Fairmined is a standard that certifies mines to become socially and environmentally responsible. Becoming Fairmined certified is not an overnight process, it's rather a rigorous process that gets audited every year because mines get a complete flip with Fairmined's guidance, and the certification is about continued growth and improvements.
Growth and improvements are all made possible with the Fairmined Premium. We pay a bit more for Fairmined gold because it's this economic stimulus that allows the mines to adopt better practices altogether. Improvements for their facilities, gold extraction, solid waste management, and social change.
What I really admire about the certification is the autonomy that Fairmined allows the mines to have with the stimulus earned. Through a series of trainings and environment remediation programs that take place every year, Fairmined guides them through ways in which they can allocate their earned stimulus, and with full autonomy they allocate at their discretion. One of the requirements, however, is that they must become mercury free within 2 years of becoming certified, so purchasing a gravimetric table to replace the mercury use, needs to be in their plans. Meanwhile, Fairmined guides them towards safety disposal.
I truly admire the effort and commitment these mines have put into becoming certified, because changing the way one operates is always a process that requires, time, money, and effort, all the while continuing to produce, and the mines we visited are and feel enthusiastic, accomplished and with a lot of motivation to keep doing things the right way to create long-lasting change and reverse the environmental course of mining. They are people with families that also want to see a better future for their kinds.
Mine Facilities and Processes
Facilities improvements include adding solar panels, building kitchens, showers, and dining rooms. It also includes a medical center, and training programs for the miners to keep incentivizing them. Processes improvements include better solid waste management, and phasing out the use of mercury in the gold extraction process by replacing it with a gravimetric table.
Environmental improvements
Some of these mines are operating on land previously exploited by illegal mining, and they are using this opportunity to clean up the land and rehabilitate it, so life begins to grow again. This means adapting fertilized pasture, planting crops, raising cattle, and planting trees. One of the mines has even started their own trout pond and is also raising alpacas. Water circularity has also been a major shift here, because water is one of the main resources used to break down the gravel during the process of alluvial mining, and all these mines operate on water circularity systems and the only water waste occurs through evaporation.
Social Impact
Organizations leading with respect towards its workers and the environment create good relationships with its community, and other miner communities get influenced to formalize their work as well. It plants a seed to become certified, and it creates a chain of positive impact. Certified mines also maintain healthier, more motivated individuals and this improves their quality of life, creating healthier and safer communities in the long run.
