IMPACT / DATA & ACHIEVEMENTS
The Responsible Mica Initiative (RMI) drives measurable, long-term improvements across mica-extracting regions by transforming supply chains, strengthening governance, and empowering mining communities. Our impact is rooted in collaborative action and supported by a clear, evidence-based strategy designed to deliver lasting change.
RMI’s impact is guided by a comprehensive Theory of Change, which links our activities to short-, mid-, and long-term results. This framework ensures that each intervention – whether related to workplace standards, community programs, or advocacy efforts – contributes to meaningful and durable improvements.
By clarifying causal pathways and identifying conditions needed for success, the Theory of Change strengthens program design, highlights where support is most needed and provides the foundation for consistent monitoring and evaluation.
Over the course of 9 years, as of October 2025, RMI supported:
Communities benefitting 114,061 villagers including 50,725 children
Mica processors participating in workplace programs
training sessions for Indian & Malagasy processors
3rd-party processor audits
RMI’s Community Empowerment Programs (CEP) deliver concrete benefits that improve daily life in mining communities by addressing the social and economic root causes that drive vulnerability and creating a safer, more resilient environment for children and adults alike. Programs work at the village level to empower mica-dependent communities and children through access to quality education, capacity building, improved health and nutrition, and opportunities for alternative livelihoods. The Initiative also works towards payment of fair prices for mica which contributes to the availability of fair incomes and living wages for workers. By supporting improved livelihoods for adults and awareness of child rights, this pillar aims to permanently break the cycle of poverty and child labor.
RMI began its programs in India in 2018 and has seen increased response year over year as community confidence in RMI has grown.
3,450 k€ invested on Community Empowerment Programs
RMI began to work in Madagascar during 2024 and had its first full year of operation in 2025.
RMI relies on partners who develop and assess Community Empowerment Programs, providing valuable external support to RMI staff and affected communities.
RMI members commit to the principle of supply chain transparency, recognizing that responsible sourcing begins with traceability of supply chain actors. Every member commits to support upstream actors – including mines, artisanal mining groups, and processing units – to adopt responsible workplace standards and progress towards safer, and more responsible labor practices.
RMI's programs generate direct, measurable impact in mica-producing areas of India and Madagascar, where poverty, informal mining, and limited access to services heighten risks for workers and children.
RMI promotes responsible sourcing and accountability throughout the mica value chain. By implementing workplace standards and verification systems at mica processing sites and mines, members ensure safe, responsible and transparent operations. In 2022, RMI developed and introduced the Global Workplace Standard for Mica Processors which includes training modules and guidelines for third-party auditors. The standard may be used by both RMI member processors and non-members. In 2025, RMI released the Mica CRAFT Code, developed in partnership with the Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM), and designed specifically for artisanal and small-scale mica mining (ASM) operations. A third voluntary standard entitled the Global Workplace Standard for Small & Semi-Mechanized Mica Mines is expected to be released in 2026.
The standard has been in use with processors in India since 2022 and in Madagascar since in 2025, the first full year in which RMI was engaged there.
Comparison of processing site average compliance scores:
Average overall compliance rate of 86% among RMI members after 2nd time audits
There is insufficient historical data to enable us to draw conclusions.
NB: the Global Workplace Standard for mines is currently being formalized and will be rolled out shortly.
NB: the Mica CRAFT Code is still in the implementation support phase, so the RMI has not yet begun its audits, hence the lack of compliance figures.
RMI works with civil society organizations, local businesses, government agencies, and sector experts to promote clear, enforceable legal frameworks that protects workers, prohibits child labor, and enables responsible mica extraction in its programmatic focus countries.
