“Can responsible mining truly exist? How IRMA shows the way forward” [Cecilia Mattea, RM#9]

🎙️ “Can responsible mining truly exist? How IRMA shows the way forward” [Cecilia Mattea, Julia Poliscanova, Peter Tom Jones - RM#9] As the global energy transition accelerates, so does the demand for critical raw materials. But this raises a fundamental question: can responsible mining truly exist? In this episode of RAW MATTERS, host Peter Tom Jones and co-host Julia Poliscanova are joined by Cecilia Mattea (IRMA) to unpack one of the most pressing dilemmas of the energy transition. 🎯 What you’ll learn in this episode: • Why more mining is unavoidable - even under the most optimistic circular economy scenarios • What “responsible mining” actually means in practice - beyond slogans and green claims • How IRMA works as a global standard for environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance (examples covered: Imerys’ EMILI project in France; Eramet in Senegal; AngloAmerican in South Africa, Brazil, Peru and Chile; Novandino in Chile] • Why third-party audits and scoring systems matter for building trust across supply chains • The true cost of responsible mining - and why it is surprisingly small compared to total project investments • Europe’s mining paradox (“The elephant in the room”): ambitious policy goals vs. strong local resistance to new projects • Whether Europe is outsourcing environmental and social impacts through continued reliance on imports • How to balance urgency and legitimacy - fast-tracking projects vs. meaningful community engagement (including FPIC) • What recent Nordic debates reveal about (reindeer-herding Sami) tensions between speed, scale, and social acceptance • The growing role of EU policy and due diligence, including the Battery Regulation and corporate sustainability frameworks • Why responsible mining is central to the credibility of the energy transition itself 🎙️ Why this episode matters Without trust, transparency and accountability, the mining projects needed to decarbonise our economies may simply not happen. 🎧 RAW MATTERS is your go-to podcast on the geopolitics, sustainability and future of critical raw materials. Follow us on YouTube, Apple, Spotify and LinkedIn.