Chopard has vowed to use 100% ethically sourced gold in all of its jewelry and watch collections by the end of July, the company said last week.
The jeweler has created an in-house gold foundry that will give it complete oversight of all processes from the manufacturing stage to the finished product.
“As a family-run business, ethics have always been an important part of our family philosophy,” said copresident and creative director Caroline Scheufele during a press conference at the Baselworld jewelry and watch fair. “The luxury comes only when you know the handprint of your supply chain, and I am very proud of our gold-sourcing program.”
Beginning in July, Chopard will procure its gold from only two traceable sources. One is artisanal freshly mined metal from small mines participating in the Swiss Better Gold Association (SBGA), Fairmined and Fairtrade schemes. The other is gold from the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) Chain of Custody, through Chopard’s partnership with RJC-certified refineries.
Celebrity supporters of the brand, including Colin Firth and Julianne Moore, attended the Baselworld conference.
In February, Human Rights Watch ranked Chopard as “weak” in a report examining the sourcing practices of 13 leading jewelry companies.
