Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM)
Empowering responsible artisanal and small-scale miners
The Trafigura Foundation supports work to make the artisanal and small-scale mining sector socially and environmentally responsible while improving the quality of life for miners, their families and their communities around the world.
The challenge
About 300 million people in more than 70 countries depend directly or indirectly on artisanal and small-scale mining to provide for themselves and their families. But the estimated 40 million people working in the sector face numerous challenges including health and safety risks, environmental degradation, social exclusion and poverty. Their informal status leaves them without the support and resources they need to improve their situation and adopt the improved practices that can transform their industry into a responsible contributor to sustainable development.
The solution
The Alliance for Responsible Mining supports artisanal and small-scale miners and their communities with technical assistance and help to adopt best practices, and develops and implements standards and certification systems to transform the sector into a responsible and sustainable industry.
The alliance also promotes responsible supply chains and sourcing practices in various industries, good governance of small-scale and artisanal mining, and its inclusion in global debates – areas of growing importance as the sector responds to the mineral needs of the energy transition and the climate and biodiversity crises.
Partnership impact
Trafigura Foundation’s grant (2023-2025) is supporting the institutional development of the Alliance for Responsible Mining so that it can harness emerging trends in the sector and amplify its positive impact on communities, all while working closely with a wide variety of stakeholders in minerals supply chains. Support from the Foundation flows, for example, into areas including communications and outreach, the revision and updating of standards, and expanded online training.
Our partner supports:
- More than 250 mining organisations in Latin America, Asia and Africa
- About 44,000 direct and indirect beneficiaries
