Our Minas-Rio and Barro Alto mines in Brazil completed the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) audit, achieving the IRMA 75 level. Our Mototolo and Amandelbult mines have also been assessed, achieving the IRMA 75 and IRMA 50 level of performance respectively.
Minas-Rio
The Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) assesses environmental and social responsibility in mining, providing independent third-party verification and certification for a comprehensive range of issues related to the impact of large-scale mines on the environment and society.
As one of the world’s largest mining companies, Anglo American wants a future where we make a positive and sustainable contribution to local communities and minimise any impact on land and water, while serving the needs of modern society. We believe that we can best achieve this by working collaboratively across the industry and with partners throughout our supply chains.
Our Minas-Rio and Barro Alto mines in Brazil joined 17 other industrial-scale mines worldwide to be independently assessed against the IRMA standard and have been assessed to achieve the IRMA 75 level of performance. They are the first iron ore and nickel-producing mines in the world to complete the audit, reflecting Anglo American’s integrated approach to sustainability and our commitment to transparency in striving for the highest standards of responsible metals production. The IRMA 75 level means that the operations have met all critical requirements of the IRMA Standard, as well as at least 75% of the Standard’s criteria in each of the four areas: social responsibility, environmental responsibility, business integrity and planning for positive legacies.
Barro Alto
Ana Sanches, CEO of Anglo American in Brazil, commented: “The IRMA assurance process has provided us with a valuable opportunity to measure our performance at Minas-Rio and Barro Alto against international best sustainability practices and identify next steps for improvement. The result is informed by evidence from a diverse range of stakeholders including employees, governments, NGOs, customers and communities alike. We are immensely proud of the work the teams have been doing at Minas-Rio and Barro Alto on responsible mining, and we look forward to continue leading the way for our other mining operations across Anglo American.”
Ruben Fernandes, Anglo American's Regional Director - Americas said: “We believe our participation in IRMA helps promote transparency and best practice in sustainability, while adding value to our customers by helping them meet increasing expectations for responsibly sourced materials in an efficient and credible way. Through our digital traceability platform Valutrax™, which launched last year, we are also making it easier for customers to have visibility over products with third-party assurance such as IRMA, empowering the transparency and provenance of their purchasing decisions. We are contributing to make great progress towards assuring all our operations against a recognised responsible mining standard by 2025, as we committed to in our Sustainable Mining Plan.”
Amandelbult concentrator
Our Mototolo and Amandelbult mines in South Africa have also been assessed for the first time, achieving the IRMA 75 and IRMA 50 level of performance respectively. Following a surveillance audit at Unki mine, IRMA has confirmed Unki retains IRMA 75. This reflects Anglo American Platinum’s integrated approach to sustainability and its commitment to transparency in striving for the highest levels of responsible platinum group metals (PGMs) production.
Craig Miller, CEO of Anglo American Platinum, said: “Aligned to our strategy to be a leader in ESG, and adding value to the products that we mine, we are helping our customers to meet increasing expectations for responsibly sourced mined materials in an efficient and credible way. The IRMA assurance process has provided us with a valuable opportunity to measure our performance at Amandelbult and Mototolo against international best sustainability practices and identify next steps for improvement. Retaining IRMA 75 at Unki also provides assurance that we continue to implement the highest standards of responsible mining. We are immensely proud of the work the teams have been doing across these operations to support responsible mining and we look forward to continuing to lead the way in the mining sector globally.”