Artisanal small-scale gold mining, shortened to ASM or ASGM, has workforce of 20 million and produces 16% - 20% of the gold annually! ASGM is also the largest global user and emitter of mercury. Mercury has been used for thousands of years to extract gold, but the way miners use it produces low yields of gold, and miners don’t know the risks of using it.

My guests in this episode are working to formalize ASGM toward ethically mined, responsibly sourced gold with the purpose of reducing or eliminating the use of mercury while also addressing issues of health and safety, human rights, the environment and, public awareness.

Special guests:

Ludovic Bernaudat is Senior Task Manager in UNEP Chemicals and Waste GEF unit where he leads the technical team developing and implementing projects. He joined UNEP in 2015 and had been leading the developments of multi-agency programs including the planetGOLD program. Before joining UNEP, he worked for 12 years in UNIDO where he led projects on Artisanal and Small Scale Gold Mining, cleaner production and eco-cities. He led the development of the agency’s mercury program. Additionally, he has been the co-lead of the UNEP Global Mercury Partnership area on Artisanal and Small Scale Gold Mining since its inception in 2007. He has a MSc in Environmental Sciences and is currently based in Geneva, Switzerland.

Susan Keane is the Senior Director of Global Strategies, in the International Program of the Natural Resources Defense Council. Susan is a public health specialist with over 30 years of experience working on domestic and international environmental health issues. Her work has covered a range of topics, and spanned several regions of the world. Most recently Susan has focused her advocacy on reducing global mercury pollution, particularly in artisanal and small-scale gold mining. She was directly engaged with governments during the negotiations of the Minamata Convention on Mercury, and is now working with the UN agencies, countries and NGOs to put the Convention into action. In particular, she is working with the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and UNEP on the GEF-funded planetGOLD program to reduce mercury use in artisanal and small-scale gold mining in eight countries. She is also the co-leader of the ASGM Area of the United Nations Environment Program Global Mercury Partnership.

Maggie Gabos is Lead Consultant for Christina T Miller Sustainable Jewelry Consulting. She has a demonstrated history of working across sectors towards improving the responsible sourcing and sustainability impact of the jewelry industry. She has a Masters Degree in International Development and Environmental Sustainability.

Elizabeth Chatelain is owner of MVI Marketing LLC a market research firm working exclusively in the worldwide gem, jewelry and watch industries. MVI provides market research, industry intelligence, and strategic analysis for companies within the gem, jewelry and luxury watch industries.

Websites for your continued research: planetgold.org, unep.org, fairmined.org, christinaTmiller.com, mercuryconvention.org, epa.org, thegef.org , artisanalgold.org, hooverandstrong.com, themveye.com

Photo credit: https://education.australiascience.tv/mercury-poisoning-from-gold-mining/