In response to Indonesia’s vision of strengthening Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) principles in Indonesian mining operations, the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) and Eramet, a global French mining company, along with representatives of industry and civil society organizations, participated in an industry-focused forum led by the Indonesian Coordinating Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Investment (Kemenko Marves) titled “Introducing IRMA to Indonesian Mining Companies.”
Deputy Minister for Investment Coordination and Mining at Kemenko Marves, Septian Seto, in his opening remarks, encouraged companies to do their part to contribute to the sector’s sustainability principles as it will be an increasingly important requirement to access the market in the future. “Kemenko Marves is conducting gap analysis on existing regulations and the IRMA standard. We would like to develop the right instruments to im-prove the governance from production to commercial phase of various commodities, including coal, tin, and nickel,” he conveyed.
Eramet Indonesia Director Bruno Faour stated “Eramet is committed to support the Government of Indonesia in reaching its sustainability goals. We acknowledge and want to continue to be part of Indonesia’s journey. We hope this forum can catalyze further the shift towards a more responsible mining practice”.
During the forum, Eramet also shared perspectives from its current work to prepare for audits of its global operations against the IRMA Standard, including at New Caledonia and its nickel mine operations in Weda Bay Industrial Park, North Maluku. Eramet also plans IRMA audits for its future mining development and exploration projects in the country.
IRMA Senior Policy Advisor Kristi Disney Bruckner explained, “IRMA offers independent third-party verification and scoring against the world’s strongest independent mining standard. The IRMA Standard for Responsible Mining covers all mined materials, with the exception of the energy materials thermal coal and uranium and, includes the full range of environmental and social issues.” IRMA is a multi-stakeholder coalition with over 50 members including mining companies, purchasing companies, organized labor, NGOs, affected communities, and the investor and finance sector. Some familiar names of IRMA members seeking to purchase materials from mines audited by IRMA include BMW Group, Ford Motor Company, General Motors Company, Microsoft Corporation, Ørsted, Tesla, Tiffany & Co, and many more. IRMA is committed to audits of mine operations that are publicly noticed, which support engagement of diverse stakeholders in the review, and which result in de-tailed audit reports from which companies can share areas of strength in performance and also consider ways to improve.
To achieve inclusivity, Kemenko Marves invited key stakeholders across the mining value chain. Observed in attendance were the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK), as well as various mining, mineral processing, chemical companies, industry associations and NGOs.
The high level of interest in this event shows Indonesia’s commitment to shifting towards a more sustainable stance, and this forum may just be the first step to concrete action plans for Indonesia’s mining sector.
