China Molybdenum and IXM Join Better Mining Program

China Molybdenum Co., Ltd (CMOC), the world's second-largest cobalt producer and one of the largest tungsten producers, announced that it will bring its Geneva-based trading arm, IXM to join the Better Mining Program together. The plan mainly targets the upstream assurance and impact of artisanal and small-scale mining of unknown origin, and is receiving public support from more and more companies.

CMOC is an international mineral resources company engaged in mineral exploration, mining, processing, refining, sales and trading. Its main business covers Asia, Africa, South America, Oceania and Europe. CMOC is the world's leading producer of tungsten, molybdenum, cobalt, and niobium It is also an important copper producer in the world.

IXM is one of the world's largest non-ferrous trading houses and has become a wholly-owned subsidiary of CMOC Group since 2019. IXM originates, transports, and markets both third party material as well as CMOC Group's production.

As a large industrial mining company, China Molybdenum has always strictly abided by its product supervision procedures, and hand mining is not in its supply chain. However, the company fully recognizes that a large number of local communities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo rely on hand mining for survival.

Better Mining Program is the RCS Global Group implemented artisanal and small-scale mining upstream assurance and impact program. It is mainly aimed at the upstream assurance and influence of hand mining. Currently, there are 27 cobalt, copper, 3TG (tantalum, tin, tungsten, Gold). Better Mining monitors and supports the improvement of conditions on and around ASM sites through its world-first data platform.

RCS Global Group is the world's leading assurance and advisory firm in the field of responsible procurement of raw materials. The group generates and provides responsible sourcing and ESG improvement data points at all levels of the global value chain, enabling our customers to proactively manage supply chain risks and provide robust evidence for their continuous improvement.

In a challenging industry such as mining, the demonstrable and continuous improvement of Better Mining is obvious to all. More and more companies in the ecological chain have begun to support the plan, including world-class digital communication technology companies and automobile brands like Volvo Cars and Intel.

In 2020 alone, Better Mining has generated accident data covering 7 major risk areas with a total of more than 1,000 accidents, and proposed 480 corrective measures, of which 72% of the recommendations have been implemented or are in progress.

The Better Mining program has also established a cooperation with the 'Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI)', and its influence continues to expand. RMI is an important organization dedicated to promoting responsible mineral procurement in the global supply chain. It currently has more than 400 corporate members.

Companies that join the Better Mining plan will be able to use their original hand mining data streams. These data streams come from products in all hand mining areas covered by Better Mining, facilitating traceability and on-site monitoring, and improving the performance of the hand mining field.

"As a key actor in the global mining field, the group is committed to ensuring that all of the company's mining production meets global mineral production standards. As a large industrial mining company that maintains strict product control and regulatory procedures, hand-picking is not ours. In the cobalt supply chain. However, we realize that the hand-held mine and its surrounding environment should not be neglected.

“The group is committed to implementing risk mitigation initiatives that can actively improve the conditions of local communities, including hand grab mines and surrounding communities. The Better Mining Program has proven that it has a real impact in this area. We are proud to be able to join and support this program." Said Wei Liang, director of the Sustainability Executive Committee of China Molybdenum.

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