European partnership for responsible minerals (EPRM)

The EPRM is a multi-stakeholder partnership with the objective to increase the proportion of responsibly produced minerals from conflict-affected and high-risk areas (CAHRAs) and to support socially responsible extraction of minerals that contributes to local development. 

The EPRM is an accompanying measure to the EU Conflict Minerals Regulation. Since the legislation alone is not enough to make a real change ‘on the ground’, the EPRM is supporting mine sites in CAHRAs. The aim of this support is to enable more mines, especially small scale artisanal mines (ASM), to comply with the standards required under the OECD Due Diligence Guidance, ultimately contributing to local development in producing countries through better social, environmental and economic conditions for mine workers and local mining communities. This in turn will enable companies to source minerals from the mines confident that they will be able to comply with relevant regulations such as the conditions of the EU Regulation. The EPRM focusses on tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold (3TG). 

EPRM’s ambitions are threefold: 

1.     Responsible production (ASM communities produce more responsibly and are better equipped to manage their access to local & international formal markets)

2.     Responsible sourcing (improved due diligence practices of mid-and downstream actors to source 3TG responsibly)

3.     Link production & sourcing (established exchange and linkages between actors along the supply chains of minerals stimulate the creation of responsible supply chains). 

The EPRM is managing several activities. Different projects are selected that support ASM mines and the Due Diligence Hub provides access to targeted information to improve companies' supply chain due diligence. With the EPRM Due Diligence Check companies get to know where they stand in implementing the OECD Due Diligence Guidance and receive concrete advice. 

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