Resources

This report provides guidance for planetGOLD artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) entities to conform with the planetGOLD Criteria for Environmentally and Socially Responsible Operations, specifically one criterion that requires ASGM entities to consult with and seek free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) from any Indigenous or tribal community whose rights or lands may be impacted.

This document provides an overview of the interventions that have been carried out across the planetGOLD programme as of June 2023 to advance responsible mining and eliminate mercury from the ASGM gold supply chain, through technology transfer, technical support, training, and sharing knowledge on best practices in mercury-free gold processing.

This report documenting planetGOLD’s progress from July 2021 through June 2022 shows how project teams in planetGOLD made key advances toward helping miners go mercury-free, by improving miners’ awareness of the dangers of mercury use, educating and demonstrating to them viable technical alternatives, and progressing in creating an enabling regulatory and financial environment that supports miners to undertake this transition. 

When artisanal and small-scale miners produce gold observing relevant environmental, social and governance standards, practical barriers to accessing international markets typically still remain. This report aims to inform the funders, leaders, and managers of existing and planned ASGM Market Access Initiatives, to highlight the impediments such initiatives face in establishing a flow of formal responsible ASM gold into international markets.

Despite producing an estimated 20% of the world’s annual supply of newly mined gold, the ASGM sector has traditionally had challenges connecting with the formal world gold market. While numerous formal buyers - from refiners to jewelers to premium-offering gold buying schemes - are all eager for gold produced by artisanal and small-scale gold miners, meeting rigorous standards for due diligence standards and responsible sourcing poses a challenge. This study examines the role that can be played by supply chain technologies in facilitating conformity with the planetGOLD Criteria by looking at specific types of supply chain solutions, including due diligence, traceability and block-chain solutions, and analyzing their capacity for establishing and strengthening market links between planetGOLD producers and formal gold market buyers.

The gap in applicable guidance for cyanide management in the artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) sector requires urgent attention, especially considering cyanide’s accessibility and effectiveness at gold extraction, and in light of the trend in uptake of cyanidation in the small-scale gold mining sector worldwide. The purpose of this document is to address this gap by providing written guidance for ASGM stakeholders on managing the risks of cyanidation where national legal and regulatory frameworks permit its use, in the context of the ASGM sector’s transition from mercury use.

The planetGOLD programme sets out specific criteria to govern the operations of artisanal and small-scale gold mining entities engaged with the programme. The planetGOLD Criteria align with the CRAFT Code, and include three criteria that are specific to the planetGOLD programme: eliminating mercury in the mining process, respecting and protecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples, and minimizing impact on biodiversity. Conformance with this criteria will ensure that artisanal and small-scale miners participating in the planetGOLD programme undertake sufficient efforts to avoid, minimize, mitigate, and where appropriate, offset adverse impacts to people and the environment.

This issue brief reviews past experiences with delivering financial and allied services to the artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) sector and examines existing barriers to attracting formal finance and investment in the sector. It concludes with recommended interventions for governments, donors and other allies to help improve ASGM’s access to formal finance in the future.