.

IRMA subsequently incorporated the content of the IRMA-Ready Standard into the development of IRMA Standard v2.0. The v2.0 approach is intended to provide a single, integrated framework covering the different phases of the mineral development lifecycle, including exploration, project development, permitting, construction, mining operations, reclamation and closure, post-closure and mineral processing. The v2.0 Standard remains under development and revision.