© ARM
31 December 2013
Today we have the pleasure of announcing the launch of the version 2.0 RC of the FAIRMINED Standard for Gold from Artisanal and Small-scale Mining, including associated precious metals.
We have developed the FAIRMINED Standard for Gold and Associated Precious Metals to support sustainable development of Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM) communities. The standard includes requirements for Artisanal and Small-scale Mining Organizations (ASMOs) to perform responsible mining: formal and legal mining operations, environmental protection, labor conditions, traceability of FAIRMINED minerals, and socio-economic development through FAIRMINED Premium.
Version 2.0 of the standard has a new structure to make the document cleaner and more user friendly. It includes:
- The FAIRMINED Standard (Scope: ASMO’s, first authorized buyer, and down to the point in the supply chain where the FAIRMINED Gold is refined to its pure form)
- A Market Annex (Scope: FAIRMINED operators and licensees)
- A Glossary of terms
This version 2.0 RC, published as “Release Candidate” (RC) version, precedes the final version 2.0, scheduled for release on 01 February 2014. Publishing this version as “RC”, a procedure widely used for launching new software versions, allows us to offer an additional, third and short consultation period of 3 weeks, until January 20th, to receive requests for clarification. The final version 2.0 may then differ slightly from 2.0 RC by minor editorial fixes and additional explanatory notes for clarification where requested, but without more major changes. We consider Version 2.0 RC to fully reflect the outcome of our two-year revision process and therefore ready for public release and immediate implementation.
Main changes to the standard:
The new FAIRMINED Standard provides new opportunities both for artisanal and small-scale miners and for the market. It also has a global scope permitting artisanal miners from all developing countries to access the certification system. Version 2.0 responds better to different ASM realities on the ground allowing that all kinds of ASM organizational set-ups can obtain certification. Additionally, it adopts an innovative FAIRMINED System of Production approach, which allows a more advanced part of the mining organization to get certified first, giving example for the whole organization to follow its steps.
The new Standard remains faithful to its mission of promoting sustainable development through a just FAIRMINED Premium. However, it also gives flexibility for piloting alternative negotiated Premium models for purchases of larger volumes of FAIRMINED certified gold.
Depending on the specific needs of artisanal miners and market stakeholders the FAIRMINED Market Annex offers 3 distinct market models:
- “FAIRMINED Incorporated”, which allows flexible inclusion of FAIRMINED Gold into the supply chain and claims on volumes/percentage of FAIRMINED Gold sourced.
- “FAIRMINED Labeled”, with traceability all the way to the final product, allowing claims on finished consumer products. “FAIRMINED Labeled” is fully compatible with already established FAIRMINED supply chains under standard version 1.1.
- “FAIRMINED Certificates”: a new “book and claim” model for situations where it is not feasible or not economically advantageous for an ASMO to sell gold into a physical FAIRMINED supply chain (i.e. mainly countries that do not allow or encourage gold export). Under this model, miners sell certified gold into local, legal supply chains, and the company or individual that wishes to support responsible ASM buys a Certificate which is an equivalent of the Premium to be paid for a given volume of certified gold sold to a national legal buyer.
This new version of the Standard is applicable from January 1st, 2014. The transition period for already certified ASMOs and operators is of 1 year, starting from the above date. During this period the ASMO or operator may choose between audits according to version 1.1 or 2.0 of the STANDARD.