Fair Trade Minerals Opportunities, Challenges and Finding a Way Forward for Sustainable ASM

1. Fair Trade MineralsOpportunities, Challenges and Finding a Way Forward for Sustainable ASM Workshop 9th September 2007 CASM’s 7th ACC, Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia

2. Fair Trade Session Objectives • To contribute to ARM's FT process. • To produce recommendations on how to tackle several of the challenges related to building sustainable ASM communities through FT certification. • To consider what CASM’s role should be in implementing these recommendations and in the FT movement generally.

3. Fair Trade Session Presentations • Pilot testing standard zero for FT gold in Latin America • Cristina Echavarría, ARM • ARM Pilot Project for FT gold in Bolivia • Daniel Lafuente, Cumbre del Sajama • The potential for FT gold in Papua New Guinea • Trevor Neale, WAU Ecology • From Mines to Markets – Developing Feasible Systems of FT for Gems and Gold • Sally DeLeon Dickinson, University of Vermont • Ethics and Integrity in the Contemporary Marketplace • Vivien Johnston, Fifi Bijoux

4. Fair Trade Session Questions • FT gold in Asia & Africa? • Where are possible pilot sites in Asia? • What are the specific opportunities and challenges? • What are the challenges and opportunities for expanding Fair Trade into other minerals? • jewellery relevant • non-jewellery relevant • How do we deal with overdemand without undermining the FT process? • What are the possible models for ramping up supply? e.g. • What role should CASM have in these efforts?

5. Fair Trade Session CASM & Fair Trade • 2005 – MDGs & ASM conference in Washington, D.C. • Fair Trade side event • 2005 – 5th ACC in Brazil • Fair Trade breakout group • 2006 –6th ACC in Madagascar • Fair Trade workshop • Financial support to those working on FT to attend • 2006 – formation of the CASM FT Working Group • Christopher Sheldon, Sally Dickinson DeLeon, Catalina Cock, Estelle Levin • 2007 –7th ACC in Mongolia • Fair Trade workshop • 2007 – principal host and funder of the Madison Dialogue summit in Washington, D.C. in October • Financial support to ARM, e.g. a DGF granted for the scoping studies in Africa

6. Fair Trade Session Discussions & Recommendations Where are the possible pilot sites for FT gold in Asia and Africa? COUNTRY POTENTIAL PARTNER • PAPUA NEW GUINEA WAU Ecology • MONGOLIA SAM project • THAILAND Consult World Gemstone Consulting Co. • ETHIOPIA Ministry of Mines • ZAMBIA Mayfair / Ministry of Mines • Suggestion to study Indian demand for jewellery and gold supply chain from Africa to India • EAL doing project on role of India and Indians in gold supply chains in and from East Africa, as part of project on the changing geography of development in India – East Africa relations, involving a consortium of universities and research institutions, led by the University of Cambridge

7. Fair Trade Session Discussions & Recommendations CASM’S Role? • Involve the regional CASMs in identifying potential sites in Africa & Asia • Support ARM in conducting scoping studies in Asia • Identify Asian and African countries that allow the private export of gold (i.e. not through a central bank).

8. Fair Trade Session Discussions & Recommendations What are the challenges & opportunities for expanding FT into other minerals? • Potential in two areas: • ‘feel good’ industrial minerals, e.g. ornamental stones, dimension stones, could be FT certified • construction materials and other industrial minerals could be certified in some other way? • evidence of demand for both, • construction materials in the UK, • dimension stones exported from India to Australia, • ‘ethical coltan’ for a socially responsible defense industry! • evidence of supply for both, e.g. Uganda (vermiculite), India (dimension stones)

9. Fair Trade Session Discussions & Recommendations What are the challenges & opportunities for expanding FT into other minerals? • Large number of artisanal miners involved • opportunity for poverty reduction • Minimal attention given to industrial minerals by CASM to date • Carbon footprint of transporting industrial minerals (compared to jewellery minerals) undermines the ethical credentials somewhat.

10. Fair Trade Session Discussions & Recommendations What are the challenges & opportunities for expanding FT into other minerals? • Thinking is already developed • Durban Process was developing system for certifying and tracing coltan, cassiterite from DRC • BGR is conducting research on certifying industrial minerals, including stanniferous metals (e.g. coltan), and has pilot projects working on these • find synergies and synchronise efforts to certify industrial minerals • different types of certification could complement each other • a.) origin (to prevent supporting ‘conflict’ minerals, etc.) • b.) social, environmental, labour standards

11. Fair Trade Session Discussions & Recommendations CASM’s Role? • Conduct desk research and eventually scoping studies to characterise the sector, incorporating gender and quality issues and identifying opportunities and challenges for different types of certification • partnership between FT working group and BGR to investigate potential for certifying industrial minerals as FT? • Commission research into the potential market for industrial minerals • Look at the LEED standards for Green Building, and start dialogue with Initiatives such as the US Green Building Policy, re. ethical sourcing • Identify interested parties • Assess interest and market potential • Assess potential obstacles and opportunities for FT building • Identify interior designers, architects, builders through building relations with relevant associations in developed countries  DESIGN STRATEGY FOR SOME TYPE OF ‘ETHICAL’ CERTIFICATION OF ASM INDUSTRIAL MINERALS