Oro Verde® - Facilitating Market Access for Artisan Miners

Providing certification to the environmentally and socially responsible gold and platinum production
2009 SEED Award Winner Biodiversity Colombia

Since 2000, Oro Verde® reverses environmental degradation, caused by uncontrolled mining in the Chocó Bioregion by developing certified responsible mining practices. The partnership, consisting of a national NGO and three grassroots organisations, has created the basis for the world’s first local certification scheme for precious metals and has propelled a worldwide fair-trade movement around responsible small-scale mining. The artisanal miners who extract the gold and platinum comply with strict ecological standards. 

Eco-Inclusive Impacts

Oro Verde® protects world’s biodiversity by fostering the sustainable use of natural resources and provides the mining communities with alternatives to diversify their income.
  • Empowering communities through helping them to use, protect and gain control over their territory.
  • Contributing to the improved working and living conditions by certifying compliance to the social, economic, environmental and labour standards.  
  • Preserving the world’s biodiversity reservoir by fostering the sustainable use of natural resources between the mining communities.
  • Protecting the miners and the tropical rainforest as it does not require the use of or cyanide. 
  • Providing communities with alternatives to diversify their income.
  • Organising training sessions to improve the managerial skills of the community members.

 

Partners

This enterprise is supported through its partnerships with various stakeholders, ranging from national and international organisations, investors, research institutes, suppliers, governmental bodies, NGOs, other social and environmental enterprises and more.

AMICHOCÓ strengthens and formalises the producer groups; develops new markets; and connects the local miners with national and international partners.

The Community Councils of Tadó and Condoto, ASOCASAN and COCOMACOIRO represent the local mining communities; supervise, guide and coordinate ground activities; participate in decision-making processes; and co-own the Oro Verde Brand.

FUNDAMOJARRAS supports the Community Councils and co-owns the Oro Verde Brand.

SEED Library

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