As responsible sourcing continues to gain momentum in global supply chains, manufacturers and suppliers face growing scrutiny regarding conflict minerals and responsible mineral sourcing. The tools designed to help companies meet compliance and transparency goals—such as the Conflict Minerals Reporting Template (CMRT), Extended Minerals Reporting Template (EMRT), and the Additional Minerals Reporting Template (AMRT)—each serve distinct purposes. Although all three templates are part of the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI)’s toolkit, they differ in scope, content, and target audiences.
This article unpacks the key differences between AMRT, EMRT, and CMRT to help you select and use the appropriate template based on your compliance needs.
In this video, we break down the differences between the CMRT, EMRT, and AMRT—three critical tools developed by the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI) to help companies manage responsible sourcing and supply chain compliance.
The CMRT, developed by the RMI, supports companies in disclosing information related to four conflict minerals: tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold (3TG). It addresses U.S. SEC reporting requirements under Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.
Launched in 2021, the EMRT focuses on cobalt and mica, which are not covered under Dodd-Frank but have raised similar ethical concerns, particularly regarding child labor and environmental degradation. The EMRT was developed as a voluntary standard for responsible sourcing beyond 3TG.
The Additional Minerals Reporting Template (AMRT) is the latest addition to the RMI’s reporting suite. Introduced in 2024, the AMRT is designed for high-level reporting of mineral sourcing across multiple facilities or suppliers. It provides a way to consolidate and summarize supply chain information from various sources into a single dataset.
Each template serves a unique purpose depending on the type of mineral being tracked and the depth of data required.
Template | Primary Purpose | Typical Use Case |
|---|---|---|
CMRT | 3TG due diligence & SEC compliance | Electronics manufacturers, automotive OEMs |
EMRT | Due diligence for cobalt and mica | Battery producers, cosmetics companies |
AMRT | Aggregate data consolidation | Corporate-level reporting or summarizing supplier input |
CMRT is a regulatory compliance tool.
EMRT addresses ethical sourcing for minerals not regulated by Dodd-Frank.
AMRT allows for quantitative tracking, enabling businesses to report percentages or volumes of responsibly sourced materials.
CMRT: Tin, Tantalum, Tungsten, Gold (3TG)
EMRT: Cobalt, Mica, Graphite, Lithium, Nickel, and Copper
AMRT: Can include 3TG, cobalt, mica, and others, but focuses on quantities rather than just smelters
CMRT and EMRT identify smelters and refiners (SORs) involved in the supply chain.
AMRT goes a step further by quantifying sourcing volumes or percentages from responsible vs. non-responsible sources.
Sections include:
Company Information
Smelter List
Due Diligence Practices
Declaration
Dropdown options ensure standardized responses.
Also Excel-based
Features fields for:
Weight or percentage of mineral inputs
Sources categorized as RMAP-conformant, non-conformant, or unknown
Allows for mass balance tracking, which is a key innovation compared to the declarative nature of CMRT and EMRT.
CMRT & EMRT are typically completed by suppliers and shared with downstream customers.
AMRT is usually completed by corporate supply chain managers who gather data from multiple inputs and summarize it.
The granularity of data is also a differentiator:
CMRT/EMRT → facility-level or product-level
AMRT → enterprise-level
CMRT and EMRT are focused on compliance reporting—driven by customer demands and legal frameworks.
AMRT serves more of a strategic function, helping companies assess their sourcing performance over time and across regions.
This shift allows businesses to:
Set measurable sourcing goals
Track progress toward ESG commitments
Facilitate internal audits and sustainability reports
All three templates support smelter and refiner disclosure, but:
CMRT and EMRT require detailed identification of SORs used in the supply chain.
AMRT, in contrast, categorizes inputs based on responsibility metrics (e.g., % from conformant sources), which may or may not be directly linked to specific smelters.
This feature reduces complexity in aggregate reporting but may be less effective for pinpointing specific actors.
Companies may use these templates in tandem:
Suppliers complete CMRTs and EMRTs.
Corporates use multiple CMRTs and EMRTs to feed into an AMRT for overall summary reporting.
In this way, AMRT is not a replacement for CMRT or EMRT, but rather a complementary tool for higher-level decision-making.
Template | Benefits | Challenges |
|---|---|---|
CMRT | Legal compliance, widespread use | Data accuracy, SOR validation |
EMRT | Ethical sourcing visibility | Voluntary, less standardization |
AMRT | Strategic tracking, quantification | Requires advanced data aggregation |
Transitioning to AMRT requires companies to develop internal capacity to track volumes and percentages—something not required by CMRT/EMRT.
Here’s a quick decision guide:
Use CMRT if you handle electronics, automotive, or industrial goods and need to comply with conflict minerals legislation.
Use EMRT if your supply chain involves batteries, cobalt, or mica and you want to address social responsibility concerns.
Use AMRT if you want to analyze sourcing trends, evaluate supplier performance, or report on company-wide ESG metrics.
Choosing the right template—or combination of templates—depends on your industry, the minerals in your supply chain, and the purpose of your reporting. While CMRT and EMRT are essential for demonstrating responsible sourcing at the supplier level, the AMRT empowers companies to go further by quantifying their ethical sourcing practices at scale.
By understanding these distinctions, companies can better position themselves as leaders in responsible sourcing, meeting not only regulatory demands but also the expectations of customers, investors, and civil society.
Contact Enviropass to learn more about CMRT, EMRT, AMRT and how to assess your products against it.
