Responsible Mica Initiative
Companies that buy mica from India and Madagascar working together to end child labour in mica mining.
How it counts towards a grade
- Supportive: it counts in its favour but isn't proof on its own
What it is
The Responsible Mica Initiative brings together cosmetics, paint, car and electronics companies that use mica, the mineral that gives make-up its shimmer. Members report their mica purchases every year, fund school and income programmes in mining villages, and have the processors that buy mica from mines audited.
What it checks
- Members report where their mica comes from every year
- Mica processors are audited
- Funding for schools and incomes in mining villages
What it doesn't
- Most mines still aren't traced, and its own estimate is that children make up about a tenth of mica miners in India and half in Madagascar
- Run and funded by its members
- Membership doesn't show a brand's own mica is traced
Brands with Responsible Mica Initiative: 4 brands
NIVEANo living wage evidence · Beauty & personal careSkin, body and sun carePublishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.Lacks transparencyPartly verifiedGarnierAbuse of workers link, last recorded in 2020 · Beauty & personal careHair care, hair colour and skincarePublishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.Lacks transparencyPartly verifiedL'Oréal ParisAbuse of workers link, last recorded in 2020 · Beauty & personal careMake-up, hair colour and skincarePublishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.Lacks transparencyPartly verifiedMaybelline New YorkAbuse of workers link, last recorded in 2020 · Beauty & personal careMass-market make-upPublishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.Lacks transparencyPartly verified