The Energy and Mines Commission of the Congress of the Republic approved a bill that proposes establishing a regulatory framework for the progressive elimination of mercury use in artisanal and small-scale mining. The initiative must be debated and voted on in the Plenary before continuing its process toward the Executive.
This development marks an important moment for the sector, reinforcing the need to continue promoting alternatives to mercury use and to support the stakeholders involved in progressive transition processes.
In this regard, at Pure Earth Peru, we consider that these types of initiatives represent an opportunity to further strengthen the work being carried out in the field, promoting practical solutions and advancing mercury-free technologies that can be adopted gradually and sustainably.
Likewise, this context makes it possible to reinforce a key message: moving toward mercury-free processes not only responds to a potential future regulation, but also to the need to reduce risks to health and the environment, in line with trends that are already consolidating across the region.
At Pure Earth Peru, we have been working for more than 12 years on the implementation of alternatives to mercury use, supporting miners in the adoption of responsible technologies and in improving their practices.
In this sense, we reaffirm our commitment to continue contributing through technical evidence and field experience, helping ensure that this transition is carried out in a progressive and informed manner, in line with the realities of the sector.
Finally, it is important to highlight that, if this proposal is approved, its implementation will need to comprehensively and carefully consider the various factors involved in artisanal mining, incorporating measures that adequately support the transition process in order to ensure its long-term sustainability and minimize potential unintended effects, such as the emergence of informal or illegal mercury markets.
