RMI Grievance Mechanism

The RMI welcomes submissions of grievances as part of its commitment to engage with stakeholders, identify risks or human rights impacts, and continuously improve its systems and processes. Please review the RMI Grievance Mechanism Policy (please click here for the webpage version which can be translated using the globe icon above) for detailed information on the RMI's intake process, which outlines a process by which members, stakeholders and the public can utilize to raise concerns. Please see the section below to submit a grievance to RMI.

In addition to grievances from affected party(ies), the RMI also reviews allegations concerning the RMI’s operations and the Responsible Minerals Assessment Process (RMAP).

Information on Scope

The RMI’s Responsible Minerals Assurance Process (RMAP) looks at refiners’/smelters’ management systems, policies, and processes to source responsibly in accordance with the OECD guidelines and RMI standards. It is not a material validation assessment, nor does it cover risk issues outside of the scope of our published standards. To understand more about the scope of the RMI’s different standards and assessments, please see the RMI Standards webpage.

The RMI’s conformant list reflects smelters and refiners who have been determined by an independent, third-party, RMI-approved assessor to be conformant to one of the RMI’s minerals standards covering OECD Annex II risks. Smelters and refiners may elect to also undergo an assessment based on the RMI Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) standard, covering a broader range of risks at the facility level and resulting in a separate report and score. Presence on the conformant list alone does not indicate any performance assessment beyond the OECD Annex II risk scope.

The RMI collaborates with the LBMA and RJC on review of grievances and allegations and engagement of refiners on resolution of grievances, linked to cross-recognized refiners, as part of the cross-recognition policy available here.

Contacting the RMI

For RMI assessment process related appeals, please review this document (available in English and Chinese). The objective of this document is to provide a transparent procedure for receiving, evaluating, and deciding on appeals of decisions, including appeals related to conformance determinations and disagreements between assessors, facilities, and the RMI quality control process.

For general questions and inquiries to RMI, including questions about CMRT and Smelter list please visit our Contact page or email RMI@ResponsibleBusiness.org.

To submit a grievance, please use the intake form below. For anonymous submissions, please do not provide your contact information (only fill out Comments section).

Category of grievance:

  • Human rights grievance
  • Environmental grievance
  • Corruption/management systems/ethics grievance
  • Other

Company Classification:

  • Participating auditee in the RMI program (as seen on the active and/or conformant list)
  • Auditor or audit firm that conducted assessment
  • "Cross-recognized auditee" (as seen on the active and/or conformant list)
  • The Responsible Minerals Initiative organization (including operations, standards, tools, etc.)
  1. All submitters that use the “Guest” option are anonymous by default.
  2. To receive a response from the RMI, you must create an account by clicking Login/Register and following instructions. Your account allows the system to send you response alerts even if you submit anonymously; log in and use the Anonymous option at the end of the form.
  3. Both Guest and Login/Register submitters can toggle the slider for “callback” if a callback is preferred.
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To Learn More

The RMI encourages stakeholders to learn more about the standards of the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI). The RMI provides a free online eLearning Academy featuring course modules on minerals sourcing due diligence, minerals-specific risks in the supply chain, regulatory requirements, OECD Guidance and international best practices on responsible mineral sourcing, it also includes tutorials on the RMI tools and resources, as well as courses on the RMI's assessment programs. Smelter and supplier-specific courses are also available. For more information, please see our webpage, including our FAQ, available in English and Chinese. For a full list of courses in the eLearning Academy, there is a Course Guide available. To request eLearning login credentials, please send an e-mail to helpdesk@responsiblebusiness.org.