We are proud to share our participation in the final meeting and closing event of the RISBriefcase initiative. This milestone event brought together key stakeholders to present the conclusions of this impactful project.

As part of the RIS-INCOME project, our efforts focus on developing cutting-edge software to enhance ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) reporting in the mining sector.

Our goals include:

• Empowering Investors: Providing tools for more informed decision-making.
• Promoting Transparency: Ensuring greater societal understanding of mining operations.
• Facilitating Comparisons: Enabling benchmarking between companies.
• Strengthening Sustainability: Supporting the social license to operate responsibly.

The closing event served as an invaluable platform to showcase innovative initiatives driving transformation in the mining sector, emphasizing its growing commitment to sustainability.

A key highlight of our participation was the RIS-INCOME leaflet, which effectively communicated our vision and objectives, sparking meaningful conversations about the future of sustainable mining.

We remain committed to innovation and collaboration as we contribute to building a more sustainable and responsible mining industry.

We’re thrilled to share that i-SeMe, a proud partner of the RIS-INCOME project, had an incredible opportunity to promote our RIS-INCOME project to more than 1,400 participants from industry, administration, civil society, research, and academia, during this landmark event in Brussels, Belgium, last week.

Since its launch in 2016 by the European Commission, Raw Materials Week has become the largest policy gathering on raw materials in Europe, and the 2024 edition didn’t disappoint!

The 2024 edition featured distinguished speakers from sectors such as batteries, digital technologies, defence, and space, addressing critical topics including de-risking raw material projects, technological innovations, boosting domestic supply, enhancing circularity with rare earth permanent magnets, market trends, and maintaining high environmental and social standards.

The event also emphasized cooperation with strategic international partner countries, reflecting the EU’s commitment to ensuring secure, sustainable, and innovative access to raw materials through domestic resources, strategic partnerships, recycling, and circular economy initiatives.

The RIS-INCOME project was also promoted, emphasizing the need for mining companies to meet ESG requirements through an innovative digital tool that simplifies compliance and reporting

With inspiring talks, groundbreaking collaborations, and a vision for a greener future, this week has been unforgettable.

Recently, we held the first meeting to adapt the requirements for the ESG reporting software we are developing under the RIS-INCOME project

Key Achievements:

✅ Evaluation of information flows by mining partners.

✅ Analysis of specific operational requirements.

✅ Integration of tailored needs into the design

Our goal is clear: to create a practical and user-friendly solution that serves both large-scale mining operations and smaller stakeholders alike.

What’s Next?

We’re preparing to test the first demo of the software—a major step towards transforming ESG reporting!

The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (#CSRD) isn’t just another regulatory hurdle—it’s a game-changer that can redefine your company’s position in the market.

As we move towards a future where sustainability isn’t just encouraged but required, the CSRD sets the stage for businesses to not only comply with new standards but also leverage them as a competitive edge.

Turning Compliance into Opportunity: The CSRD mandates comprehensive reporting on Environmental, Social, and Governance (#ESG) criteria, pushing companies to dig deeper into their sustainability practices. For forward-thinking businesses, this is an opportunity to lead by example, showcasing their commitment to responsible operations and innovation.

Enhanced Transparency: With the introduction of the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) and the Digital (XBRL) Taxonomy, businesses can expect their sustainability reports to be more transparent and comparable than ever before. This increased visibility can enhance investor confidence and open up new avenues for funding.

Investor Appeal: Investors are increasingly prioritizing ESG factors in their decision-making. By meeting CSRD requirements, your company demonstrates a clear commitment to sustainability, making you a more attractive option for investors who are looking to align their portfolios with ethical and sustainable practices.

Global Impact: While the CSRD is a European directive, its implications are global. Companies with operations or investments in Europe will need to align with these standards, setting a new benchmark for corporate responsibility worldwide. This positions compliant companies as global leaders in sustainability, capable of influencing industry standards beyond European borders.

The CSRD isn’t just about meeting regulatory demands—it’s about positioning your company as a leader in the sustainability movement. Embracing these changes now will not only help you stay ahead of the curve but also unlock new opportunities for growth and innovation.

