What Are CMRT, EMRT, AMRT?

Article Highlights:

• At the heart of the global shift toward greater transparency in mineral sourcing are standardized reporting templates, the most widely used of which are the CMRT, EMRT, and AMRT.
• First released in 2013, the CMRT was developed to help companies comply with the U.S. Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, Section 1502, which requires publicly traded companies to disclose whether their products contain certain minerals sourced from conflict-affected and high-risk areas (CAHRAs), particularly the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the nations adjacent to it. 
• Launched in 2021, the Extended Minerals Reporting Template (EMRT) is another standardized document from the Responsible Minerals Initiative. The EMRT currently covers cobalt, mica, copper, natural graphite, lithium and nickel. 
• The Additional Minerals Reporting Template (AMRT) is the latest reporting tool introduced by the Responsible Minerals Initiative. AMRT is designed to support due diligence efforts for the sourcing of minerals not covered by the CMRT or EMRT, and was launched in response to regulatory, stakeholder, and customer pressures around sustainability and forced labor risks in global supply chains. 

In today’s global supply chains, transparency around the sourcing of minerals and related materials has become a non-negotiable requirement for companies manufacturing and selling products on the international market. Increasingly stringent regulations, industry expectations, and investor pressures are driving manufacturers to understand not only what materials are in their products but also where those materials originated.

The consequences for failing to establish sufficient supply chain transparency—or sourcing critical minerals from conflict zones or other dangerous territories—are very real. This past December, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) sued Apple over allegations that the tech giant was sourcing 3T minerals (tin, tantalum, and tungsten) from illegal operations in the country. A criminal complaint stated that Apple was “laundering minerals from conflict zones,” as well as carrying out "misleading business practices to assure consumers that supply chains are clean." Incidents like these not only inflict reputational damage, but also throw a business’s compliance status in doubt, potentially increasing their chances of attracting regulatory scrutiny in the future. 

At the heart of this shift toward greater critical mineral transparency are standardized reporting templates that enable companies to gather, manage, and share information about the origin of specific minerals. The most widely used templates are the CMRT, EMRT, and AMRT—reporting templates that each address a specific group of minerals and associated due diligence requirements.

What Is the CMRT?

The Conflict Minerals Reporting Template (CMRT) is a standardized reporting template created by the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI). First released in 2013, the CMRT was developed to help companies comply with the U.S. Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, Section 1502, which requires publicly traded companies to disclose whether their products contain certain minerals sourced from conflict-affected and high-risk areas (CAHRAs), particularly the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the nations adjacent to it. 

The CMRT covers four minerals specifically, which are collectively known as 3TG: Tin, Tantalum, Tungsten, and Gold. These minerals are often referred to as "conflict minerals" due to their historical link to funding armed conflicts in central Africa. 

The CMRT allows companies to gather information from their suppliers about the presence of these minerals in their products, the country of origin of the minerals, and the smelters and refiners used to process them. The template provides a standardized, digestible format for communicating this critical information.

In addition, the CMRT facilitates supply chain due diligence aligned with the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas. The CMRT is typically updated once or twice a year by the RMI to reflect changes to the list of known smelters and refiners, as well as to improve functionality. The most current version as of 2025 is CMRT 6.5.

The CMRT is available through the Responsible Minerals Initiative, and can be accessed here. 

What Is the EMRT?

The Extended Minerals Reporting Template (EMRT) is another standardized document from the Responsible Minerals Initiative, launched in October 2021. While the CMRT focuses on 3TG minerals, the EMRT was created to address growing regulatory and market demands for due diligence on additional minerals considered critical for clean energy, defense, and high-tech industries.

Specifically, the EMRT currently covers cobalt, mica, copper, natural graphite, lithium, and nickel (it can be updated at any time). These minerals are facing increasing scrutiny due to their potential ties to human rights concerns, including the child labor issues and unsafe working conditions that are often prevalent in artisanal and small-scale mining operations. Like the CMRT, the EMRT collects supplier declarations regarding the presence and origin of these minerals in their products and the smelters or refiners processing them.

