A mine site can already have months of work behind an IRMA assessment: policies, monitoring data, audit findings, corrective actions and site records. If the same site later enters the Copper Mark process, that work is relevant, but the route from one assessment to the other is not automatic.
The Copper Mark has already done an important part of the comparison. Its RRA-Copper Mark Equivalency Matrix benchmarks other voluntary standards, including IRMA, against RRA 3.0. The Copper Mark says the purpose is to recognise existing systems, avoid redundancy and reduce the implementation burden for users of its assurance framework.
The next job is site-specific. The team still needs to connect the recognised IRMA coverage to the actual evidence for the site and work through the Copper Mark criteria that remain only partly covered or not covered by IRMA.
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Load your IRMA evidence once and check the remaining Copper Mark requirements against the same Twin.
Copper Mark vs IRMA in practical terms
| IRMA | The Copper Mark | |
|---|---|---|
| Main framework | IRMA Standard for Responsible Mining | RRA 3.0 and the Copper Mark Assurance Process |
| Assessment | Independent third-party mine-site assessment | Independent site-level assessment against applicable Copper Mark criteria |
| Published result | IRMA Transparency, IRMA 50, IRMA 75 or IRMA 100 | Copper Mark assurance outcome under its programme rules |
| Official comparison between them | The Copper Mark / RMI equivalency benchmark assesses IRMA against RRA 3.0 criterion by criterion | |
| Does one automatically replace the other? | No | No |
Both systems cover responsible mining topics such as risk management, water, stakeholder engagement, grievance mechanisms and mine closure. The requirements are not identical, and the published benchmark does not treat them as interchangeable.
What the Copper Mark benchmark already does
The RRA-Copper Mark Equivalency Matrix exists precisely so a site does not have to invent its own framework comparison from zero. For systems included in the matrix, the Copper Mark directs sites to use the published equivalency results as part of its Recognition Process.
The matrix shows whether an IRMA requirement is recognised as equivalent to an RRA 3.0 criterion, only partially equivalent, or not equivalent.
| RRA 3.0 criterion | Published result for IRMA |
|---|---|
| Management System | Equivalent |
| Risk Assessment | Equivalent |
| Stakeholder Engagement | Equivalent |
| Grievance Mechanism | Equivalent |
| Mine Closure and Reclamation | Equivalent |
| Water Stewardship | Equivalent |
| Climate Action | Partially Equivalent |
| Circular Economy | Not Equivalent |
What still needs to be checked after the IRMA benchmark
The benchmark compares standards. The Copper Mark Recognition Process still expects the site to provide appropriate evidence and to work through its own assessment process. The Copper Mark also requires applicable criteria to be independently assessed at site level.
For the site team, the remaining work falls into three different cases.
IRMA is equivalent
The framework-level comparison is already favourable. The team still needs to connect the criterion to the site's actual IRMA assessment and evidence, check the site and scope, confirm the relevant assessment is current, and make the supporting records available for review.
IRMA is partially equivalent
Part of the RRA criterion is covered and part is not. The team needs to identify the uncovered part and find out whether the site already has evidence for it elsewhere.
That evidence does not have to come from the IRMA assessment. It may already exist in another policy, site report, certification, audit record, monitoring file or internal document.
IRMA is not equivalent
The IRMA requirement should not be used as recognised coverage for that RRA criterion. The Copper Mark requirement still needs its own assessment.
That does not mean the site has no relevant evidence. It means IRMA does not provide the recognised equivalency route for that criterion.
What IRMA evidence can be reused for the Copper Mark?
Where the requirement and evidence are relevant, the same underlying site material can support more than one framework.
- environmental and social policies
- risk assessments
- water management and monitoring records
- stakeholder engagement records
- grievance records
- mine closure and reclamation plans
- audit reports and findings
- corrective action records
- supplier due diligence records
- management system documentation
- other site records relevant to the Copper Mark criterion
Reuse still needs a check. The evidence has to apply to the right site, activity and period and has to demonstrate what the target criterion asks for.
The strongest reason to keep this evidence in one maintained site record is not simply storage. The next standard can be checked against the same source material without asking the team to find and upload the same records again.
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Check the remaining requirements against the evidence you already hold
beSirius retrieves the source behind each result, so your team only reviews what is genuinely partial, missing or new.
What happens when the Copper Mark still has open requirements?
The Copper Mark assessment does not end where the IRMA equivalency matrix ends. Criteria that are only partly covered or not equivalent still need evidence and assessment.
With beSirius, those requirements can be checked against the wider Twin. Where the available material supports a requirement, the result stays linked to the source. Where the evidence is incomplete, the requirement stays partial or open. Where nothing supports it, the gap remains visible for the team to address.
For structured questions or assessment responses, the same evidence workflow can also be used to prepare source-linked draft answers for review. If the Twin does not contain enough support, beSirius does not fill the gap with an assumption.
Why this matters when another standard comes next
The value is larger than one IRMA-to-Copper Mark transition. A mine can face several standards, customer requests and internal assurance requirements over time. The same site evidence is repeatedly needed in different structures.
If the source material stays connected to the site, the next assessment begins with what the organisation already knows. The team can spend its time on the requirements that are genuinely new, incomplete or unsupported.
For the general method across different standards, see How to map requirements across mining standards.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between IRMA and the Copper Mark?
IRMA and the Copper Mark are separate responsible mining assurance systems. IRMA assesses mine sites against the IRMA Standard for Responsible Mining and publishes achievement levels. The Copper Mark uses its own Assurance Process and RRA 3.0 criteria. The Copper Mark has published a benchmark showing where IRMA requirements are equivalent, partially equivalent or not equivalent to RRA 3.0.
Is IRMA equivalent to the Copper Mark?
Not as a whole. The Copper Mark benchmark works criterion by criterion. Some IRMA requirements are recognised as equivalent to RRA 3.0 criteria, some are partially equivalent and some are not equivalent.
Does an IRMA assessment replace a Copper Mark assessment?
No, the Copper Mark can use recognised equivalency to reduce duplicate assessment work, but applicable criteria are still assessed under the Copper Mark Assurance Process.
Can IRMA evidence be reused for the Copper Mark?
Yes, where the evidence is relevant to the Copper Mark criterion, applies to the right site and period, and is sufficient for what the criterion asks. The evidence still needs to be reviewed against the target requirement.
What happens when IRMA is only partially equivalent?
The uncovered part of the Copper Mark criterion still needs to be checked. Relevant evidence may already exist elsewhere in the site's records even if it was not part of the IRMA assessment.
What happens when IRMA is not equivalent?
The IRMA requirement cannot be used as recognised coverage for that RRA criterion. The Copper Mark requirement needs its own assessment, but the site can still reuse relevant evidence from other records where it supports the criterion.
Can beSirius automate Copper Mark and IRMA evidence mapping?
beSirius can check target requirements against evidence in the Twin, retrieve the supporting source and passage, and show what is met, partial or missing for review. The official Copper Mark equivalency and assurance decisions remain with the Copper Mark and its assessment process.
