World Gold Council Responsible Gold Mining Principles

The World Gold Council has set out Principles that address key environmental, social and governance issues for the gold mining sector. These Principles are increasingly becoming a credible and widely recognised framework through which gold mining companies can provide confidence that their gold has been produced responsibly.

Companies implementing the Responsible Gold Mining Principles will be required to obtain external assurance from a third party, independent assurance provider. This will provide further confidence to purchasers of gold that the gold they buy is responsibly mined and sourced.

To support a consistent approach to assurance, the World Gold Council has developed an Assurance Framework. Assurance will take place at both a site and corporate level and assess both processes and performance. Implementing companies will be required to publicly disclose their conformance with the Responsible Gold Mining Principles and the external assurance on this disclosure.