Through SMO, mining corporations are associated with prestigious jewellery houses, keen to increase their ESG credentials and obtain detailed provenance for their gold.

This can drive PR coverage for the mines in question, raising high profile awareness amongst potential investors, other jewellery houses, industry leaders, conscious consumers, and indeed other mines. 

To date, SMO has appeared in high profile media titles such as the Financial Times, New York Times, Telegraph, Vanity Fair, Vogue & Times magazine as well as receiving media exposure for product placement, with SMO jewellery worn to the Met Gala 2023. To date, annual media value for mining partners has consistently exceeded £250k. 

SMO member mines are also featured in social media campaigns across various platforms, raising profiles, visibility & demand for responsibly sourced gold. 

SMO believes that commercial mining, when carried out responsibly and transparently, can be a force for good.

Too often, the positive economic, social and environmental contribution of well-managed mines is lost in a broader narrative about the impacts of mining.

SMO gives responsible operators a platform to tell that story with evidence. Through articles, discussion panels, podcasts, events and social media, we highlight the mine-level performance, community investment, environmental initiatives and provenance behind our Member Mines — helping a wider audience understand what responsible large-scale gold production can look like.

“Endeavour has had a robust ESG strategy in place for a long time and we have achieved the RGMP’s. Only when we joined SMO did we feel there was a vehicle that segregated our gold and officially recognised it as responsibly sourced all the way to the end consumer. This has had measurable positive impact on staff morale and our mission in general.“

- Laura Brangwin

Investor Relations, Endeavour Mining

The SMO foundation is a philanthropic initiative, established by SMO to enrich & empower the lives of all within the wider communities of mining operations.  

The foundation will complement the outstanding work that the SMO member mines are already undertaking, as part of their commitment & drive. By strategically directing resources and fostering partnerships, the aim is to enhance & amplify existing endeavours.

The SMO Foundation is managed by Giving Works, Charity no. 1078770

SMO’s assessment works at two levels. First, we look at the mining company itself — reviewing governance, recognised responsible-mining frameworks, relevant third-party information and the systems that sit behind its ESG performance.

We then look at the individual mine, assessing environmental and social performance, provenance, jurisdiction and other material risk factors. Only mines that satisfy SMO’s eligibility and due-diligence requirements can become SMO Approved Mines.

Where a mine operates in a higher-risk or conflict-affected jurisdiction, we go further, applying enhanced due diligence before any approval decision is made. This layered approach allows SMO to recognise strong operators while responding appropriately to the different risks and realities of individual mining locations.