Stella McCartney is synonymous with fashion, but what most (including Stella herself) probably don’t know is that she played a role in helping bring responsible sourcing of minerals to the fore, and inspiring the emergence of ‘mining-as-a-service’.
A former model, Brooke Bibeault started to question from a very young age where products came from, paying attention to things like modern-day slavery and labour trafficking.
Bibeault tells Mining.com.au this curiosity arose from a photoshoot she was part of in Brooklyn in New York City for several different designers, including British-born Stella McCartney – daughter of Beatle Paul McCartney.
“There was this one shoot that I remember so clearly. I walked into this swanky studio in Brooklyn for a fitting and some polaroids and was met by a few other models,” she explains.
“We were being fit for an editorial shoot and there were several different outfits and designers that we were shooting. One of them was Stella McCartney.
“While we were being fitted in various pieces that were synonymous with style and innovation, the stylist on set was educating us around the story behind Stella McCartney.
“‘Eco Fashion’ and ‘Sustainability’ – two words that I never realised would impact so much of my life ahead. She had a brand ethos that wasn’t just paving the way for the future of fashion, but paving the way for my future.
“I didn’t become an activist overnight or have some immediate epiphany. But I became aware.”
Bibeault says that awareness from a young age – and during a time it wasn’t a common conversation that was had with the youth – is what made such an impact in the trajectory of her life.
“I was intrigued by people or organisations that stood for the betterment of the world. I made it my mission to give a platform to those who were underserved,” she adds.
Bibeault’s move into responsible and sustainable mining began five years ago, alongside Ricus Grimbeek – a former mining executive with a 30-year career working for some of the world’s largest miners including BHP (ASX:BHP), South32 (ASX:S32) and Vale (NYSE:VALE).
During his mining career, Grimbeek worked across multiple commodities and in different regions, including high conflict areas.
“So, as you might imagine, he would often see artisanal and small-scale miners. However, as with most large-scale corporations, it was a segment of the sector that you just didn’t get involved in due to its complexities,” Bibeault explains.
“Ricus started spending a lot more time on the ground and in the communities, and recognised the significant contribution that artisanal and small-scale miners could play in the future of mining. He also started to understand how to address the complexities, and together we identified a pathway for doing so.”
This culminated in the creation of Makor Resources, of which Grimbeek is the founder and Bibeault is the CEO.
Mining-as-a-service
Makor is a mining-as-a-service platform that provides end-to-end solutions to empower local operators to ethically produce and responsibly deliver the world’s most highly demanded metals and minerals to “Main Street”.
Provenance — or the origin — of a commodity has become a greater focus for buyers, who are more determined than ever to ensure that what they are buying isn’t the product of modern-day slavery, child labour, war, or unsafe mining practices.
This has created a market for companies like Makor Resources to ensure the ethical production and sourcing of commodities.
Makor’s focus is on integrating artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) into the formal economy, and transforming the reputation of the mining sector to one that contributes to shared prosperity and lifts millions out of poverty.
Artisanal and small-scale mines have a much smaller environmental footprint and are mined by local community members or groups. In many cases it is seasonal, with workers shifting to farming in the off-season.
Within artisanal and small-scale mining there is legal, illegal, criminal, migrant, and locally owned and operated.
While illegal and criminal artisanal mining takes place around the world, in some jurisdictions — like Zambia and Malawi for example — people can obtain a licence to legally undertake artisanal mining.
Bibeault says Makor’s goal was to move beyond traditional models and challenge the conventional ways that the industry operates.
“We wanted to bridge mining to main street audiences because we saw an opportunity to connect end-users, large-scale corporations, and manufacturers with the millions of artisanal miners and the communities they operate within through a connected supply chain solution; ‘Mine to Main Street’,” she says.
“So, Makor was created. We didn’t see the artisanal and small-scale sector as a problem; rather we recognised the huge opportunity for socio-economic development that could be unleashed through investment into the sector, commensurate to its scale and potential.”
The company’s initial focus is Zambia, where mining as a whole contributes around 12% of the country’s gross domestic product.
Bibeault says this figure is based on reported information and likely doesn’t include the artisanal and small-scale mining footprint across the nation, or any illegal activity that is happening within the sector.
The artisanal and small-scale mining sector accounts for 90% of the world’s mining workforce, with 45 million people working in the sector.
