Global brands unite to drive sustainability best practices in jewellery & watch industry

Press release – Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC), the world’s leading standard-setting organisation for the global jewellery and watch industry, today [July 12] announced its latest progress report to showcase and encourage sustainability action throughout the supply chain. Findings show the number of new and renewing certified members increased globally to 1023, of which 222 organisations gained certification or recertification between January to December 2020. Citing collective action as an accelerant for change, the report was accompanied by a joint video titled ‘Create Beautiful’ featuring CEOs from some of the leading names in the jewellery and watch industry as well as special interest groups including ALROSA, Bvlgari, Cartier, De Beers, Diamonds Do Good, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, The Plumb Club, and the United Nations Global Compact. The report and video were announced in Cannes during Cannes Film Festival 2021, at ‘Ethical Gold’, an event hosted by the Better World Fund and supported by the United Nations Environment Programme planetGOLD.

Iris Van der Veken, Executive Director for Responsible Jewellery Council said, “Our latest progress report shows that the jewellery and watch industry shares an ambition to contribute to a better world. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) demand a joined-up and collaborative approach from all parts of the jewellery and watch industry. RJC is committed to working with its members, industry organisations like the World Diamond Council and CIBJO, civil society and government to energise action towards a more sustainable future for all. You cannot separate beauty and design from sustainability. And when you ask, ‘how is this made’ and commit to create beautiful things in a beautiful way, you make it possible to live in a better, fairer world – today and for future generations.”

Today RJC has over 1450 member companies globally (1420 at the date of the Report)  from mining to retail and, through its Code of Practices which is the industry standard, is an enabler for collective action by the jewellery and watch industry, towards the 17 Sustainable Development Goals .

David Bouffard, Chair of Responsible Jewellery Council added, “We were there more than 15 years ago when the industry came together to change the way it does business. By introducing a common set of industry-wide standards, we have collectively shifted sustainability from an afterthought to a fundamental business management practice. By transforming our supply chains to be socially and environmentally responsible, we are deepening consumer trust and safeguarding the future of our industry.”

RJC continued to engage closely with NGOs, government and industry, fostering the exchange of ideas and action on how to further operationalise human rights due diligence across the supply chain. RJC built on its unique strategic partnership with the United Nations Global Compact to advance sustainability action, including joining SDG Ambition. The platform enables RJC members to showcase their progress towards the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through the implementation of the Code of Practices. After extensive multi-stakeholder consultation, RJC launched Roadmap 2030 – an attainable pathway to help RJC members collectively achieve long-term impacts whilst contributing to the SDGs. RJC established the SDG Taskforce, consisting of 26 member companies, to co-ordinate and benchmark progress by member companies and the industry in delivery the 17 SDGs, presented according to the five pillars of sustainable development – People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace and Partnerships.

To support its commitment to remove barriers to change and accelerate progress, RJC released several translations of its core documents including French, Italian, Spanish and German, and delivered an extensive calendar of roundtables, conferences and training to members and non-members, virtually and in-person (where permitted). RJC’s SDG Roadshow included understanding and implementing the SDGs and SDG Compass, with sessions dedicated to SDG 5 Gender Equality, SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth, SDG 12 Responsible Production and Consumption, SDG 13 Climate Action, and SDG 17 Partnership for the Goals. A series of ‘how to’ training was provided to support members in the practical application of responsible management principles including, how to carry out Human Rights Due Diligence, how to implement the five-step OECD Due Diligence Guidance, how to develop and implement management systems, and processes for responsible sourcing. RJC released several toolkits including a Due Diligence Toolkit for the diamond and coloured gemstones industry.

Looking forward, RJC will continue to prioritise education and knowledge sharing as a key to embedding strong management systems, including the release of a Corporate Responsibility Toolkit for Small and Medium-size Companies to support smaller and independent organisations as they start their sustainability journey.