PARIS, France, and ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 16, 2021 – The Responsible Mica Initiative and the Responsible Minerals Initiative of the Responsible Business Alliance have announced the release of the Global Workplace Standard for Mica Processors for mica processing units.
The Global Workplace Standard for Mica Processors aims to become a reference document applicable to mica processing units in all countries. It is based on the initial Workplace Standards developed by RMI and on the Minerals Due Diligence Standard developed by the Responsible Minerals Initiative based on its experience with other extractive industries.
With the support of Elevate, an international auditing firm, RMI reviewed the provisions of the Global Workplace Standard for Mica Processors by comparing it to SA8000 and SMETA, each an internationally recognized workplace standards protocol.
A global coverage toward the improvement of working conditions in mica processing units
The Global Workplace Standard for Mica Processors covers several components:
- Environmental criteria cover the impact from operations on the surrounding environment and biodiversity as well as on communities adjacent to the processors.
- Occupational health and safety provisions address facility hygiene, safe operation of equipment, personal protection requirements and access to first aid, child daycare and canteens.
- Social obligations cover a wide range of fair labor practices such as age of employment, fair working hours, minimum wages and overtime, grievance mechanisms, freedom of association and diversity provisions, with attention to women’s rights and under-represented communities.
- Governance requirements ensure that businesses are duly registered, adhere to laws and regulations, and pay taxes.
- Supply chain due diligence criteria include the OECD’s Due Diligence Guidance on supply chains such as operating procedures and practices of a processor’s raw material procurement.
Further synergies with the Responsible Minerals Initiative
The on-going collaboration between the Responsible Mica Initiative and the Responsible Minerals Initiative will create further synergies that will enable them and their members to benefit from each other’s experience and strengths while working toward a consistent framework to conduct due diligence, secure mica supply chains and promote understanding of mica use and applications in various industries.
The Global Workplace Standard for Mica Processors can be found here.
The associated press release can be found here.
