The ethical gold rush: Chopard leads gilded age for guilt-free jewellery
The luxury French group Kering has bought more than 3.5 tonnes of ‘responsibly produced’ gold since 2015 for its Boucheron, Pomellato, Dodo and Gucci brands
Forget how many carats — how ethical is your gold? As high-end consumers demand to know the origin of their treasures, some jewellers are ensuring they use responsibly sourced, eco-friendly or recycled gold.
Specialised producers now tack a “fair-mined” ecologically friendly label on their output, and the Swiss house Chopard last year became the first big name to commit to “100 per cent ethical” creations.
We are trying to maximise the proportion of Fair-mined and Fair-trade gold – but their modest production is in great demand so the bulk of our sourcing remains recycled gold
The Geneva-based firm, which makes the Palme d’Or trophy for the Cannes Film Festival, says it now uses only verified suppliers of gold that meet strict standards to minimise negative environmental impacts of mining the precious metal.
Among the many certificates and standards claiming to codify “responsible” goldmining, two labels stand out.
They are “fair-mined” gold — a label certified by a Colombian NGO — and the more widely known “fair-trade” label launched by Swiss foundation Max Havelaar.
Both support artisanal mines that seek to preserve the environment in terms of extraction methods, along with decent working conditions and wages for the miners.
Such production remains limited — just a few hundred kilograms annually. Global gold output by comparison totals around 3,300 tonnes.
Good as recycled gold