Press Release: The Diamond Development Initiative (DDI) has released the draft standards for its Development Diamonds ethical certification project. The goal of the project is to help ensure that the more than 1.5 million artisanal and small-scale diamond miners become part of broader efforts to promote responsible business practices. The Development Diamond Standards (DDS) project is a collaborative effort with support from civil society organizations (CSOs), governments and industry.
According to the organization, artisanal and small-scale diamond miners in Africa and South America produce an estimated 15 percent of global gem diamonds and constitute the most vulnerable part of the jewelry supply chain.
Until now, it says, most responsible practices certification schemes have been unable to cover artisanal and small-scale mining, because the miners largely operate informally and cannot realistically access standards designed primarily for formal entities.
It believes that the DDS will ensure that artisanal diamond miners have achievable, realistic and rigorous standards for their special needs.
“At this stage, the main goal is to demonstrate proof-of-concept by piloting the Development Diamond Standards on a small scale – and then tracing the diamonds produced from the mining site through to the retail end of the market,” said Ian Smillie, chair of DDI. “This is a very complex process and a lot of work still needs to be done, but the benefits to some of the world’s poorest people could be enormous.”
The standards are being field tested in Sierra Leone, with planned expansion to other countries. The goal is to refine the draft standards by testing them in environments that reflect actual conditions on the ground, with independent third-party verification and a supply chain traceability process from mine-to-market that is credible and practical for the diamond and jewelry industry as well.
“Over the development of this project, we’ve stressed the importance of a standards system that is credible, achievable by artisanal diamond miners and viable for downstream actors in the global diamond pipeline as well,” said DDI executive director Dorothée Gizenga.
“This means that the input we receive from the DDS consultation will complement the feedback DDI is getting from the practical application and testing of the standards on the ground.”
The draft standards have been developed in consultation with governments of artisanal and alluvial diamond producing countries, members of the global diamond industry, civil society organizations, and most notably, in direct consultation with artisanal diamond miners in Sierra Leone, Brazil, Central African Republic, and Congo (DRC).
The Tiffany & Co Foundation has provided major support for the DDS project since its inception. Additional funding has been received from Brilliant Earth, Cartier International, the German Government (GIZ) and the JCK Industry Fund.
The public comment period is open until July 31.
