History

The RJC developed its ‘Mining Supplement’ through multi-stakeholder consultation with individuals and organisations interested in the responsible mining of diamonds and gold. More than 380 comments were received and processed during the public consultation periods between September 2008 and October 2009 and these have been published below. The Mining Supplement has now become part of the RJC’s system for certifying responsible business practices for the diamond and gold jewellery supply chain.

In December 2009, the Mining Supplement standards were incorporated into the RJC’s Code of Practices to cover additional mining specific issues. The 2008 Code of Practices already outlined standards for responsible ethical, social, human rights and environmental practices that are applicable to all RJC Members, who come from all parts of the jewellery supply chain.

Outline of the Mining Supplement consultation process

Following is the program of stakeholder consultation for the Mining Supplement (MS).

A general overview of the Mining Supplement standards development process can be found here.

Drafts to download

Round 1 public consultation – September to October 2008 (closed)

• Draft 1 of the Mining Supplement (August 2008).

The online survey is now closed. The RJC was delighted to receive 232 comments on the draft Mining Supplement standards via the survey and emails from a wide range of stakeholders. We are grateful for the valuable input from these contributors.

Round 2 public consultation – July to August 2009 (closed)

• Draft 2 Code of Practices including draft 2 Mining Supplement standards (July 2009).
• Draft 1 Standards Guidance including draft 1 Mining Supplement guidance (July 2009).
• Round 1 Comments Report, including RJC commentary on how submissions have been addressed in above Round 2 drafts (July 2009).

The round 2 public comment period is now closed. The RJC was pleased to receive 48 comments on the draft 2 Mining Supplement standards and guidance and these can be found in the round 2 comments report below. This input has been used to further improve the drafts and we thank contributors for their time and efforts.

Round 3 public consultation – September to October 2009 (closed)

• Draft 3 Code of Practices including draft 3 Mining Supplement standards (September 2009)
• Draft 2 Standards Guidance including draft 2 Mining Supplement guidance (September 2009)
• Draft 1 Assessment Workbook including questions for draft 3 Mining Supplement standards (September 2009)
• Round 2 Comments Report, including RJC commentary on how submissions have been addressed in above Round 3 drafts (September 2009)

The round 3 and final public comment period was for 30 days, opening on 17 September and closing on October 16, 2009. The RJC is grateful for the input received and has published a round 3 comments report.

• Round 3 Comments Report, including RJC commentary on how submissions have been addressed in the final drafts (November 2009)

The Mining Supplement materials have now been incorporated into the RJC Core System Documents.

In response to RJC Members and stakeholder inquiries, a comparative table has been prepared that compares the RJC Code of Practices with the No Dirty Gold campaign’s “Golden Rules” and the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance’s (IRMA) draft standards as at 16th February, 2010. The RJC intends to keep this table updated.

Consultative Panel

A Consultative Panel for the Mining Supplement was established in July 2009. External participants in the Consultative Panel were invited on the basis of input into the first round of public consultation for the Mining Supplement and/or their past engagement in dialogues about mining-related standards, verification and certification. The Consultative Panel worked closely with the RJC Standards Committee to further develop the draft standards and guidance, as the RJC worked towards finalisation of the Mining Supplement for December 2009.

The Panel included the participation of the following:

• Okyeame Ampadu-Agyei, Corporate Social Responsibility Adviser, Ghana
• Assheton Stewart Carter, Vice President Corporate Community Engagement, Pact
• Christine Charles, Board Member, Aboriginal Enterprise in Mining Energy and Exploration
• Cristina Echavarría, Executive Director, Alliance for Responsible Mining
• Julie Gelfand, Vice President Sustainable Development, Mining Association of Canada
• Dorothée Gizenga, Executive Director, Diamond Development Initiative International
• Felix Hruschka, Standards Co-ordinator, Alliance for Responsible Mining
• Kirsten Hund, Regional Advisor Extractive Industries, WWF Carpo
• Deanna Kemp, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining, University of Queensland
• Estelle Levin, Director, Resource Consulting Services
• Georgina Pearman, Post-Mining Alliance, Eden Project
• Gordon Peeling, Chief Executive Officer, Mining Association of Canada
• Andrew Rouse, Resource Conservation Manager, WWF Australia
• Ian Smillie, Chair, Diamond Development Initiative International

RJC Members:

• Rob Headley, Chief Operating Officer, Jewelers of America
  (Co-Chair RJC Standards Committee)
• Andrew Parsons, Environmental Policy Advisor, AngloGold Ashanti
  (RJC Standards Committee)
• Mick Roche, Global Manager Stewardship, BHP Billiton
  (Co-Chair RJC Standards Committee)

Support:

• Michael Rae, Chief Executive Officer, RJC
• Fiona Solomon, Standards Development Director, RJC

The RJC is very grateful for the time, expertise and valuable contributions of the Consultative Panel participants. However responsibility for errors, omissions and commissions in the documents remains with the RJC.

Other stakeholder meetings and correspondence

• October 2008: A meeting with US-based stakeholders and the RJC Executive Committee was held in Denver, Colorado. A summary of the meeting’s discussions can be found here.
• December 2008: A meeting with Europe-based stakeholders was held in London, UK. A summary of the meeting’s discussions can be found here.
• December 2008: NGO letter to RJC Chairman, Dr Matt Runci.
• February 2009: Reply by RJC Chairman, Dr Matt Runci, to NGO letter.
• July 2009: Invitation to participate in RJC Consultative Panel (also sent to Earthworks, CAFOD, Great Basin Resource Watch, Oxfam Australia as contributors to first round of public comment on draft Mining Supplement).
• August 2009: Letter to RJC from Earthworks, CAFOD, Great Basin Resource Watch and Oxfam Australia in reply to invitation to participate in Consultative Panel.
• September 2009: RJC letter to Earthworks, CAFOD, Center for Science in Public Participation, Great Basin Resource Watch, and Oxfam Australia
• September 2009: The RJC System: Credible performance standards backed by independent third-party certification

Areas for further work

Several issues raised during the comment processes of 2008-2009 have been dealt with to the extent possible in the 2009 version of the Code of Practices. Ongoing research, engagement and dialogue about best practice and future standards would be useful. These issues are:

• Mercury: To further the development of global standards on mercury management, the RJC has committed its support to the UNEP Global Mercury Partnership.
• Mining in Conflict Zones: Exploring these issues in more detail via case studies and toolkits, and in future, additional standards. The RJC has joined the OECD-hosted working group for responsible supply chain management of minerals from conflict-affected and high-risk areas.
• Free, prior and informed consent and Indigenous Peoples: Exploring the issues in more detail in discussion papers, workshops, case studies and the potential for future standards.

RJC would welcome ongoing involvement from stakeholders in this process.
Please contact consultation@responsiblejewellery.com

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