Climate & Environment
Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI)
Definition
The Responsible Minerals Initiative is a multi-industry initiative, founded in 2008 (as the Conflict-Free Sourcing Initiative), providing companies with tools to map and improve mineral supply chains. Its flagship Responsible Minerals Assurance Process (RMAP) audits smelters and refiners against the OECD Due Diligence Guidance, producing the conformant lists on which downstream companies — from electronics to automotive — rely for conflict minerals and increasingly cobalt, mica and lithium due diligence.
References
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This reference provides supporting context for how “Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI)” is defined and used.
Overview
How it is used
Companies use RMI tools to comply with US Dodd-Frank Section 1502 and the EU Conflict Minerals Regulation; smelters undergo RMAP audits to maintain customer access.
Why it matters
RMI is the operational plumbing of responsible mineral sourcing — the mechanism by which paper due diligence frameworks reach thousands of supply chains.