It's not just diamonds – did you know your gold could be irresponsibly sourced?
So y'all've ditched plastic straws and you're thinking of switching to an electric car. Y'all spend your weekends at farmers' markets (toting your own reusable bag, of course), clothe yourself in fair merchandise fashion, and slather yourself in organic beauty products. Yous're stayingwoke. Good on you.
Just did you know your jewellery could be irresponsibly sourced?
READ: How eco-fashion is no longer a hippie pipage dream
If you were on the market place for an engagement ring or a dress spotter, and wanted to know where the raw materials came from, you'd probable meet a few expressionless ends.
While it'south possible to find jewellers and watchmakers that utilise ethical diamonds in their designs, the same cannot be said of the gold used to fix the stones or shape the watchcases.
That'south because much of the gold mining industry is largely unregulated. Across the world, miners are often field of study to poor and unsafe working conditions. You lot've probably read (correct hither on Channel NewsAsia) nigh cavern-ins or miners being trapped underground for days before being rescued.
And then at that place'due south the issue of environmental deposition resulting from bad practices. In pocket-size-scale gold mining, mercury is used to carve up the gold from the ore. In many cases, mercury waste ends upwardly in rivers and lakes, poisoning the ecosystem.
Thankfully, some companies at the top end of the gilt supply chain are taking the offset steps towards positive change.
Chopard is 1 such firm. In 2013, the family unit-owned company announced that it would transition to Fairmined golden, a sustainably-sourced aureate certified past Due south African mining NGO the Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM).
Five years later, in July 2018, the Swiss jeweller-watchmaker declared that 100 per cent of the gold used in its production was now upstanding. This meant all of its gold was sourced from one of two traceable routes.
The kickoff is from small-scale-scale mines certified by the Swiss Better Gold Association (SBGA), Fairmined and/or Fairtrade schemes. The 2d is from the Responsible Jewellery Council'south (RJC) Concatenation of Custody certification.
A Strong STATEMENT
Considering that Chopard uses about four tonnes of gilded annually – no small sum past any measure out – this move is a bold delivery to sustainability and a potent statement to the jewellery and watchmaking industry, and the consumers.
"At that place are different stages of ethical gold," Chopard'southward co-president and artistic director Caroline Scheufele told CNA Lifestyle, at a recent media luncheon in Singapore.
"For instance there's Fairmined, which goes (right to the source). Here we piece of work with mines that have carried out due diligence. The mines are (structurally audio). The miners take a fixed salary so they can organise their lives, their families, and send their kids to school. They still use mercury because it'south the way they mine, but it's not dumped into the rivers anymore."
Said Scheufele: "To me, the ultimate luxury is knowing that a product y'all've fallen in love with – whether it'due south a diamond ring or a spotter – has been produced in a beautiful way, not merely because it'due south beautiful to look at or has value considering of the diamonds and gold. In that location's transparency. You know that at that place were no kids (working) in the mines. You don't want to habiliment something cute knowing that a child was working."
To give customers the balls, each piece of jewellery or lookout made from Fairmined gold comes with a document, which states which one of the v accredited mines in Columbia, Republic of peru and Bolivia the aureate came from.
Fairmined golden typically costs five to x per cent more standard gilt, just Chopard made a delivery to absorb the boosted price from Mean solar day 1. "The consumer is not paying more. This is our… marketing expense. We will always back up that," said Scheufele.
THE JOURNEY'Southward But BEGUN
Scheufele's quest began several years ago over a cup of coffee with Eco-Age managing director Livia Firth, wife of Colin Firth, simply after he had won the Oscar for The King'south Oral communication.
The eco-evangelist had posed Scheufele a question. "Where does your gold come up from?" It stumped her.
From that point, Scheufele – who runs the business with her blood brother Karl-Friedrich – resolved to observe a definitive answer. Knowing that she had a long road ahead of her, she termed her quest "The Journey To Sustainable Luxury". The first fruits of her journey were revealed at the Cannes Movie Festival (of which Chopard is a key sponsor) in 2022 – the same year that the alliance with ARM was struck.
There, Scheufele unveiled the Green Carpet Collection, a new range of high jewellery made only from materials that could be traced to their origins and assessed by the ethical and social benchmarking standards of the Green Rug Challenge (GCC) Brandmark.
The GCC is an initiative spearheaded by Firth. French extra Marion Cotillard was the first glory to don these jewels – and fly the flag of sustainable luxury. Heavy hitters like Cate Blanchett, Charlize Theron and Julianne Moore followed presently after.
In the years since, Chopard released its kickoff watch made from Fairmined gold (the 50.U.C Tourbillon QF Fairmined); tied upwards with a Swiss gold refinery company to constitute a commercial export route for Fairmined gold; and began working Gemfields, a UK supplier of responsibly-sourced coloured gemstones.
At Milan Mode Week in September, Scheufele took part in the second edition of the Greenish Carpet Awards by designing the Award statuette. The statuette was made from ethical gilt, and presented to 13 winners at the ceremony.
"Sustainability is something we all have to look at today," Scheufele said. "And I think the luxury industry should exist the first ones to make examples."
As for how she feels at present that 100 per cent of the visitor'southward gold is certified ethical, Scheufele said: "I sleep a bit ameliorate! But it'southward not over. In that location'south yet a lot to be done in other areas. There's all the coloured stones."
"It's going to take a couple more than years," she said. "It's a large field."
Looks like Scheufele has her work cut out for her.
Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/style/fairmined-gold-jewellery-ethical-sustainable-chopard-cannes-238436
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