Assessing social and environmental risks in mineral extraction and processing, and industry’s ability to appropriately manage such risks, remains a challenge for downstream companies due to the size and complexity of international supply chains. In addition to the difficulty of reaching suppliers beyond the first-tier supply chain levels, companies are confronted with a highly fragmented landscape of standards, initiatives and certifications related to responsible mining and minerals processing. Existing standards may focus on different issues and define varying performance and implementation requirements. Furthermore, standards cover different raw materials as well as types of mining operations.
To help companies address these challenges, the RMI offers the Risk Readiness Assessment to promote a common understanding of good practices and a means to consistently assess risks in mineral supply chains.
The RRA is available in five languages: English, Mandarin, Indonesian, Japanese, and Korean.
The RRA covers the following metals and minerals: Aluminum, Alumina, Bauxite, Cobalt, Copper, Gold, Graphite, Iron Ore, Lead, Lithium, Mica, Molybdenum, Nickel, Palladium, Platinum, Rare Earth Elements, Silver, Steel, Tantalum, Tin, Tungsten, and Zinc.
What We Do
The Risk Readiness Assessment (RRA) is a self-assessment and self-reporting tool for minerals and metals producers and processors to communicate their environmental, social and governance practices and performance. Its main objective is to promote a common understanding of good practices and a means to consistently assess risks and actions to manage risks in the mineral supply chain.
The RRA is comprised of a set of 32 environmental, social and governance (ESG) ‘issue areas’ associated with sourcing minerals and metals. For each issue area, the RRA specifies a management practice. These management practices are known as the ‘industry norm’ and are derived from the requirements of voluntary sustainability standards that are commonly used in the minerals and metals supply chains and are representative of good management practices. At the core of the RRA is the concept of simplicity, defined as the need to maintain a limited number of industry norms covering the core ESG issue areas.
The Risk Readiness Assessment (RRA) is a pre-requisite for the RMI's Responsible Mineral Assurance Process (RMAP) participating auditees, with a 2 year validity period; it is a voluntary tool for all other companies who are interested in undergoing a self-assessment.
To access the RRA on the RBA-Online Platform, click here.
To learn more about the RRA methodology, industry norms and trends of its usage and results, please view:
- RRA Methodology
- 2019 RRA Issue Areas and Industry Norms
- RMI's Risk Readiness Assessment Voluntary Standard System (VSS) Equivalency Benchmark Results
- Access our first Trends Paper on the RRA usage and results from the first year of implementation.
Note: The report is best viewed online using Google Chrome or Internet Explorer. Alternatively, you may download the report by right-clicking on the link and selecting "Save Link As..." or "Save Target As...".
The RRA is regularly reviewed to ensure the voluntary sustainability standards, issue areas and norms used for the Standards Comparison are up to date and representative of the current landscape in the mineral supply chains. For details, consult the RRA Review Process.
The Copper Mark and RMI are pleased to publish the joint Criteria Guide to accompany the RMI’s Risk Readiness Assessment. The Criteria Guide offers explanations to help companies implement and assess performance with the 32 industry norms of the Risk Readiness Assessment across environmental, social and governance issue areas. It allows users of the Risk Readiness Assessment online platform to obtain further guidance and details the expectations for copper producers that participate in the Copper Mark assurance framework. By issuing the joint Criteria Guide, the Copper Mark and the RMI aim to ensure that the Risk Readiness Assessment industry norms are consistently interpreted, implemented and assessed across the minerals and metals covered by both organizations.
What You Can Do
The RRA is currently available to RBA and RMI members as well as upstream companies (smelters, refiners, and mining). Benefits for companies using the tool include:
For downstream companies:
- Compare the sustainability practices, standards and third-party assurance schemes used by businesses in your supply chain relatively and against the normative benchmark.
- Identify what materials and geographies are applicable to the various standards.
- Engage suppliers beyond the first supply chain tier levels, raise awareness of and encourage the adoption of progressive risk management practices.
For minerals and metals producers and processors:
- Communicate risk management practices and performance to downstream customers.
- Compare risk management practices and performance against a benchmark based on existing best-in-class standards.
For industry:
- Facilitate better understanding of sustainability practices among businesses at different points in the supply chain and encourage dialogue to achieve greater sustainability impacts.
- Encourage harmonization, equivalencies and cross-recognition of standards between voluntary initiatives, leveraging comparative strengths and avoiding “audit fatigue” where possible.
- Identify the best-in-class practices among businesses in the mining, minerals and metals supply chain and thereby inspire a "race to the top" for sustainable business performance.
For more information, please contact us.
