(IRMA: Washington, D.C.) -- On April 5, 2016, the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) has released the second and revised draft of the “Standard for Responsible Mining” for a 60-day review and public comment period ahead of the first-ever global certification program for industrial-scale mine sites, planned to begin in late 2016.

This second draft of the Standard for Responsible Mining reflects the input from more than 1,400 points of comment contributed by more than 70 organizations and individuals worldwide, including industry and technical experts. Additionally, in October 2015 and March 2016, IRMA conducted two field tests of the Standard for Responsible Mining to ground-truth the draft standard through simulated mine audits in the United States and in Zimbabwe. Auditors hired by IRMA reviewed company documentation, made first-hand observations at the mine site, and conducted interviews with company representatives and other stakeholders to verify the requirements in the standard are clear, practicable, and measurable.

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