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European Partnership for Responsible Minerals - EPRM

Last checked on:
11 April 2024
Published on:
24 May 2017

The European Partnership for Responsible Minerals (EPRM) is a multi-stakeholder partnership. EPRM was established to create better social and economic conditions for mine workers and local mining communities. It does this by increasing the number of mines that adopt responsible mining practices in Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas (CAHRAs).

Application period

Start date:
Friday 1 September 2023
12:00 (CEST)
End date:
Thursday 30 November 2023
14:00 (CET)

Background information

EPRM is a multi-stakeholder partnership. Its goal is to increase responsibly produced minerals from conflict-affected and high-risk areas (CAHRAs). EPRM also aims to support the socially responsible mineral extraction, contributing to local development.

Why EPRM?

EPRM helps with the EU Conflict Minerals Regulation, because more than the regulation alone is needed to make a significant change. EPRM supports mine sites in CAHRAs. This support aims to enable more mines to meet the standards required by OECD Due Diligence Guidance standards. This will then allow companies to source minerals from the mines while also meeting relevant regulations. In 2023, EPRM focuses on tin, tantalum, tungsten, lithium, natural graphite, cobalt, copper and nickel.

Actions

To reach its goals, EPRM focuses on 3 actions:

1. Supporting mine sites - Responsible production
Partners support artisanal and small-scale mines (ASMs) to produce more responsibly. This gives the miners access to formal markets at local and international levels.

2. Supporting companies - Responsible sourcing
Partners support mid- and downstream actors in responsibly improving their due diligence practices to source tin, tantalum, tungsten, lithium, natural graphite, cobalt, copper, and nickel. Partners support miners via capacity building and cross-sectoral learning, for example.

3. Linking production and sourcing
Partners create improved links between supply chain actors. This encourages trade from ASMs in CAHRAs.

On our Development Cooperation Projects database, you can find an overview of projects that we carry out in the field of development cooperation. You can filter by location, sector and programme, among others.

RBC guidelines for EPRM membership and projects

The Dutch government and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency believe it is essential for Dutch companies to serve as an example of Responsible Business Conduct (RBC). Please read our RBC guidelines for EPRM membership and projects.

Risks and opportunities

If you receive our financial support to do business abroad, you must do so responsibly. Our RBC policy gives guidelines for you to follow on Responsible Business Conduct. We look at RBC risks and opportunities:

  • Risks are social and environmental risks. The guidelines advise you on how to prevent and/or minimise them.
  • Opportunities contribute to one or more Sustainable Development Goals via your activities.

Guidelines for membership and funding

RBC and your application for EPRM membership and funding

RBC features as follows:

EPRM in practice

Improving mining conditions in Uganda

Incident reporting system offers transparency in Congolese goldmines

Find out more

Would you like to learn more about the projects EPRM funds in mine sites? Visit the EPRM project pages or browse through the Due Diligence Hub for tailored information on how to carry out due diligence in your company.

Do you want to learn about recent EPRM developments? Visit the news section on the EPRM website.

Questions about EPRM?

The Netherlands Enterprise Agency serves as the secretariat for EPRM. For more information:

Commissioned by:
  • European Union (co-funded by)
  • Ministry of Foreign Affairs
In association with:
  • European Partnership for Responsible Minerals - EPRM
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