In parallel, there are a growing number of certification schemes, such as the Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) framework recently adopted by the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA), the World Gold Council’s Conflict-free Gold Standard, the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative, and the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA).

While these schemes vary significantly in design, scope and governance, they all include a requirement for some form of independent assurance of management systems; and several schemes go further in requiring verification of on-the-ground ESG performance at individual assets.

The first part of the webinar will provide a brief overview of these developments and explore the implications at asset, company and industry levels. The second part will examine steps that industry and external parties need to take to ensure that purportedly ‘independent’ assessment review and certification processes have credibility.

This includes ensuring the competence and independence of external reviewers, the need for transparency, and governance protocols for maintaining the currency and integrity of assessment and reporting frameworks.

The MCA has committed to having an TSM external assurance protocol ready for implementation in 2024. Suitably experienced AusIMM members are well placed to be TSM Verification Service Providers (VSPs), so the Webinar will provide a good opportunity for Institute members and other interested parties to be informed about key trends and issues in this important area.