The Royal Mint ESG Credentials
Introduction to The Royal Mint
Established over 1,100 years ago, The Royal Mint is the oldest organisation in the UK and the original
maker of world-class precious metals products. The brand is synonymous with trust and quality
craftsmanship and The Royal Mint is known globally for producing market-leading gold, silver and
platinum bullion coins and bars. The Royal Mint’s most popular bullion ranges include; the
Sovereign- regarded by thousands of investors as ‘the chief coin of the world’- and the iconic
Britannia- the 2021 version of which has been credited as the most visually secure bullion coin in the
world, due to the addition of four state-of-the-art security features which are visible in the latest
design.
In recent years, The Royal Mint has also built a portfolio of physically-backed, digital precious metals
solutions, whereby customers can purchase fractions of investment-grade bullion bars. The
physical bars that back the digital products are stored securely at The Royal Mint’s onsite vault in one
of the most secure locations in the world and outside of the financial system. Included within this
digital portfolio are;
- DigiGold- designed for individuals who either want to accumulate digital gold, silver or
platinum over the long term, or make instant trades in-line with market volatility.
- Little Treasures- designed for parents and grandparents who want to set up a long-term
digital gold savings plan which they can then gift to their child or grandchild.
- Gold for Pensions- this allows your SIPP or your SSAS to hold, manage and sell physical gold
from within your pension.
- The Royal Mint Physical Gold ETC- launched in partnership with ETF issuer, HANetf, The
Royal Mint’s gold-backed ETC was launched on the London Stock Exchange in 2020 with the
ticker symbol RMAU.
The Royal Mint’s ESG Credentials
The Royal Mint is committed to upholding the highest ethical standards, and will only work with
precious metals suppliers who share their values, and comply with their strict criteria.
- Procurement Team: The Royal Mint employs an in-house procurement division, including an
experienced team dedicated to the ethical sourcing of precious metals. The procurement
team undergo regular training with key industry bodies, such as the World Gold Council, to
ensure that their processes remain current and relevant.
- Partnerships: The Royal Mint is an active member of the London Bullion Market Association
(LBMA). The LBMA is the independent authority on precious metals and ensures the highest
levels of leadership, integrity and transparency for the global precious metals industry by
advancing standards and developing market solutions. By working in collaboration with the
LBMA, The Royal Mint is at the forefront of developments in relation to ethical practices in the
precious metals sector. The Royal Mint also holds a strong partnership with the World Gold
Council, adhering to their Retail Gold Investment Principles. These principles are aimed
primarily at the providers of gold investment products and work to encourage best practice,
so that customers can feel confident that they are choosing to purchase from responsible
sources.
- Supplier Checks: The Royal Mint uses refiners on the LBMA’s ‘Good Delivery List’, which ensures
that any gold products supplied were refined from 2012 onwards, in-line with the
implementation of the LBMA’s Responsible Gold Guidance. The Royal Mint’s Physical Gold ETC-RMAU-was one of the first ETCs to be backed by 100% post-2012 LBMA-approved gold bars. In
addition to applying the globally recognised LBMA standards, The Royal Mint exercises
additional checks and measures to ensure that precious metals are responsibly sourced, and to
provide customers with peace of mind. All precious metals suppliers are subject to thorough
background checks, and must agree to The Royal Mint’s stringent policies on employment
practices, anti-money laundering, and anti-child labour practices, amongst others.
- External Audits:The Royal Mint commissions external, third-party audits twice per year to verify that ethical procurement standards have been adhered to. The most recent audit, conducted by Alex Stuart International, into The Royal Mint Responsibly Sourced Physical Gold ETC, confirmed that 100% of the physical bars used to back the product were post 2019 LBMA good delivery bars, without exception
Future Plans
The Royal Mint is also planning to support The World Gold Council by providing additional
support to UK trade partners to help them adhere to the Responsible Retail Principles.
The Impact of Gold
According to The World Gold Council, ‘when analysed on a ‘per US$ value’ basis, gold has amongst
the lowest emissions intensity of all metals and mined products’. Furthermore, annual demand for
gold is met by a combination of newly-mined and recycled metal. Recycled gold now generally
makes up between 25% and 30% of annual supply and initial research suggests that the rate of
decarbonisation of the gold sector may be faster than many other sectors of the economy.