Newsletter: Late October 2025
Folks,
In my nearly five years at ICMM (where did the time go?!), this has been the most memorable month – for two reasons.
First, we broke two world records; for the deepest marathon ever run and the deepest marathon ever organised.
Last weekend, 55 amateur runners (some, like me, more amateur than others) ran a full 42.2 km marathon deeper than any human in history. Why? To showcase modern, safe, responsible mining through a completely different and unexpected lens.
It was hot (mid-20s centigrade), humid (70%), and dark – save for the flicker of our headtorches attached to our helmets. The site was Boliden’s Garpenberg mine in Sweden, widely considered to be one of the safest and most productive mines in the world, producing zinc, lead, and silver. If you’d like a better sense of what it was like down there, my colleagues Josephine and Will have captured the experience brilliantly in their blog.
One world record we were never going to beat was the fastest time for a marathon – but then again, it wasn’t a race. It was a challenge – individually and collectively – to push the boundaries, and in doing so, bring millions of people into our unique subterranean world.
And that we did – thanks to extensive coverage of the race in the BBC, Financial Times, and other major media, and a great buzz on social media. We also had a 17-person Hollywood quality documentary film crew with us and we can’t wait to show you the film once its done.
As if that weren’t unique enough, one of Minecraft's most famous professionals, SeaPeeKay, collaborated with us to livestream the run on Twitch. Talk about reaching younger audiences.
I want to acknowledge that this was only possible because of Boliden’s remarkable leadership on safety, and the generosity of our 23 sponsors and three official partners – World Gold Council, Hindustan Zinc, and Teck Resources Limited. Thank you!
The second reason October was so memorable was that it was our biggest, and judging by feedback, best edition of the annual ICMM Responsible Mining Leadership Forum yet.
Now in its fourth edition, the Forum provides a space for the difficult conversations and the tricky subjects that other gatherings can’t host, but which are so vital to progress.
The theme for 2025 was “truth”, recognising that, in society and our industry alike, different stakeholders can’t seem to agree on what is true. Asking questions like “Can we open 300 new mines while meeting nature and climate goals?” and “Is net zero still the right goal?”, we got to hear challenging and diverse perspectives that help sharpen our own approaches on our priority issues.
Those who registered, either in person or virtually, can watch the videos on demand for the next 90 days. If you missed out (we were oversubscribed again this year), then here’s a summary of the key themes.
Now…who’s up for the next marathon?!
Warmly,
Ro
Features
Thank you for being part of ICMM’s 2025 Responsible Mining Leadership Forum
This year’s Responsible Mining Leadership Forum was a powerful reminder that open-minded collaboration drives progress in responsible mining. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who helped make the 2025 Forum a success by sharing insights and experiences that will strengthen responsible practices across our industry.
The forum tackled key issues including safety, net zero and the energy transition, diversity and inclusion, fairness in outcomes from mining, industry standards, illegal mining, and the talent situation in mining. Discussions underscored that meaningful progress on these challenges will depend on strong collaboration across stakeholders and sectors.
We still want your feedback on the Consolidated Mining Standard Initiative (CMSI)
Earlier this month, ICMM and our CMSI partners – The Copper Mark, Mining Association of Canada and World Gold Council – launched the second and final public consultation on the draft Consolidated Standard, Assurance Process and Claims Policy.
The consultation will be open until 17 November 2026 and we invite all interested stakeholders and rights holders to review the revised drafts and share feedback via the consultation portal: https://feedback.miningstandardinitiative.org/
Help us to shape the future of mining by participating in this second and final consultation.
Connect With Us
Critical Minerals Innovation Forum
London, United Kingdom • 5–6 November 2025
ICMM’s Co-Chief Operating Officer, Aidan Davy, will speak on a panel examining supply gaps, surging demand, and political uncertainty – and what these trends mean for the future of critical minerals.
More information can be found here
United Nations Climate Conference: COP30
Belém, Brazil • 12–18 November 2025
ICMM will participate in several sessions at COP30 in Belém, engaging in high-level discussions on responsible mining, transparency, and the role of standards in accelerating a just, sustainable energy transition.
A full summary of ICMM’s confirmed and anticipated engagements can be found here.
Resourcing Tomorrow
London, UK • 2-4 December 2025
ICMM’s CEO and President, Rohitesh Dhawan, will be delivering the opening keynote at Resourcing Tomorrow exploring how responsible mining can enable a just transition. Find out more here, including details for a 15% discount.
Investing in African Mining Indaba
Cape Town, South Africa • 8-12 Feb 2025
ICMM will be on the ground at Indaba. Exact details of the sessions are to be confirmed, but please keep an eye out on our website in the coming months.
In the meantime, you can register here for 10% off.