Image credit: https://www.clevr.com/blog/the-corporate-sustainability-reporting-directive

We were excited to showcase our poster at the MMH (Mining and Minerals Hall) on behalf of the RIS-INCOME consortium, highlighting the critical impact of the upcoming Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).

The CSRD is a game-changer for sustainability reporting, mandating companies to align with Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) standards, enhancing transparency and fostering trust with stakeholders. The RIS-INCOME project aims to support mining companies in meeting these evolving requirements through an innovative digital tool that simplifies ESG compliance and reporting.

As the CSRD comes into full effect by 2025, with phased implementation until 2029, this directive will push companies to adopt common reporting standards, utilize digital taxonomy for business information, and ensure externally verified reports. This new approach strengthens mining companies’ Social License to Operate (SLO), underlining their commitment to sustainable practices and community relations.

We are looking forward to seeing how these changes will drive sustainable mining and boost confidence across the sector.

In 2023, the CSRD was introduced, marking a significant shift in how companies approach sustainability reporting. This new regulation brings several key innovations designed to enhance transparency and accountability.

European Sustainability Reporting Standards ESRS: A unified framework to ensure consistency and comparability across sustainability reports in Europe.

➡️ Digital Taxonomy XBRL: With the introduction of XBRL tags, sustainability reports will now be machine-readable, allowing for efficient extraction and analysis of specific data points. This will significantly improve the accessibility and usability of sustainability information.

➡️ Verified Information: The XBRL taxonomy will also enhance the traceability and reliability of the data, ensuring that the information provided is accurate and trustworthy.

➡️ SocialLicensetoOperate SLO: An important metric that reflects a company’s ongoing acceptance by the community and its stakeholders, reinforcing the importance of maintaining sustainable practices.

These advancements offer substantial benefits, not only for investors—who will have access to more reliable data for decision-making—but also for society as a whole, which will gain powerful tools to assess and understand companies’ Environmental, Social, and Governance ESG performance.

The RIS-Income project is at the forefront of this transformation. It aims to develop and commercialize a software tool to the mining sector, enabling companies to comply with the new CSRD requirements. This tool will also facilitate the ongoing monitoring and management of ESG criteria, ensuring that sustainability remains a core focus.

Learn more: Corporate sustainability reporting

1. Innovation in Mining: RIS INCOME is the first software dedicated exclusively to the mining sector ⛏️, with the ability to automatically generate ESG reports and offer advanced tools for tracking industry-specific data.
2. Collaboration with Experts: We are partnering with an expert ESG consultant who works closely with companies and software developers. This collaboration ensures that the software meets both current and future regulatory requirements.
3. Updates and Adaptations: The software will be continuously updated to incorporate new government standards as they emerge. It will also adapt based on feedback from mining companies, ensuring it evolves to meet their changing needs.
4. Support and Training: To make implementation as smooth as possible, RIS INCOME will offer detailed user guides and customizable plans tailored to the needs of different company sizes, from large corporations to small mining enterprises.
5. Immediate Benefits: The most immediate benefits include significant time and cost savings by automating report generation. This also reduces the need to hire additional staff for this task, saving resources and increasing overall efficiency.

Next Steps
The next step is to launch a pilot version of the software, which will include basic functionalities with plans to expand to cover all legal requirements. With RIS INCOME, we are committed to supporting the mining industry on its journey towards greater sustainability and compliance.

Mining has been key to society’s development, but its environmental and social impact has created a pressing need for more sustainable practices. To address this, mining companies must now comply with new ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) regulations and reporting.

Enter RIS-INCOME: a project launched in 2024, developing software specifically designed for the mining sector. The goal is to simplify ESG reporting by allowing companies to input existing data and automatically generate the necessary reports. Plus, the software guides users to fill in any missing data, making the process smoother and ensuring compliance with the new laws.

This innovative software is being developed in collaboration with mining companies, ensuring it meets the specific needs of the industry. This makes RIS-INCOME not only useful but also highly relevant to the mining sector, addressing their unique challenges and requirements.

The platform will not only help companies meet legal requirements but will also enhance transparency and accountability within the mining industry. The full version is expected to be available by the end of 2025.

Two weeks ago, the Gómez Pardo Foundation team (lead partner) – Lidia Gullón, Santiago Rosado and Silvia Oñate, had the opportunity to attend the NanoPol2024 plenary in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and present the RIS INCOME project.

