Oro Verde program partners to promote responsible mining of precious metals in Colombia

The Oro Verde program, located in Colombia’s poorest and conflict-affected region (Chocó), promotes responsible mining of precious metals through traditional extraction methods and technology transfer, with a view to commercialize the metals in specialized fair trade markets.

Certified material is sold by mining families (organized in 194 Productive Family Units) to an intermediary organization that sells it to an international trading company. In 2008, sales reached US$222.000 million, and over the last 5 years, 14.5% of the sales were reinvested in community projects. The project, which aims to break-even in 2013, is reducing the degradation of one of the richest yet most fragile ecosystems in the world, while preserving the culture of local communities and limiting their linkages with illicit cultivations and/or the armed conflict.

Further information


Categorisations

Partnership types

Doing business with the poor

Regions / countries / territories

Americas: Colombia

Global issues

Job creation and enterprise development; Environment and climate change

Business sectors

Extractive industries and chemicals