
Complementarities between the EITI and the Consolidated Mining Standard Initiative (CMSI)
A look at how the EITI Standard and the Consolidated Mining Standard Initiative (CMSI) align and complement each other to advance responsible mining.
Over the past 18 months, I had the privilege of serving on an advisory group convened by ICMM, the Mining Association of Canada, the World Gold Council and the Copper Mark. The goal was to consolidate their four voluntary responsible mining standards into one global standard: the Consolidated Mining Standard Initiative (CMSI).
After several rounds of stakeholder input and industry review, the draft CMSI is now open for public consultation. I encourage all stakeholders, especially citizens and governments in resource-rich countries, to provide feedback. This is a key moment to shape a standard that could become widely adopted at the facility level for responsible mining, and which presents a valuable opportunity to enhance responsible mining practices.
Complementarities between national and facility-level standards
The EITI Standard is the global benchmark for transparency and good governance in the extractive industries. Adopted by 55 member countries, it focuses on ensuring transparency and accountability in managing natural resources, requiring all companies operating in a given jurisdiction to meet specific reporting and disclosure standards. It also includes expectations for more than 60 supporting companies, including all ICMM member companies.
In contrast, the CMSI operates at a facility level, focusing on transparency and sustainability within individual mines. It adds an extra layer of accountability through detailed project-level reporting, covering areas such as labour practices, tailings management, pollution prevention and mine closure. The CSMI is built on four pillars: ethical business practices, worker and social safeguards, social performance and environmental stewardship.
Alignment between the EITI and CMSI
The EITI and CMSI are complementary, not duplicative. The CMSI sets progressively stringent performance levels—foundational, good and leading practice —encouraging companies to improve their performance continuously.
For example, “Performance Area 1: Corporate Requirements” explicitly references the EITI Standard:
- Foundational practice: Companies must publicly support the responsible management of mineral revenues in line with the EITI Principles and disclose material payments to governments.
- Good practice: Companies must disclose new mineral development contracts with governments, where such disclosure is not legally prohibited. In EITI implementing countries, companies must disclose material payments to governments annually by project, and other relevant information as agreed in national EITI processes. In non-EITI countries, companies must disclose material payments per national regulation, or in line with the EITI where such regulations do not exist.
- Leading practice: Companies are expected to adhere to the Expectations for EITI supporting companies, disclose mineral development contracts, and report payments to governments in independent sustainability or financial disclosures.
Overview of the two standards
EITI Standard | Consolidated Mining Standard | |
---|---|---|
Sectors covered | Oil, gas and mining; some countries also include forestry and renewables. | Mining and metals |
Objective/ mission | Promote transparency and accountability in the management of natural resources, ensuring contribute to sustainable development at the national level. | Streamline corporate reporting on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues, focusing on responsible production, transparency and sustainability at the project and facility levels. |
Implemented by | Governments, companies and civil society in EITI implementing countries through a multi-stakeholder group (MSG). | Mining companies and their stakeholders and supply chain partners. |
Scope | Covers the entire upstream value chain: - Legal and institutional frameworks - Contracts and licenses - Exploration and production - Revenue collection - Revenue management and distribution - Social and economic spending Also include Expectations for EITI supporting companies, which outline nine areas for corporate accountability. | Covers four pillars: - Ethical business practices - Worker and social safeguards - Social performance - Environmental stewardship |
Quality assurance | Validated by the EITI International Secretariat and international multi-stakeholder Board. | Assessed by accredited third party assessors, procured by the company and supervised by a diverse, independent Board with equal participation of companies and individuals from stakeholder and rights holders’ groups across the mining industry and wider value chain. |
Synergies between the EITI and CMSI
The EITI and CSMI share strong synergies in promoting transparency, accountability and good governance. The CMSI delves deeper into operational best practices, which may not be easily captured by national frameworks but are crucial for responsible mining. Key synergies include:
- Promoting equal standards: EITI multi-stakeholder groups (MSGs) could mandate the adoption of the CMSI for all mining companies in production, ensuring consistent facility-level standards and a level playing field across a jurisdiction. This can be done gradually to allow small companies to adapt and comply with CMSI. Where appropriate, EITI MSGs could play the role of National Panels in line with the proposed CMSI governance model. EITI MSGs could also monitor CMSI implementation within project-by-project and subnational reporting frameworks. This oversight could provide additional quality assurance while reducing reporting burdens through streamlined compliance with national laws and international standards.
- Project-level reporting: The CMSI strengthens project-level reporting by offering detailed, facility-level data, complementing the broader national framework of the EITI. From licensing to mine closure, it provides more granular transparency, reinforcing the EITI’s oversight of governance practices in the sector.
- Outreach: The CMSI’s transparency commitments at the project level open new opportunities for collaboration with the EITI, particularly in countries where CMSI is adopted. It can also support the EITI’s mission to expand transparency efforts in countries not yet implementing the EITI Standard.
With a growing number of standard and regulations in the mining sector, the need for a consolidated facility-level mining standard is clear. The CMSI harmonises these frameworks to drive better governance and encourage companies to uphold responsible practices globally. I urge stakeholders from resource-rich countries to carefully review the CMSI, provide feedback, and help ensure its effective implementation worldwide.
Bady participated in the CMSI Advisory Group in his personal capacity. Statements made in this blog do not represent the official position of the EITI.
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