The Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with various industry groups, marking the parties’ commitment to boost the supply of responsibly sourced gold from artisanal small-scale mines.
RJC inked the MoU with Swiss Better Gold Association (SBGA), Better Gold Initiative for ASM (BGI) and Max Havelaar-Foundation (Switzerland) (MHCH) for Fairtrade. “By acting together, the parties are embracing the opportunity to significantly increase the volume of artisanal small-scale mined (ASM) gold to the market, and thus advance the economic and social wellbeing of ASM miners and mining communities in Peru, Bolivia and Colombia,” said RJC.
According to RJC, the ASM gold sector’s potential as a powerful driver of community-based and environmentally sound development in some of the poorest places in the world has been clearly demonstrated, provided programmes promoting it are carried out properly. A necessary step towards a socially responsible and ecologically sound industry is the legalisation/formalisation of mining operations to improve their efficiency and productivity, and to meet social and environmental operating standards, the council added.
Collectively, the parties will support the production of five tonnes of responsibly produced gold and its entry into “ethical” gold markets by 2020. The public-private partnership has developed compelling incentives for responsible ASM operators to participate in certification for at least half (2.5 tonnes) of the gold produced while the SBGA/BGI programme of work will support the formalisation of up to 50 artisanal mining operators.
Fabian Waldmeier, director of International Cooperation at MCHC, working to promote Fairtrade products to the Swiss market, commented, “The signing of the MOU marks an important cornerstone for our work in gold as we believe that collaboration is needed to expand the reach and hence the impact of all the different initiatives working in the ASM gold sector including ourselves.”
The agreement will enable the parties to communicate a coherent and collective vision to the “downstream” market of the importance of, and means by which, to develop responsible ASM suppliers. According to Laurent Favre, SBGA president, “This agreement sets a solid basis for dialogue and collaboration both on the corporate and the field levels; a collaboration which will primarily benefit artisanal and small-scale miners, the ultimate beneficiaries of all our efforts.”
Andrew Bone, executive director of the RJC said, “Through this collaboration, we will work closely with these organisations to promote sustainability and ethical business practices in the jewellery supply chain. Together we can leverage each other’s knowledge and expertise regarding the challenges and issues the industry faces to instil a responsible supply chain and promote consumer confidence in the watch and fine jewellery industry. We are looking forward to a rewarding and mutually beneficial collaboration between our organisations.”
News Source: jewellerynet.com
Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and TJM Media Pvt Ltd. is not responsible for any errors in the same.
