ESG

Give an ethical Valentine's present

No jewellery-maker won full marks in HRW report on gold and diamond supply chains

Staff reporter

This article is 6 years old. Images might not display.

The advocacy organisation has gone through the supply chains of 13 big jewellery makers and found big gaps between company sourcing policies and practices.

HRW ranked Boodles, Chopard, Christ, and Harry Winston as ‘weak' in responsible sourcing and Tanishq was ‘very weak'. Companies were judged on making sure their precious metal and stone suppliers were not buying from artisanal mines with child labour or other exploitative labour practices.

The best-ranked out of the companies was Tiffany & Co, which HRW said could track its gold right back to an individual mine, with Chopard and Cartier also commended for their links to producers.

Rolex and two other companies refused to tell HRW anything about their supply chains.

Juliane Kippenberg from HRW said jewellers needed to make more of an effort.

"Many jewellers can do more to find out if their gold or diamonds are tainted by child labour or other human rights abuses," she said.

"When someone buys a piece of jewellery for their loved one this Valentine's Day, they should ask their jeweller what they have done to find out about its origin."

HRW said Boodle and Christ had pledged to do better after being questioned on their supply chains.

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining Journal Intelligence team.

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining Journal Intelligence team.

editions

ESG Mining Company Index: Benchmarking the Future of Sustainable Mining

The ESG Mining Company Index report provides an in-depth evaluation of ESG performance of 61 of the world's largest mining companies. Using a robust framework, it assesses each company across 9 meticulously weighted indicators within 6 essential pillars.

editions

Mining Journal Intelligence Global Leadership Report 2024: Net Zero

Gain insights into decarbonisation trends and strategies from interviews with 20+ top mining executives and experts plus an industrywide survey.

editions

Mining Journal Intelligence Project Pipeline Handbook 2024

View our 50 top mining projects, handpicked using a unique, objective selection process from a database of 450+ global assets.

editions

Mining Journal Intelligence Investor Sentiment Report 2024

Survey revealing the plans, priorities, and preferences of 120+ mining investors and their expectations for the sector in 2024.