The Copper Mark Standard Setting Procedure defines the process by which standards are developed and revised.
STANDARD SETTING
The Copper Mark Standard Setting Procedure defines the process by which standards are developed and revised.
To provide feedback on the Copper Mark standards, please contact the Copper Mark at any time by sending an email to info@coppermark.org. Hard copies of the standards and relevant documents are available upon request by sending an email to info@coppermark.org at no fee.
Grievances about this process, The Copper Mark, or sites participating in or using the Copper Mark Assurance Process should be handled through the Grievance Mechanism.
CURRENT PUBLIC CONSULTATIONS
Risk Readiness Assessment Revision
Starting in 2021, the Copper Mark and Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI) are revising the Risk Readiness Assessment (RRA) Criteria and corresponding Criteria Guide.
We are pleased to let you know that the second public consultation on the draft RRA Criteria and Criteria Guide will run from 1st March 2023 to 1st April 2023.
The draft is the result of a process of editing and revision conducted by the Copper Mark and RMI to integrate comments and feedback provided in the first public consultation held May to July 2022. Both organizations are hugely grateful for the time and effort that our stakeholders took to provide us with feedback on that draft. We believe that the feedback helped to significantly improve this revised draft.
The revision has been executed with the stewardship of a dedicated Technical Committee and it has aimed to:
- Increase clarity and auditability of requirements and reduce prescriptiveness while preserving the level of expectations on due diligence practices
- Clarify applicability of requirements to upstream and downstream
- Strengthen alignment with recognized international frameworks (specifically UNGPs and OECD) and with due diligence expectations articulated in forthcoming regulations
- Nuance climate and emission-related requirements based on the availability and maturity of relevant methodologies
With the revision, the Copper Mark and RMI work to ensure the recognition and acceptance of the RRA as a credible set of criteria for responsible mineral production practices by key stakeholder groups, and to provide a tool for companies to communicate their environmental, social and governance due diligence practices.
The draft documents on which stakeholders are invited to provide feedback during this consultation are here:
DRAFT Risk Readiness Assessment (RRA) Criteria (ESP)
DRAFT Criteria Guide for the Risk Readiness Assessment (ESP) (CHI)
Interested members and stakeholders are invited to learn more about the evolution of the RRA and share feedback:
- Through the public consultation form here
- In virtual workshops as per the following schedule:
- The first webinar will be in Spanish and will take place on Wednesday 8 March 2023 from 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM (EST) / 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM (CET). Reserve your space here.
- The second webinar will be in English and will take place on Friday 10 March 2023 from 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM (EST) / 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM (CET). Reserve your space here.
- The third webinar will be in English and will take place on Wednesday 15 March 2023 from 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM (EST)/ 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM (AET) on Thursday 16 March 2023. Reserve your space here.
- The fourth webinar will be in English and will take place on Thursday 16 March 2023 from 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM (EST) / 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM (CET). Reserve your space here.
All comments will be logged and reviewed by the Copper Mark and RMI. Substantive comments are reviewed by the RRA Technical Committee.
The comments will be leveraged to finalize the RRA Criteria and Criteria Guide. The publication and coming into force of the revised RRA is expected in late 2023.
Providing Feedback
The RMI and the Copper Mark have developed a detailed stakeholder engagement plan, available here.
We invite any interested stakeholder to provide feedback at any time by sending an email to info@coppermark.org and / or RMI@responsiblebusiness.org.
In order to ensure the feedback is constructive, please consider the following guidelines:
- Provide input into either the methodology, criteria, or format;
- Provide overarching comments and / or specific points for consideration but avoid “red-lining”;
- Avoid recommending changes where previously adopted language from international or other schemes’ standards / frameworks is directly referenced or used; and
Please provide contact information to allow us to follow up with any questions.
Read about the process, stakeholder engagement plan, and Technical Committee Terms of Reference:
The RRA is used by over 320 mining, smelting, refining, and manufacturing sites across multiple metals including Aluminum, Alumina, Bauxite, Cobalt, Copper, Gold, Graphite, Iron Ore, Lead, Lithium, Mica, Molybdenum, Nickel, Palladium, Platinum, Rare Earth Elements, Silver, Steel, Tantalum, Tin, Tungsten, and Zinc
The RRA is both a set of criteria for responsible production and a tool for companies to communicate their environmental, social and governance practices. Its main uses are:
- As voluntary self-assessment and self-reporting tool for minerals and metals producers and processors participating in the RMI’s Responsible Minerals Assurance Process.
- As the foundation of the RMI’s Environmental, Social, and Governance Standard for Mineral Supply Chains; and
- As the foundation of the Copper Mark Criteria for Responsible Production against which sites are independently assessed during the Copper Mark Assurance Process.
The methodology of the RRA is available on the RMI website here.
Objectives
The last revision of the RRA Criteria was finalized in 2019. In this second revision, the RMI and the Copper Mark will work together to achieve the following main objectives:
- Ensure the recognition and acceptance of the RRA as a credible set of criteria for responsible mineral production practices by key stakeholder groups, namely mineral producers, refiners, smelters or other producers of a finished metal product, supply chain companies, investors and civil society organizations actively involved in addressing social and environmental impacts of mineral production.
- Respond to findings of benchmarking exercises with other voluntary standards applicable to mining, smelting and / or refining operations to adjust the RRA to:
- Ensure full coverage of relevant issue areas,
- Provide more clarity and prescription on the scope of the criteria, and / or
- Strengthen criteria where appropriate to ensure these continue to reflect the core expectations formalized in leading voluntary standards in this field as well as of key stakeholder groups.
- Clarify requirements for the implementation and assurance of the RRA Criteria through accompanying Criteria Guide aimed at both implementing companies and assessors.