The mission to improve conditions for artisanal and small-scale miners just got a shot in the arm with the announcement the Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM) and Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) are joining forces.
“The council welcomes this new formal relationship between our organizations with great enthusiasm,” said RJC’s chief executive officer (CEO) Michael Rae of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by the groups. “Working together with ARM toward common goals will strengthen our collective efforts [for] responsible business practices throughout the jewellery supply chain. We are looking forward to the collaboration and the benefits it will bring to artisanal and small-scale miners and their communities, RJC members, and the jewellery industry as a whole.”
The groups’ shared objectives include improving social, environmental, and labour practices in artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM).
The memorandum calls for the two organizations to work together to ensure the standards of their respective certification systems are mutually supportive. To do so, RJC will become a member of ARM’s Technical Committee, while ARM will do the same with RJC’s Consultative Panel and Standards Committee.
Additionally, they will recruit private, governmental, and intergovernmental sponsors to help develop projects to improve social, environmental, and labour practices, as well as good governance and the implementation of environmental practices in artisanal and small-scale mining. The agreement also includes collaborating on initiatives to increase market awareness and support for jewellery raw materials from well-managed artisanal and small-scale mining operations.
“ARM believes that strengthening its relationship with the RJC is a key step in building strong collaboration with the industry to jointly embrace the developmental opportunities of artisanal and small-scale mining,” said ARM’s acting executive director, Lina Villa. “We hope to see more and more ASM communities realize their potential of becoming profitable, socially, and environmentally responsible enterprises that participate in global markets and contribute to local development.”
