The Role of Gold Processing Plants in Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining

Our latest report, The Role of Gold Processing Plants in Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining, explores the potential role of gold processing plants in driving the sustainable formalization, legitimization, and professionalization of artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) value chains. It examines gold processing plants and their impact on the gold value chain, with a focus on six country case studies and 14 processing plants. Its purpose is to drive better understanding of the role that responsibly managed and commercially viable gold processing plants could play in improving environmental and social performance, incentivizing formalization, and facilitating more effective due diligence as the basis for growing the inclusion of responsible ASGM into responsible value chains.

The report reveals that processing plants significantly enhance gold recovery rates, boosting miners’ incomes and benefiting communities and governments through increased tax revenues. Processing plants also serve as key aggregation points in the gold value chain, promoting transparency and traceability. However, achieving commercial viability and responsibility requires overcoming challenges related to scale, infrastructure, and regulatory frameworks. With successful examples from Peru and Tanzania, the report highlights the transformative potential of responsibly managed plants and the continuous development needed for their success. Explore the detailed findings and insights from research conducted in Ecuador, Mauritania, Mongolia, Peru, Philippines, and Tanzania.