At the event, the Spanish team showcased a poster at a dedicated stand, presenting their innovative software designed to assist companies with reporting under the new Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). This development marks a significant advancement towards greater transparency and sustainability in the mining industry.

NanoPol2024 provided an excellent opportunity to interact with numerous professionals in the sector, engaging in productive discussions and exchanging insights. The team appreciated the chance to share their innovative approach and received positive feedback, reinforcing their commitment to sustainability practices.

This event brought technology and sustainability in mining a step closer to reality.

We seized a wonderful opportunity to introduce the RIS-INCOME project to students and teachers at Goce Delcev University in Kavadarci, North Macedonia.

Silvia Oñate, representing the Fundación Gómez Pardo (FGP), passionately outlined the mission of RIS-INCOME and presented its consortium. Our focus lies in developing innovative software tailored specifically for mining companies, with the primary aim of facilitating the process of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting.

The software’s mission is clear: to simplify the intricate task of ESG reporting within the mining industry. By providing a user-friendly platform, RIS-INCOME aims to create software that allows mining companies to monitor ESG criteria. These reports stand as a pivotal tool, fostering trust and credibility by showcasing mining companies’ authentic commitment to social and environmental accountability.

Furthermore, sustainability reports not only serve as external benchmarks but also function as invaluable internal management aids. They empower mining companies to pinpoint areas for enhancement, establish clear and measurable objectives, and systematically render their progress over time.

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During the 21st -22nd of February, the consortium of the »Environment Social Governance Monitoring« EIT Raw Materials project (RIS-INCOME) participated in the first project meeting in person, in Madrid (Spain), to kick off the discussion of the requirements and other technical aspects of the project.

The two-day meeting, organised by the lead partner Gomez Pardo Foundation at their premises, provided project partners the opportunity the meet in person, which is essential for good and effective communication and collaboration in the project. The meeting was also attended by the EIT RawMaterials project officer who is supporting partners during their activities to contribute to the development and delivery of the project in line with the established project’s objectives.

Partners overviewed the administrative requirements of the project and most importantly, gained more detailed insight into the current status and challenges of the Spanish environmental, social, and governance (ESG) monitoring and reporting. Furthermore, WP leaders presented the objectives within WPs and activities to be implemented in the first year of the project progress. Due to active information discussions on the ESG reporting activities and data collection, several technical meetings have been set for upcoming months.

We are thrilled to start this essential project, which aims to develop and commercialize an innovative and powerful digital tool (software) for the monitoring and management of ESG criteria and normative compliance in the mining sector. The project aims to test developed software in mining companies in Spain and train their suppliers, aiming to increase the necessary transparency on mining activities and practises, improving the public perception of the mining operations that supports the sustainable framework of the raw materials operations – Social Licence to Operate (SLO).

We are excited to announce that in January we started with the international project entitled »Environment Social Governance Monitoring« with the acronym RIS-INCOME project.

Mining companies are required to follow and report on the environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria and normative compliance, according to European standards applied to the mining sector. Due to the continuous changes in the legislation, mining companies are facing difficulties when delivering their sustainability report. So far, attempted developed software on the market is too generic and consequently not applicable.

Therefore, the RIS-INCOME consortium aims to develop and commercialize an innovative and powerful competitive tool for the mining sector ─ a digital tool (software) for the monitoring and management of ESG criteria and normative compliance in the mining sector. The tool will combine all the requirements stated by the new Directives of the European Union. Furthermore, the software will support mining companies to provide non-financial and sustainability reports, addressing the sustainability challenges of the mining sector, which affects the Social License to Operate (SLO). The new reporting capabilities, primarily developed for the mining companies in Spain, can be replicated across Europe and be scaled up at a worldwide level.

The RIS-INCOME consortium is led by the Fundación Gómez Pardo and participation of 8 project partners: AICRUM IT, Centro Tecnológico del Mármol, Piedra y Materiales, Atalaya Mining, Marmoles MAM S.L, Sandfire MATSA, RISCOGNITION, Université de Technologie de Tarbes and Inštitut SeMe, okoljsko ozaveščanje in trajnostni razvoj – i-SeMe

The two-year project is co-funded by the EIT RawMaterials, a body of the European Union.

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