A Replicable Protocol for Mercury-Free Artisanal Gold

Eliminating Toxic Mercury From 100 Million Lives

Fifteen to twenty million artisanal miners work outside the formal economy, paid in cash by intermediaries who control price and timing. Mercury poisons their communities. Their gold is untraceable. PACTO changes that — giving miners financial agency, eliminating mercury, and producing the traceable gold that the public wants and refiners and regulators urgently need.

20M
Artisanal miners worldwide
100M
Lives dependent on artisanal gold mining
12,000
Pounds of toxic mercury released daily
$80B
Annual market (500 tons at current prices)

The Broken System

Despite a half-billion-dollar investment and 150-nation accord, toxic mercury use is surging. Miners aren't choosing this—they're trapped. Without banking access or financial agency, they're prey to intermediaries who tilt the scales and dictate prices. It's a rigged game: inefficient processing and predatory buying quietly strip miners of 60–90% of the value of their labor.

Technology alone has never worked. Providing equipment and training doesn't fix broken economic structures.

PACTO works.

The PACTO Solution

Mercury-free processing technology has existed for decades. What never existed: a scalable, replicable system to deploy it. PACTO is that breakthrough—the world's first scalable coexistence protocol.

PACTO is the protocol under which locally-owned processing plants operate. Those plants buy raw ore directly from mining communities before mercury is ever used, process it clean, and pay miners fairly and immediately. The result is traceable, mercury-free gold that commands premium prices from refiners and satisfies Minamata Convention compliance requirements that 150 signatory nations have committed to but none has solved at scale.

PACTO is designed as a replicable protocol — built to scale globally, not to own or operate each plant, but to establish the standard and payment infrastructure that makes the model work everywhere. Dynacor's $200M+ annual ore-buying operation in Peru proves the unit economics. PACTO provides the complete operational framework — proven economics, digital payment infrastructure, community engagement protocols, supply chain transparency — that makes it replicable across any geography.

Direct Ore Buying

Eliminating exploitative intermediaries, creating transparent pricing

Mercury-Free Processing

Professional processing recovers 90%+ of gold while eliminating contamination

Digital Payment Infrastructure

Near-instant settlement directly to miners with full transparency

Why Now

Building the Leadership Team

For the first time in history, a scalable protocol exists to eliminate toxic mercury from artisanal gold mining. PACTO is actively seeking a CEO and partners to compose the executive team, with a Board of Directors to be established in the next phase.

This is an opportunity to transform 100 million lives while building a profitable, scalable business. Equity is structured as a genuine partnership — commensurate with the scope of the role and the scale of impact.

What we're building: A $2M seed round to deploy the first PACTO processing operations, prove the model at scale, and establish infrastructure for global replication.

Full details of PACTO's implementation framework are available to potential partners upon contact.

View Cofounder Brief Support This Mission

Where PACTO Works

Across the Global South, from Latin America, Africa, and Asia—20 million people are dependent on artisanal gold mining, waiting for infrastructure that makes mercury-free processing economically viable.

Mt. Illimani, Bolivia and August 15th Mining Cooperative Village

Mt. Illimani (21,122'), Bolivia and August 15th Mining Cooperative Village

The Foundation

PACTO is built on decades of field experience and the world's leading scientific authority on mercury elimination in gold mining.

Toby Pomeroy

Founder and Chairman

Fifty years in the jewelry industry and two decades of mercury elimination fieldwork through Mercury Free Mining nonprofit. Deep operational relationships in mining communities from Colombia to Ghana. Pioneer in digital payment solutions for artisanal supply chains. Recipient of the IAC Inaugural Award for Leadership in Responsible Practice in Jewelry, 2018. Founder of PACTO and architect of the coexistence protocol that makes mercury-free artisanal gold mining economically viable at scale.

Prof. Marcello Veiga

Scientific Advisor

Emeritus Professor, Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering, University of British Columbia. The world's leading authority on mercury elimination in gold mining. 44 years of field research across 35 countries. Advised Dynacor, Continental Gold, and governments worldwide on mercury-free processing protocols.

Florian Harkort

Strategic Advisor

Founder of Fairever, Germany's first certified Fairmined and Fairtrade precious metals dealer. Pioneer in responsible artisanal gold supply chains with direct mine relationships across Colombia, Africa, and beyond.

Let's Talk

Interested in the cofounder role, investment opportunities, or strategic partnerships?

View the Cofounder Brief or write to toby @ mercuryfreemining.org

PACTO | Protocol for Artisanal Coexistence and Transparent Operations