Platinum group metals (PGM) miner Anglo American Platinum’s (Amplats’) Mogalakwena mine complex, in Limpopo, has achieved an Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) 50 measurement.

Independent audit firm ERM-CVS assessed Mogalakwena at IRMA 50 when measuring its performance against the IRMA Standard for Responsible Mining’s best practice social and environmental criteria.

IRMA 50 means that ERM-CVS verified that the operations at least substantially met all 40 critical requirements of the IRMA Standard, as well as at least 50% of the standard’s criteria in each of the four principal areas: social responsibility, environmental responsibility, business integrity and planning for positive legacies.

“This report demonstrates that mines can point to transparent, independent evaluations of their environmental and social performance. Through detailed IRMA audit reports, mining companies, communities and companies that buy mined materials can gain the information they need, to decide what’s going well — and what may require more attention — at specific mines,” says IRMA executive director Aimee Boulanger.

The IRMA standard is recognised and adopted around the world, and these audits are said to be steps in a deepening dialogue between mining companies and those affected by their operations.

However, as the process is still evolving, the results should be reviewed and interpreted accordingly, the IRMA states.

“An increasing number of community members and workers are engaging in IRMA audits and they’re using the audit reports to communicate directly with the mining company about their priorities for improvement.

“If readers find results inconsistent with their experience, we encourage them to share their perspectives with IRMA and the company so that we can improve the audit review process and support continuing improvement at the site – as community members and non-governmental organisation have already done in this case,” Boulanger avers.

“We are always looking to improve not only mining practices, but also IRMA's system. IRMA's improvements, and being transparent about how we need to improve, is built into our system and a measure of its success,” she adds.

“This milestone at Mogalakwena is significant in our overall adoption of IRMA. It enables us to promote transparency and best practice in sustainability, while adding value to our global customers by helping them meet the increasing expectations for responsibly mined materials in an efficient and credible way.

“With IRMA 50, we have accomplished our sustainable mining plan target of having all our mining operations assured against a recognised responsible mining standard by 2025,” says Amplats CEO Craig Miller.

Including Mogalakwena, 23 industrial-scale mines worldwide are within the IRMA independent assessment system.

Amplats’ Mototolo and Amandelbult operations, in South Africa, achieved IRMA 75 and IRMA 50 measurements, respectively, in February 2024, while the Unki PGM mine, in Zimbabwe, has achieved an IRMA 75 measurement.

Amplats is being demerged from the Anglo American group.

After an initial self-assessment, a participating mine engages a third-party audit firm – trained and approved by IRMA – to conduct a detailed independent evaluation, including on-site visits to the mine and nearby communities.

Following the release of the initial audit, a shorter surveillance audit checks on the mine’s performance.

Three years after the initial audit, the operation is fully audited again.