A world where luxury reinvents itself, where each piece tells a story, and where sophistication and sustainability go hand in hand: these were the dominant themes for the talks and exhibition at the PRE-LOVED trade show held in Paris in mid-November.
- Recently returned from Botswana, Sandrine Conseiller, CEO of the De Beers Group brands, spoke about the often little-known ethical initiatives led by the De Beers Group. Having joined the company just under a year ago, she notes a huge gap between the actions undertaken and the general public’s knowledge of natural diamond mining, which still suffers from an image problem. Now an “activist”, as she puts it, she advocates for more dynamic, clear and visible communication. “Let’s take the risk of being contradicted and discuss it.”
- As a highly influential player in the natural diamond sector, the De Beers Group has the stature to shake things up and set new standards. It is powerful motivation for Sandrine Conseiller, and one of the reasons why she accepted the position.
- She cites the example of Botswana, a major diamond producer. “When you know that diamonds account for 30% of the country’s GDP, you feel you have a huge burden of responsibility,” she adds, citing the immense progress made thanks to the sound management of diamond revenues, access to free healthcare and education for citizens, and the De Beers Group’s investments to preserve the biodiversity of the Okavango delta so crucial for the country. All this progress for the population has enabled the country to live in a democratic regime.
- And what about carbon footprint? It is a real challenge in countries where renewable energy is non-existent. An agreement with EDF is in the pipeline in South Africa to set up the first carbon-free operation. This is a first step.
- “In a way, buying natural diamonds helps contribute to this sustainable and positive development”, continues Sandrine Conseiller, drawing inspiration from the spirit of the ‘Diamonds do good’ association. To do this, we need to give diamonds back their “positive narrative”. (Nelson Mandela himself was the first to talk about this – Editor’s note). “We will show that dreams and ethics go hand in hand,” she says, before concluding wisely: “We won’t try to be perfect, but we must do everything we can.”
Image : Sandrine Conseiller at the Pre-Loved Luxury Show in Paris
