Sustainable and ethical jewellery certifications.
In a world where we are constantly informed by the effects that climate change has on our lives, most of us are trying to make the necessary changes to improve not only our quality of life but also the quality of life of the next generations to come.
You might have worked on your recycling and using less plastic, but have you thought about the sustainability of jewellery yet?
These days, with the overload of information, it’s easy to be a victim of greenwashing. Many companies claim to be sustainable, and it turns out that they are not sustainable at all. This is the reason why we made this list of certifications for you to ensure that you buy sustainable jewellery.
Ethical jewellery certifications
1. Fairtrade
Fairtrade Certified Gold is the world’s first ethical certification system for gold. When buying Fairtrade Gold jewellery, you can be sure that you are supporting small-scale miners who treat their employers fairly. These miners also protect the environment and make life better for themselves and their communities.
2. The Kimberley Process
The Kimberley Process is an international certification scheme. The Kimberley Process regulates the trade of rough diamonds. They aim to prevent the flow of conflict diamonds and also regulate the legitimate trade in rough diamonds. The certification scheme outlines the rules that govern the trade of rough diamonds. There is currently a set of minimum requirements that each participant must meet.
3. Responsible Jewellery Council
The Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) is the world’s leading standard-setting organisation for jewellery, as well as the watch industry. They believe that a responsible business is a good business, with no harm caused to people or the planet.
The RJC Code of Practices is the global standard for the responsible & ethical jewellery and watch industry. They focus on the business ethics of a company, as well as responsible supply chains. The Code of Practices covers all the primary minerals and metals which are used in the manufacturing of jewellery.
4. Institute for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA)
The Institute for Responsible Mining Assurance verifies the performance of mine sites. They do an audit on these sites in order to verify responsible mining practices. The certification ensures that the social and the environmental performance at mine sites worldwide is in line with responsible mining.
The results are available publicly, and it provides credible information to buyers who are interested in responsible sourcing of mined materials.
5. Fairmined
Fairmined certifies gold from empowered, responsible, artisanal, and small mining companies. Fairmined transforms the mining industry into an active force for good. They ensure social development as well as environmental protection, by providing a source of gold to be proud of.
Fairmined is backed by a strict 3rd party certification and an audit system that ensures mining organisations meet the leading standards for responsible practices, deliver organisational, social development and environmental protection.
6. B Corps
Businesses certified by B Corporations are ones that meet the highest standards of proven social and environmental performance, public transparency & legal accountability to balance their profit and purpose. B Corps encourages a worldwide culture shift to ensure that businesses build a more inclusive and sustainable economy.
How does Kleiderly contribute?
We have developed the first eyewear line made from recycled textiles, therefore we are creating a circular economy. At Kleiderly, we have a climate impact reduction potential of 7565 metric tonnes of carbon equivalent per year.
We aim to educate the community about sustainable living with our magazine.
Sources:
https://www.fairtrade.org.uk/buying-fairtrade/gold/
https://www.kimberleyprocess.com/en/what-kp
https://www.responsiblejewellery.com/about/history/
https://responsiblemining.net/what-we-do/approach/
https://fairmined.org/what-is-fairmined/
https://www.sustainablejungle.com/sustainable-fashion/sustainable-and-ethical-jewelry/#item%2013