Mining & Metals

We support businesses across the mining and metals value chain to assess risks, understand impacts, and evaluate the maturity of their responsible sourcing practices. Our approach combines proprietary data analytics with systematic verification methodologies, delivering thorough yet pragmatic due diligence tailored to your business needs and stakeholder requirements. We:

• Support mining and metals companies to assess risks, impacts, and the maturity of responsible business practices
• Deliver pragmatic, ESG-focused due diligence informed by extensive on-the-ground experience across the supply chain
• Provide clear, tailored reporting aligned with business and stakeholder needs
• Help downstream buyers identify and mitigate human rights, social, and environmental risks linked to suppliers
• Conduct supplier due diligence for smelters and refiners against industry standards and responsible sourcing frameworks
• Support investors and financiers in assessing ESG and human rights risks in transactions and M&A
• Enable mining companies to understand and manage ESG risks arising from procurement activities

We are regularly asked to produce insight reports and data-driven research and analysis for a wide range of clients.

Our responsible sourcing specialists and data analysts draw on our proprietary supply chain data platform and conflict-affected and high-risk area index to help teams with:

• Informed decision-making on complex topics using our in-depth data platform
• Legislation gap analysis to support internal audit programmes
• Developing bespoke supplier reports for your teams to understand potential risks and opportunities

• Benchmarking and Maturity Assessment - We benchmark management systems and operating practices against compliance frameworks and responsible mining standards. Our deep data insights platform can help assess current performance and identify priority improvements.
• Management System Design and Implementation - We design and implement management systems for responsible business conduct and supply chain due diligence. This covers policies, procedures, and risk assessment processes. We also build supplier onboarding protocols and reporting to meet regulatory requirements like the German Supply Chain Act and CSDDD.
• Audit Preparation and Corrective Action Support - We prepare mining companies, smelters, and refiners for audits against industry standards and assurance frameworks. Our support includes gap assessments, documentation development, staff training, and implementing corrective actions from previous audits.

We deliver independent due diligence assessments of mining operations, processors, traders, smelters, and refiners against OECD requirements and industry standards. Our assessments include:

• Red flag evaluation against OECD Annex II serious abuses
• Sub-national CAHRA classification using our proprietary conflict-affected and high-risk area index, revealing province-level and district-level risk variation that national classifications miss
• Supply chain traceability verification and documentation review
• Stakeholder impact assessments
• Clear gap analysis and corrective action recommendations

We also support:

• Critical mineral strategy development and bespoke reports
• Salient ESG issue development specific to critical minerals
• Comprehensive human rights and environmental risk profiling
• Historical legacy issues and reputational exposure
• Community relations vulnerabilities and social license concerns
• Labour rights conditions and workforce management practices
• Risk integration into valuation models and deal structuring

Crafting and implementing a robust human rights strategy is complex, encompassing sustainable development, community involvement, and mitigation of negative impacts. It must also consider environmental impacts, such as food security and access to water.

A Human Rights Impact Assessment (HRIA) can help a company assess and address the legal requirements relating to its existing or potential human rights impacts and meet its responsibility to address all human rights.

We can help you determine if the specific human rights issues that affect your company are covered by other impact assessments or due diligence processes, and whether they require a separate HRIA, ensuring compliance with sustainable business regulations.

Our auditors are accredited to the highest standards including ISO 14001, 45001, APSCA CSCA and have conducted thousands of audits globally.

We can:

• Train your team in the environmental, social and governance issues present in international supply chains, and how to identify and mitigate risk
• Help your team to implement any improvement actions needed to close the gaps identified during audits and assessments
• Provide the tools to improve operations in line with international and recognised standards and regulations, developing long-term internal capacity