The EMRT is used by downstream companies to comply with voluntary initiatives, investor expectations, and emerging regulations. Examples of these regulations include the EU Battery Regulation, which imposes due diligence obligations on companies sourcing cobalt and lithium for batteries. The EMRT uses a similar structure and workflow to the CMRT, making it easier to complete for suppliers already familiar with conflict minerals reporting processes. The most current version as of 2025 is EMRT 2.0.

The EMRT is available through the Responsible Minerals Initiative, and can be accessed here.

What Is the AMRT?

The Additional Minerals Reporting Template (AMRT) is the latest reporting tool introduced by the Responsible Minerals Initiative. AMRT is designed to support due diligence efforts for the sourcing of minerals not covered by the CMRT or EMRT. The AMRT was formerly known as the Pilot Reporting Template (PRT) and was launched in response to regulatory, stakeholder, and customer pressures around sustainability and forced labor risks in global supply chains. 

The AMRT was officially launched in October 2024. As of 2025, the most current version is the AMRT 1.21. As with the CMRT and EMRT, the AMRT aligns with the OECD Due Diligence Guidance and leverages a similar supplier declaration structure.

The AMRT is available through the Responsible Minerals Initiative, and can be accessed here. 

Why Mineral Reporting Matters

Mineral reporting templates aren’t just administrative exercises. They serve as essential tools for companies to manage their regulatory compliance risks, meet customer and investor expectations, and engage in responsible business practices within complex global supply chains. Because of ESG, sustainability, and growing geopolitical concerns, there is arguably more scrutiny of critical minerals and their sourcing than ever before. 

Mineral reporting templates aren’t just administrative exercises. They serve as essential tools for companies to manage their regulatory compliance risks, meet customer and investor expectations, and engage in responsible business practices within complex global supply chains.

Failing to adequately trace the source of minerals can lead to a variety of consequences, including:

• Regulatory penalties (particularly under U.S., EU, and Canadian laws).
• Customs enforcement actions (such as import bans under UFLPA).
• Reputational damage and loss of customer trust.
• Increased scrutiny from ESG rating agencies and investors.

On the other hand, proactive minerals due diligence and transparent reporting can help companies strengthen their ESG credentials, improve supply chain resilience, and prepare for future regulations targeting other critical materials.

How Z2Data Simplifies Minerals Reporting

Managing CMRTs, EMRTs, and AMRTs across thousands of suppliers can quickly overwhelm compliance teams—especially as their customer requests and regulatory obligations multiply. This is where Z2Data’s Responsible Minerals solution provides a significant operational advantage.

Z2Data offers a centralized, scalable platform for:

• Requesting, collecting, and managing CMRT, EMRT, and AMRT declarations from your global supply chain.
• Monitoring critical minerals regulations and emerging due diligence requirements in one up-to-date regulatory database.
• Tracking smelters and refiners against the latest RMI conformant lists to flag high-risk or non-compliant sources.
• Automating supplier outreach and reporting processes, resulting in lower manual effort and a reduction in human error.
• Integrating mineral sourcing data into broader ESG, compliance, and product stewardship programs.

By leveraging Z2Data’s capabilities, companies can move from reactive compliance to a proactive, data-driven minerals management strategy—one that not only meets today’s obligations but prepares them for tomorrow’s evolving regulations on critical materials.

Managing Reporting Templates With Z2Data

As responsible sourcing expectations expand and regulations grow more complex, companies need clear, reliable tools to gather and manage minerals sourcing data. The CMRT, EMRT, and AMRT are the industry’s foundational reporting templates for achieving this high degree of transparency, and each addresses different material groups and compliance drivers.

These templates are critical, and managing them effectively across a diverse and globalized supply chain requires scalable, intelligent solutions. The functionalities offered by Z2Data’s Responsible Minerals tool help companies centralize their reporting workflows, ensure supplier accountability, and maintain up-to-date compliance in a fast-moving regulatory landscape.

To learn more about how Z2Data can help you streamline your critical minerals reporting and compliance processes, contact our team today or request a demo.