Industry certification and standards for transition minerals

While not IHRB-driven, IHRB participates in several external initiatives designed variously to improve, harmonise, consolidate the wide range of industry standards that exist all across the extractive sector.

Human rights risks in the extractive sector are manifold. Further, the potential for negative human rights impacts related to security are particularly significant in the commodities sector. 

Credible certification standards which incorporate all aspects of human rights impacts are hugely important for mining and extractive companies. They are also useful to facilitate human rights due diligence by companies who are downstream in the commodities chain including end-users. 

Credible certification standards which incorporate all aspects of human rights impacts are useful to facilitate human rights due diligence by companies who are downstream in the commodities chain including end-users.  

• MCRB is a member of the Stakeholder Advisory Group for the Consolidated Mining Standard Initiative which aims to align and consolidate four certification standards for mineral commodities and a Member of the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) which offers an  independent assessment against a comprehensive standard for all mined materials that provides ‘one-stop coverage’ of the full range of issues related to the impacts of industrial-scale mines.
• IHRB also participates in the Global Investor Commission on Mining which aims to develop a consensus about the role finance has in realising a vision of a socially and environmentally responsible mining sector 2030.  
• The potential for negative human rights impacts related to security are particularly significant in the commodities sector. IHRB collaborates with two multi-stakeholder initiatives in this area. It is an Observer to The Voluntary Principles Initiative, which promotes a set of principles that guides companies on how to conduct their security operations while respecting human rights and also works with ICOCA, the responsible security association which works  ensure that providers of private security services respect human rights and humanitarian law.