The importance of this Standard

Mining is a key sector in many economies, making a sizable contribution to production, exports and government revenues. Minerals produced by this sector can also be fundamental for large parts of the economy. Mining also has a high environmental and social impact, often concentrated in and around extraction sites. Mining can require exclusive access to large areas and the influx of large workforces and may operate in regions where there is a higher risk of human rights abuses or effects on indigenous peoples’ rights. 

Read the Project Proposal for more information.

About this project

Mining has been approved by the Global Sustainability Standards Board to be the next sector for which a standard will be developed, as part of priority group one. Sectors are prioritized based on the seriousness and the likelihood of their impacts and consider the overall size of the sector, their distribution around the world, and the number of organizations that are in a position to use the GRI Standards.​

The Standard is being developed by a multi-stakeholder expert Working Group, appointed by the Global Sustainability Standards Board (GSSB). See here the biographies of the Working Group members.​

For more information about the responsibilities of the Working Group, see the Terms of Reference.​

It is proposed that the Sector Standard for Mining will apply to organizations whose primary focus lies on:​

• Exploration and extraction, including quarrying, and primary processing of all types of minerals, metallic and non-metallic, except for oil, gas, and coal. ​
• Support activities for mining, such as transport and storage.​
• Supply of specialized products and services to mining organizations, such as engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractors.

​Public comment period is now closed

The Mining Sector Standard exposure draft was made available for public comment between 7 February and 30 April 2023.​

The submissions to the public consultation can be found here.​

The GSSB is now reviewing comments as per the GSSB Due Process Protocol. The final Standard is expected to be approved in Q4 2023. ​

Other extractives Standards available:​

Launched in 2022, the Sector Standard for Coal - GRI 12: Coal Sector 2022 - encompasses reporting across a broad value chain, applying to all organizations involved in coal mining, exploration, processing, transport and storage.

Sector Standard for Oil and Gas - GRI 11: Oil and Gas 2021 - applies to any organization involved in oil and gas exploration, production, storage, transportation, or refining, including those that supply equipment and services to oil fields and offshore platforms.