Approximately 500,000 workers are directly employed in the Brazilian artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector.

This sector accounts for 25% of the total workforce, a figure that rises to 40% when considering informal labor.

Much of the mining activities take place in informal and precarious settings, marked by low technological use, limited access to finance, significant environmental impacts, complex social conflicts, and fragile labor relations.

By 2020, Brazil was home to 252 registered mining cooperatives, including 3,411 active mining licenses under the jurisdiction of the National Mining Agency, in more than 400 municipalities. The states of Mato Grosso and Pará alone represent 30.9% and 26.6% of these licenses, respectively.

Assist SESCOOP in its endeavor to bolster competitiveness and promote best practices within the Brazilian mining industry and its mining cooperatives by fostering the creation of responsible production chains within the framework of the CRAFT Code.

Approximately 200 stakeholders across the supply chain, including representatives from governmental organizations, financial institutions, academia, and mining cooperative representatives.

1. Translate into Portuguese and adapt 125 CRAFT Code criteria to suit the Brazilian ASM context.
2. Raise awareness among cooperative leaders about prevailing national and international market trends related to due diligence.
3. Create a network of cooperative experts, providing them with training to address challenges within the mineral supply chain, with a focus on gold.
4. Share project results with the national gold market and other key supply chain stakeholders