ASM = Artisanal and Small-scale Mining
Fair ASM Silver is not certified by a 3rd party as it was purchased during a year when the mine of origin was not certified for silver. However, we have full traceability of origin for this material and are very confident about the fair mining practices at the time of purchase, which is why Fairever assures its responsible origin.
Fair standards
The small-scale mining organizations from which this silver originates, operate currently under Fairtrade or Fairmined standards and have a long-standing reputation for their strong sense of responsibility towards people and nature. The workers receive a fair wage for their work. Protective clothing as well as health and safety training are mandatory. Abusive child labour is prohibited. All these responsible mining practices have been widely covered by positive reports by NGOs and the media.
Fair ASM Silver is very scarce and precious, as it is only found as a by-product in responsible gold mining. 1 kilogram of doré gold (containing approx. 800 grams of gold) contains only approx. 80 to 150 grams of silver. So we need to sell 7 to 12 times more gold than silver! The costs in small-scale gold mining are naturally much higher than in industrial silver mining. In addition, segregated refining is relatively cost-intensive.
