Jewellery industry urged to use Fairtrade and Fairmined gold

The jewellery industry now has the opportunity to materially improve the lives of thousands of disadvantaged artisanal and small-scale miners in South America. Artisanal and small-scale miners, who produce just 15 % of global gold supplies, yet account for 80 % of labour in gold extraction, experience high levels of poverty, the Fairtrade Foundation will explain. Speaking at his seminar “Making Fairtrade and Fairmined Gold a Reality: How can the jewellery industry use Fairtrade and Fairmined gold to improve the lives of miners and their communities?” on 5 September 2010 at International Jewellery London 2010’s Great Debate, Greg Valerio, Business Development Manager for Fairtrade and Fairmined gold, will explore how dirty gold and other ethical issues have become a growing concern to the consumer and the trade alike. The seminar will stimulate debate, provoke thought, share ideas and prompt action around how the Fairtrade Foundation and the Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM) are responding to the ethical challenge presented by current industry practice by combining their expertise in a unique partnership to improve the livelihoods of this marginalised group of miners.

Fairtrade and Fairmined certified gold, the world’s first independent ethical certification system for gold and associated precious metals, will enable businesses, from designers and retailers to fabricators and distributors, to offer their customers the guarantee of a product which has been responsibly mined. The dual certification scheme will provide companies with a platform to position themselves at the cutting edge of industry innovation by demonstrating their commitment to fair sourcing practices to their customers, suppliers and wider stakeholders such as trade bodies and government and shape the supply chains of the future.

Companies interested in applying for certification of gold products such as jewellery, commemorative coins, ingots, medals, trophies and religious artefacts should register with the Fairtrade Foundation. Fairtrade and Fairmined gold will be initially launched in the UK and then rolled out to other countries with a long term vision of capturing 5 % of the gold jewellery market over a 15-year period, totalling 15 tonnes of Fairtrade and Fairmined gold annually. Fairtrade and Fairmined gold will be co-labelled, bearing both the Fairtrade and Fairmined Mark, in order to present to the consumer the strength of the partnership between the two organisations.

Fairtrade Foundation