It accounts for about 12-24% of the global cobalt supply used in electric vehicle batteries, 20% of gold supply, 25% of tin supply and 26% of tantalum supply (found in smartphones and laptops).
Makor utilises a digital tracking and tracing platform, which provides responsible trade facilitation and proof of provenance of every tonne of material or ounce of gold being produced.
Bibeault explains that supply chains are “extraordinarily complex”, particularly as companies often do not deal directly with all the providers in their supply chains, making end-to-end traceability hard to achieve.
“Each participant in the system tracks only their small segment of the journey and uses disconnected systems to log data. That really doesn’t work and sets up for a failed and broken system,” she tells this news service.
“Makor set out to change that.”
Bibeault says every operation that Makor runs is licensed, has environmental management plans in place, complies to international operating standards and adheres to rigorous chain of custody standards through the whole supply chain, from mining to end product.
“We track and trace every tonne of copper and ounce of gold produced from source using digital tools, GPS tracking, global standard identifiers, imagery and sampling, and we provide stakeholders throughout the supply chain with an immutable traceability record of a product’s provenance, location, and life history,” she says.
“More simply said, we track and trace production from the mine to the refinery, from refinery to metal, and from metal to market.
“We also liaise with downstream stakeholders for them to better understand where minerals are sourced, and how minerals are sourced, sold and then manufactured into the final product that are seen on ‘Main Streets’ across the globe.”
Others across the commodity supply chain spectrum are also focusing much more closely on responsible sourcing of minerals.
Queensland-based PMT Refinery director Jeremy Reid tells Mining.com.au the business places a strong emphasis on ensuring the legitimacy and security of the gold products it recovers and refines.
“The company implements rigorous verification processes, including thorough documentation and traceability measures, to confirm the authenticity and lawful origin of all materials,” he says.
“Additionally, PMT Refinery adheres to industry standards and regulations, utilising advanced technology and secure practices to maintain the integrity of the refining process, thereby safeguarding the quality and legitimacy of the final gold products.”
Each gold item processed by PMT is assigned a unique serial number, which is recorded and tracked throughout the entire supply chain.
Reid says this helps in verifying the authenticity of the gold, and ensures that each piece can be traced back to its source.
PMT also issues certificates that detail the specifications of the gold, including its weight, purity, and origin.
Legislative shortfalls
The most obvious gaps in implementing more sustainable practices, according to Bibeault, are related to legislation.
“Nations must do better because there are still many countries that don’t have any legislation to support artisanal and small-scale miners,” she notes.
“There’s a saying, ‘absolute power corrupts absolutely’ and unfortunately, there are people that are benefiting from chaos. This is why it’s so important to liaise with downstream stakeholders for them to better understand where minerals are sourced, and how minerals are sourced, sold and then manufactured into the final product.”
Additionally, Bibeault believes large-scale mining companies also need to play a much bigger role in supporting small-scale operators and incorporating them into their value chains.
“To be honest, we’ve had conversations with some of the largest mining companies in the world, many of whom turn a blind eye to the artisanal sector because they don’t want to deal with it,” she says.
Makor has built its first completely optimised small-scale mine in partnership with a large-scale company (LSM) and has turned the operation into a productive, effective, commercially viable, and responsible mine.
“We are now in production and the LSM has offtake for that production – so in this case, we are selling into an integrated supply chain and getting maximum value for the product of what the small-scale mine produces.
“The mine is being operated and audited according to the standard for responsible mining.
“So, large-scale mining companies need to confront and address what is often happening just outside their operations.”
Bibeault says the International Council on Mining and Metals can play a much bigger role to get the right legislation in place and recognise artisanal and small-scale mining as a hugely important part of the broader sector.
While Makor is currently on the ground in Zambia helping the African nation turn its artisanal and small-scale mining sector around, Bibeault says there are definitely many opportunities to expand into other regions, especially across Africa.
“I think all countries face issues around the origins of their mined minerals,” she says.
“We’ve recognised the gap in accurate data globally around this sector, particularly around the precise number of artisanal (illegal and licensed) and small-scale miner and mine sites. Overall, we know the sector employs approximately 13 million people and provides livelihoods for over 100 million in sub-Saharan Africa.
“Due to this gap in sufficient data, we have been developing a comprehensive database for global and artisanal mining to determine ASM investment opportunities in jurisdictions that have existing legislations and legal frameworks in place.”
Write to Angela East at Mining.com.au
Images: Brooke Bibeault
