Impact by design

Formalisation, traceability and certified practices at every link are the operating conditions of OCIM’s model, which produces positive externalities as a structural output, by design rather than by offset.

The dominant logic in responsible mining is redistributive: extract, then compensate (fund a reforestation programme to offset deforestation, pay into a community fund to offset displacement…). These mechanisms have value, but they leave the underlying model unchanged.

OCIM operates on a different logic : formalising a miner eliminates informality at the source and requiring mercury-free processing prevents environmental damage before it occurs. The positive outputs are upstream design choices built into the model from the start.

This approach has three types of impacts:

Environmental impact

In artisanal mining, environmental damage is typically detected after the fact: mercury contamination in waterways, degraded land, uncontrolled chemical discharge. OCIM’s model prevents it upstream. By requiring environmental compliance as a condition of every miner partnership and by operating a closed-loop processing circuit that recovers and recirculates chemical reagents, the environmental baseline is controlled before extraction begins and maintained through every step of the process.

Social impact

Artisanal mining is a major source of livelihood in rural Peru, yet miners operate outside formal markets, dependent on intermediaries that capture most of the value of their production. Formalisation changes this: a fair price replaces the intermediary discount, insurance coverage extends to the miner’s family, and health and safety standards reach workplaces that have never had them.

To date, 277 miner partners have entered the programme and are currently being audited by Swiss Better Gold as part of the second phase of their accreditation process. Since 2024, health and safety training and insurance coverage have been extended to miner partners in the Arequipa region through a programme developed with the Swiss Better Gold Association.

Governance impact

In a sector where claims of responsible sourcing are rarely verifiable, governance is what converts intent into proof. Every supply chain decision at OCIM is traceable, auditable, and subject to the same standards that govern Swiss financial intermediaries. The compliance framework extends from Geneva to the field operations in Peru. This architecture makes every environmental and social commitment independently verifiable by any counterparty at any point in the chain. For institutional buyers, this means that the responsible sourcing claim they rely on is not self-certified, but structured, monitored, and auditable on demand.

Active involvement in professional institutions and regulators...

London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) is the global regulator of precious metals. The LBMA has set up an ASM Task Force, in which OCIM is actively participating, whith a goal of providing ASM miners access to LBMA Good Delivery accredited refiners while helping such refiners to carry out due diligence on these ASM chains.

Swiss Better Gold (SBG) is a Swiss association providing support to artisanal, small and medium scale gold mining developing effective, sustainable and responsible supply chains. SBG is building an increasing flow of of responsibly produced ASM Gold for use by the most prestigious brands that are active members of SBG.

… and on the ground

Since 2024, OCIM has been participating in a support initiative set up by the Swiss Better Gold Association for small miners working for Minera Orex in the Arequipa region of southern Peru. The initiative comprises two successive and complementary phases:

  • Training program aimed at improving the health and safety conditions of artisanal miners working at Orex.
  • Insurance program designed to reduce the economic insecurity of workers and their families by covering them against a wide range of risks.

A new phase of this ambitious and successfull initiative is already planned.

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