The Responsible Jewelry Council (RJC) has released its latest progress report, along with a joint video featuring leaders in the global diamond, jewelry and watch industry citing collective action as an accelerant for positive change.
Cannes Film Festival 2021
The report and video were both released at ‘Ethical Gold’, an event hosted by the Better World Fund and supported by the United Nations Environment Programme, planetGOLD, in Cannes during Cannes Film Festival 2021. Titled “Create Bautiful,” the 3+ minute video highlights the jewelry and watch industry’s progress in moving sustainability from an afterthought to a major driving force of change.
As stated by Iris Van der Veken, Executive Director for the RJC:
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.
Watch: “Create Beautiful”
Membership approaching 1,500
RJC is the world’s leading standard-setting organization for the global jewelry and watch industry. The International Gemological Institute has been an RJC member since 2009. There were 222 new or renewing member companies that signed up in 2020, bringing the number of new and renewing members to 1,023 and the membership total to over 1,450.
See the 2021 Progress Report
RJC continues to engage closely with NGOs as well as government and industry, exchanging ideas and action on how to increase promotion of human rights due diligence across the supply chain. RJC’s strategic partnership with the United Nations Global Compact was formed in the interest of advancing sustainability actions. The platform enables RJC members to showcase their progress towards the 17 Sustainable Development Goals through the implementation of the Code of Practices.
David Bouffard, Chair of RJC commented:
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.
The RJC Code Of Practices
All RJC members are accountable to their Code of Practices. To achieve ‘certified’ status, members must complete an independent third-party audit to prove their conformance to the Code of Practices, with further audits required to renew certification every 1-3 years.
The RJC Member Register is a publicly searchable list of all current members of the RJC.
Speakers in the “Create Beautiful” video
- Sergey Ivanov, CEO, ALROSA
- Jean-Christophe Babin, CEO, Bvlgari
- Cyrille Vigneron, President and CEO, Cartier International
- Bruce Cleaver, CEO, De Beers Group
- Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., Co-Founder, Diamonds Do Good
- Christoph Grainger-Herr, CEO, IWC Schaffhausen
- Catherine Rénier, CEO, Jaeger-LeCoultre
- Michael Lerche, President, The Plumb Club
- Sue Allchurch, Chief, Outreach & Engagement, United Nations Global Compact
- David Bouffard, Chair, Responsible Jewelry Council
- Iris Van der Veken, Executive Director, Responsible Jewelry Council
- Daylia Brown, Membership Services Manager, Responsible Jewelry Council
