Identity · Origin · Conduct · Cooperation
The standard begins
before the supply.
Kikan.ca Inc. expects prospective gold and mineral suppliers to support lawful source, responsible conduct, traceable information and continuing risk review.
- Entry
- Disclose
- Review
- Substantiate
- Relationship
- Keep current
These standards describe Kikan’s developing baseline expectations. They are not a contract, certification, audit opinion or guarantee of approval. Kikan may apply additional or different requirements according to the party, source, product, jurisdiction, transaction and identified risk.
Purpose
Qualification is built on evidence and behaviour.
A supplier relationship requires more than a product offer.
Kikan’s intended supplier review considers the legal party, beneficial ownership and control, authority to supply, material origin, rights, production context, custody, people and communities, environmental risk, integrity and willingness to cooperate.
Information must be accurate, complete enough for the decision and refreshed when circumstances change. Acceptance into review does not create a commercial commitment, and an earlier review does not automatically approve a later shipment or transaction.
Nine baseline standards
What Kikan expects prospective suppliers to support.
The evidence requested will depend on the opportunity. Documents may require confirmation, translation, refreshment or independent professional review.
Legal identity
Provide reliable entity or individual identification, operating address, registration information and direct contact details.
Authority
Show who may represent the supplier, offer the material, negotiate terms and provide binding instructions.
Ownership and control
Disclose relevant beneficial owners, controlling interests, beneficiaries, intermediaries and changes in corporate structure.
Lawful source and rights
Support origin, ownership, mining or trading rights, licences, permits, taxes and authority to place the material into commerce.
Product evidence
Describe form, weight, markings, quality claims, assay basis, location and any material difference between samples and supply.
Traceability and custody
Maintain records that connect the source, aggregation, processing, transport, export and delivery pathway as applicable.
Responsible conduct
Address human rights, labour, health and safety, community, security, environmental and conflict-related risks.
Integrity
Reject bribery, falsified records, unlawful payments, sanctions evasion, money laundering and concealed third-party involvement.
Continuing cooperation
Answer reasonable questions, permit appropriate verification and promptly disclose material changes, concerns or incidents.
Non-negotiable boundaries
Some concerns stop the pathway.
Kikan may decline, suspend or disengage where severe impacts, illegality, deception or unmanageable exposure is identified.
Serious human-rights abuse, forced labour, the worst forms of child labour or abusive security practices.
Direct or indirect support to non-state armed groups, unlawful taxation, conflict financing or violent control of mineral activity.
Bribery, corruption, kickbacks, falsified records, fraudulent permits, deceptive assays or unexplained payment instructions.
Sanctioned, prohibited or unlawfully concealed dealings, including attempts to evade controls through intermediaries or alternate routes.
Stolen, unlawfully extracted or exported material, or source and ownership claims that cannot be reasonably supported.
Material misrepresentation, refusal to cooperate, retaliation against concern-raisers or failure to disclose significant changes.
Supplier onboarding
A staged request—not a document dump.
Kikan may change the sequence, stop review or seek additional evidence whenever new information changes the risk.
- 01Initial disclosure
Present
Explain the supplier, source, product, location, role, proposed route and commercial purpose.
- 02Counterparty review
Identify
Provide identity, authority, ownership and control information for relevant parties and representatives.
- 03Opportunity evidence
Substantiate
Support source, rights, product, custody and responsible-conduct information with relevant evidence.
- 04Escalation
Resolve
Clarify inconsistencies, address risk signals and complete any specialist or independent checks required.
- 05Controlled progression
Decide
Approve the next stage, impose conditions, pause, decline or require further work under defined authority.
- 06Ongoing duty
Maintain
Keep information current and support transaction-specific review, monitoring and records throughout the relationship.
Evidence categories
What may be requested.
The exact request will be proportionate to risk and does not imply that every listed item is sufficient or required in every case.
- Government or corporate identification
- Registration and operating address
- Ownership and control information
- Representative authority
- Banking and payment-party details
- Origin and operating location
- Licences, permits and rights
- Production or trading records
- Tax, royalty or export support
- Supplier and intermediary roles
- Product description and photographs
- Weight and quality information
- Assay or testing basis
- Custody and transport records
- Export, import and delivery pathway
- Labour and safety controls
- Human-rights and conflict risks
- Community and grievance information
- Environmental practices and incidents
- Corrective actions and monitoring
Risk response
Improvement may be possible. Approval is never automatic.
Where lawful and appropriate, Kikan may seek clarification, stronger evidence, an agreed improvement measure, closer monitoring or independent expertise. This can support responsible participation, including with legitimate artisanal and small-scale suppliers.
Kikan may instead pause or disengage when an impact is severe, when legal or sanctions risk prevents progression, when improvement is not credible or when the supplier will not cooperate. Commercial pressure does not override these boundaries.
Read the Responsible Sourcing ApproachDuring the relationship
Disclosure continues after onboarding.
A supplier should promptly inform Kikan of material changes involving:
Connected requirements
One standard sits within a wider review.
Understand the wider origin, people, environment and integrity approach.
↗ ControlsComplianceSee how parties, ownership, sanctions, trade route and settlement affect progression.
↗ OpportunityGold SupplyReview Kikan’s commercial pathway for qualified gold-supply opportunities.
↗Supplier questions
Direct answers.
Clear guidance for prospective suppliers and search systems.
Who can apply to become a Kikan supplier?
A lawful mine owner, producer, aggregator, exporter or other authorized supplier may present an opportunity. Submission does not guarantee acceptance, onboarding or a transaction.
What information does Kikan request from suppliers?
Kikan may request information about identity, authority, ownership, source, rights, product, custody, trade route, settlement and responsible conduct. The scope depends on risk and the proposed activity.
Does meeting these standards guarantee approval?
No. These are baseline expectations, not an approval checklist. Kikan may require additional review, impose conditions, pause or decline an opportunity.
Are small-scale and artisanal suppliers automatically excluded?
No. Kikan considers legality, origin, risks, evidence, controls and willingness to improve. Severe or unaddressed risks may prevent progression regardless of supplier size.
Does Kikan certify suppliers as responsible or conflict-free?
No. Kikan’s review does not itself certify a supplier, source, product or transaction as ethical, sustainable, conflict-free, OECD-compliant or LBMA-approved.
Can Kikan suspend an existing supplier?
Yes. Material changes, inconsistencies, incidents, legal restrictions or unresolved risks may result in additional review, conditions, suspension or disengagement.
Prospective suppliers
Present the source—not only the offer.
Introduce the supplier, authority, origin, product, route and available supporting evidence.