The mining industry is facing growing expectations for transparency, accountability and responsible sourcing. Investors, customers, regulators, communities and industry initiatives increasingly expect organizations to demonstrate how environmental, social, governance, safety and operational risks are being managed in practice, not just through commitments or reporting.
Independent assurance against recognized mining standards provides credible evidence of performance, helping organizations build trust, support supply chain due diligence requirements, strengthen their social license to operate and demonstrate responsible mining practices across increasingly complex value chains.
As the mining assurance landscape continues to evolve, organizations must navigate multiple standards and stakeholder expectations. Managing IRMA, ASI, CMSI, Copper Mark, ICMM, GISTM, the International Cyanide Management Code, and emerging frameworks separately can create duplication and audit fatigue. ERM CVS helps consolidate assurance activities through a coordinated approach that reduces complexity, improves efficiency, strengthens governance, and provides stakeholders with greater confidence in mining.
IRMA is a globally recognized responsible mining assurance programme that promotes transparency and improved ESG performance through independent mine-site assessments. Learn more about our IRMA assurance services, view current audit announcements, and find out how stakeholders can provide feedback to support accountability and continuous improvement.
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The Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) is a globally recognized standard that promotes responsible production, sourcing, and stewardship across the aluminium value chain. ASI certification helps organizations demonstrate environmental, social, and governance performance, strengthen supply chain transparency, and meet customer and stakeholder expectations.
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Developed by partners in the Consolidated Mining Standard Initiative (CMSI), the Veramark Global Mining Standard will be launched as a new commodities-agnostic framework designed to simplify responsible mining requirements, strengthen responsible practices, and reduce audit duplication across the mining value chain.
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The Copper Mark is an internationally recognized assurance framework that promotes responsible copper production through independent assessment against ESG criteria. Participation helps organizations demonstrate responsible practices, improve transparency across the value chain, and respond to increasing stakeholder and market expectations.
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The International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) Assurance and Validation process helps mining companies demonstrate conformance with the ICMM Mining Principles and Performance expectations. Independent assurance supports transparency, strengthens accountability, and provides stakeholders with confidence in sustainability and responsible mining performance.
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The Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM) establishes a comprehensive framework for safer tailings facility management. Implementation helps organizations strengthen governance, reduce risk, improve transparency, and meet growing expectations from investors, regulators, communities, and other stakeholders.
Contact usEvery engagement is tailored to the operation, applicable frameworks and material risks. ERM CVS deliver independent assurance in accordance with relevant impartiality, accreditation and scheme requirements, while identifying opportunities to coordinate compatible activities and reduce unnecessary duplication.
Independent assurance informed by mining expertise. Our teams combine assurance capability with experience across environmental, social, human rights and operational issues relevant to mining. This supports assessments that reflect both the applicable framework and the realities of complex mining operations.
Focused on material risk. Our assessments consider the issues most relevant to each operation, such as tailings, water, biodiversity, human rights and community engagement, rather than relying solely on a generic document checklist.
Built for complex and sensitive sites. Our social, human rights and sustainability auditors are experienced in stakeholder-sensitive operating environments and tailor their approach to the scope and context of each assessment.
Combining mining, environmental, social, human rights, and assurance expertise to assess performance across some of the world's most challenging operations.
Extensive experience delivering independent assessments against leading frameworks including IRMA, Copper Mark, ASI, ICMM and GISTM.
Dedicated social, human rights, and sustainability auditors experienced in evaluating performance in high-risk and stakeholder-sensitive environments.
Helping organizations align compatible mining standards, ESG requirements and customer assurance activities within a more efficient program.
Supporting organizations in demonstrating responsible mining practices, due diligence, traceability, and responsible supply chain performance.
A worldwide network of qualified mining, sustainability, and assurance professionals delivering consistent assessments wherever your operations are located.
Address regulatory and industry-initiative requirements
Reduce operational, tailings and reputational risk
Strengthen investor and community confidence
Support access to capital and responsible supply chains
Independent assurance can strengthen the credibility of responsible mining commitments by evaluating performance against defined criteria. It can provide investors, buyers, regulators and communities with greater confidence in how material risks and sustainability priorities are being managed.
Independent third-party assurance can provide customers and downstream buyers with credible evidence that relevant ESG and responsible mining requirements have been assessed. By mapping overlapping requirements and coordinating compatible activities, ERM CVS can help reduce repeated evidence requests, site visits and assessments covering similar topics. However, individual customers may retain their own due diligence requirements, so independent assurance cannot guarantee that every customer audit will be eliminated.
Yes. Organizations beginning their journey can start with a gap assessment or readiness review to understand applicable requirements, identify gaps and prioritize improvement actions. Organizations with established programs can coordinate assessments across multiple sites and frameworks, prepare for changing standards, or transfer eligible assurance activities to ERM CVS.
Whether you are pursuing your first responsible mining assessment or transferring an existing program to ERM CVS, our process follows a clear path. We agree the scope and objectives up front, focus on material risks and coordinate activities efficiently.
1. Scope and planning
We confirm the sites, frameworks, objectives and assessment boundaries. Where several requirements are involved, we identify opportunities to coordinate compatible activities and avoid unnecessary overlap.
2. Readiness review, where required
A gap assessment or readiness review can identify areas for improvement and help prioritize actions before the formal assessment begins.
3. Independent assessment
Our auditors review relevant evidence, conduct site activities and engage appropriate personnel and stakeholders to evaluate performance against the applicable requirements.
4. Reporting and next steps
We communicate the scope, findings and applicable assessment outcome clearly. Depending on the framework, this may include an assessment report, assurance conclusion, verification statement, achievement level or certificate, together with any required follow-up activities.
The Consolidated Mining Standard Initiative, or CMSI, is bringing together elements of the Copper Mark, ICMM’s Mining Principles, Towards Sustainable Mining and the Responsible Gold Mining Principles into one proposed global standard and assurance framework. As it moves toward finalization, ERM CVS can help organizations understand the proposed requirements, assess potential impacts and prepare their operations.
GISTM verification evaluates an organization’s tailings management practices against the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM), which spans the entire tailings facility lifecycle and comprises 15 principles and 77 auditable requirements. ERM CVS can support organizations at every stage of their GISTM journey, including gap assessments, readiness reviews, conformance assessments, and independent verification of relevant public disclosures.
ICMM performance and sustainability assurance provides an independent assessment of an organization’s adherence to the ICMM Subject Matters, including implementation of relevant ICMM Mining Principles and Performance Expectations (ICMM PEs). ERM CVS can support gap assessments, ICMM PEs reviews and assurance of sustainability information to help strengthen governance, reporting credibility and stakeholder confidence.
Yes. ERM CVS can support mining and metals operations across global locations through a network of mining, sustainability and assurance professionals. The delivery approach and assessment team are tailored to the sites, frameworks, scope and specialist expertise required.
