Stakeholder support for GRI 14
On 5 February 2024, a first GRI Standard for the mining sector was published. The following stakeholders have signalled their support for this new sustainability reporting standard.
Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) - Mark Robinson, Executive Director:
"The energy transition brings risks and opportunities for the mining sector in equal measure. Without transparency, the sector will lack the means to respond to a changing landscape in a way that enables citizens to benefit fully from their resources. The EITI welcomes GRI’s revised Mining Sector Standard and encourages EITI implementing countries and other stakeholders to draw on company disclosures to use it to streamline their own reporting and identify opportunities for data use."
International Energy Agency (IEA) - K.C. Michaels, Legal Counsel:
“The GRI Mining Sector Standard strikes a balance between promoting sustainability and addressing industry challenges. It requires companies to report on key areas like biodiversity, water usage, community impact, corruption and emissions, aligning with the IEA's recommendations on sustainable and responsible supply chains. Such disclosures are crucial for monitoring industry performance, fostering a people-centred energy transition and enhancing industry accountability in line with global objectives.”
GIZ (German development agency) - Nicolas Maennling, Principal Advisor, Regional Cooperation for the Sustainable Management of Mineral Resources in the Andean Region:
“While the energy transition requires more mining, the sector faces a serious trust challenge. It takes a concerted effort to build trust and transparency is a fundamental component of that. We therefore congratulate GRI on its publication of the Sector Standard for Mining and highlight the importance of mine-site level reporting to foster trust with mining impacted communities.”
IndustriALL Global Union - Glen Mpufane, Director of Mining:
“IndustriALL welcomes the launch of GRI Mining Standard. While we recognize it is not a performance standard but a reporting standard, workers and communities can still hold mining companies accountable using GRI 14, to the extent that the mining company reports according to it. This GRI Sector Standard was developed through a robust multi-stakeholder process, thereby enhancing its credibility among workers and communities.”
International Council on Mining and Minerals (ICMM) - Aiden Davy, Co-Chief Operating Officer:
"For over 15 years, as a commitment of membership, ICMM members have reported annually against the GRI Reporting Standards. This new sector standard expands the scope of what mining companies will need to report against, and whilst we support comprehensive reporting of companies' material impacts on society, we also recognise the need to find ways to simplify and streamline an increasingly complex reporting landscape."
IperionX - Melissa Waller, Board Director and ESG Committee Chair:
“It’s an honor to be part of the diverse stakeholder working group for the GRI Mining Sector Standard representing the investor community. As critical mineral mining standards, supply chain issues and the circular economy impacts of mining are at the forefront for this sector, the investor community commends how the Working Group has sought to identify sector-specific reporting to allow organizations to identify and transparently disclose meaningful data.”
Mercy Investment Services - Pat Zerega, retired Senior Director of Shareholder Advocacy:
"The mining sector faces unique challenges with remote locations, major impact on communities and an expanding demand as we move to low-carbon economies. Shareholders need a common approach to reporting, and we welcome GRI’s new Mining Sector Standard, which will enable this comparability as well as movement toward leading practices in the sector."
Southern Africa Resource Watch (SARW) - Claude Kabemba, Executive Director:
“SARW heralds the GRI Mining Standard as an opportunity to improve mineral governance globally. Minerals are important for socio-economic development and technological advancement. They also cause serious harm to society and nature. This Standard will contribute to building trust between the industry and stakeholders – mining ,communities, indigenous people, labor and governments – for a shared future. SARW expects the Sector Standard to address crucial ESG issues.”
WWF India - Deepak Gulliya, Lead – Programme Management and Coordination Policy and Programme:
“With exploration activities going into the new geographies in search of critical minerals for the energy transition, the GRI Mining Standard will guide companies to better assess the anticipatory impacts of operations on ecology and communities, throughout the project life-cycle. All stakeholder groups and investors now expect mining companies to use this new standard not just for reporting, but also for developing capacity and expertise to better understand, identify and assess the ecological and social impacts of their operations.”