RJC Accepts Benchmark for Small-Scale Artisanal Gold Miners
September 28, 12
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The measure is aimed at legitimizing artisanal miners, who would otherwise be pushed to illegal supply chains as international scrutiny of conflict-free sources tightens.
The RJC said that the producer requirements in Part A of the Fairtrade and Fairmined Standard, the landmark mining standard for the small-scale gold mining sector, are now officially recognized as a responsible mining standard.
The benefits for these producers will include expanded access to chain-of-custody pathways through to the RJC’s membership in the jewelry supply chain.
RJC CoC-certified refiners can source from certified artisanal small-scale mine (ASM) producers, confident in the practices at the mine, and thus contribute to the further integration of ASM into the formal economy. This builds on the recommendations of the ‘OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains – Supplement on Gold’ that all gold supply chain participants support legitimate ASM producers.