It’s hard to resist the sparkle of diamonds, but it’s also hard to ignore the environmental impact of both mined and lab created stones. We all want to do our part to keep the planet healthy, but how do you really know what is going on with that glittering diamond that you’re coveting?
Enter SCS Global Services, a leader in third-party sustainability certifications for over 40 years. The company helps clients achieve certification to stand out in the market, make credible claims, and avoid greenwashing with its SCS Certified Sustainability Rated Diamond certification program. These diamonds adhere to the highest standards of social and ethical performance with unsurpassed traceability back to the source. In collaboration with IGI a link to the SCS Sustainability Rated Diamonds certificate can be added to the IGI report for qualifying diamonds.
The Promise
“In an industry often scrutinized for its environmental and social impact, consumers are expecting and demanding transparency. Independent verification helps to build credibility and trust,” says Kat Weymouth, director, diamond and jewelry services at SCS. “Before the SCS-007 Standard for Certified Sustainability Rated Diamonds was created, existing frameworks only addressed individual parts of the diamond supply chain. None touched on the complete supply chain or environmental sustainability. The SCS Sustainability Rated Diamonds Certification program provides jewelry retailers and their consumers transparency and due diligence around the environmental and ethical performance of the diamond supply chain.”
According to Weymouth, consumers have become increasingly aware of the origins and ethical implications of their purchases, leading to a spike in demand for verifiable provenance of diamonds. Those who buy an SCS Certified Sustainability Rated Diamond, will also receive a digital Sustainability Rated Diamond Certificate, which shows the diamond’s overall sustainability score based on five criteria.
The Five Criteria
The criteria used to evaluate the diamonds are:
- Verified origin traceability, so that each diamond may be traced back to its source based on testing and auditing protocols for the highest possible source-to-market certainty.
- Ethical stewardship aims to provide protection for workers, communities and the environment in keeping with best practices.
- Sustainable production practices work towards achieving net zero impacts on production related environmental and human health.
- Net zero carbon footprint by taking measure to improve efficiencies in energy and operations.
- Sustainability investments to improve the diamond producers efforts to better their operations and supply chains while contributing to projects that help communities protect the environment.
By choosing to measure and assess their operations against this science-based standard, diamond suppliers can be held accountable by a neutral, independent, unbiased third-party assessment. Businesses that are openly communicative with their objectives help build trust with customers and stakeholders.
Are Lab Grown Diamonds More Sustainable Than Natural Diamonds?
Consumers often ask, which is more sustainable natural or lab grown diamonds? No diamond can claim complete ‘sustainability’. All production processes consume nonrenewable resources. “SCS Sustainability Rated Diamonds Certified Producers are committed to demonstrating sustainability against the 5 pillars. They are required to show improvement year over year by taking active measures such as improving efficiency in energy and operations demonstrating a commitment to achieving the greatest level of sustainability possible,” Weymouth concludes.
