On Monday, CRED's Greg Valerio was one of the great and the good of the
UK's diamond jewellery industry meeting at the Foreign Office to discuss the
Kimberley Process (referred to as KP) and how it may be reformed to
become credible again.
The main questions asked
focused on the issue of Human Rights which is currently not accepted
under the definition of 'conflict diamond'.
The
outcome of the discussions was very positive, with all the parties
agreeing that Human Rights should be included under the mandate for KP.
It may sound obvious, but it is not quite as straight forward as that.
KP
is an intergovernmental process of which all the main diamond source,
processing and consuming countries are members. So when countries who
don't agree with the inclusion or definitions of Human Rights, the
process can be complicated and slow - especially when these countries
are where the majority of rough diamonds are taken to be cut &
polished or jewellery is manufactured
Greg's own view
on the process is that "the industry now needs to put pressure on
countries that are opposed to Human Rights being a mandatory feature of
the KP. These countries need to understand that by resisting their
inclusion they are devaluing and ultimately undermining the future value
of the diamond trade and their role within that trade"
CRED's policy on diamond sourcing is consistent with our gold policy,
namely we insist on mine to market traceability and given the current
confusion surrounding the KP, CRED have begun a review of all their
sources to double check that our commitment to being the worlds leading
ethical and fair trade jewellery company is being lived up to.
Today Greg Valerio is heading down to the Foreign Office (UK) to discuss the Kimberley Process (referred to as KP) and how it may be reformed to become credible again.
Today the discussions at the Foreign Office will include: 1) Should the KPs definition of conflict diamond be expanded to include Human Rights?
2) If the KP is not able to address Human Rights issues are there other
mechanisms that could address these issues in the diamonds supply chain
(i.e. RJC Chain of Custody scheme /OECD guidelines / NAG/BJA plans)
3)Time Permitting - Other industry concerns/views about the KP/System of warranties/consumer confidence etc
Greg would love to be able to represent the views of consumers and jewellery industry members at the meeting so please let him know your thoughts by leaving a comment on his blog, or tweet @gregvalerio.
We love Livia Firth. She has made the fashion industry sit up and take notice of green issues. By adorning herself in the most stunning eco, sustainable and ethical fashion and fairtrade accessories on the red carpet she has shown that it is worth it's place there. And now the big names are getting involved - starting at last night's Golden Globes where Livia wore Armarni:
You may be thinking 'surely anyone wearing a vintage Armarni can call it eco'...but this isn't vintage. It is brand new...well not brand new - recycled. Yep, you heard right. An Armarni dress made from recycled plastic bottles! Wow!
Livia has been blogging about her Green Carpet Challenge on Vogue.com. she says 'Being Italian, I grew up with Giorgio Armani (figuratively
speaking). Indeed during my youth there were only two names that
symbolised Italian elegance in fashion: Armani and Valentino. To
open the GCC 2012 with a stunning bespoke eco gown by Giorgio
Armani - well, that is unreal.'
Read her amusing tale about the bespoke design process on Vogue.com.
Livia promises more big names and top design statements in 2012, including Chanel, Gucci, YSL, Tom ford and Stella McCartney. The Green Carpet Challenge has come on in leaps and bounds since it started with a worn-again wedding dress at the Golden Globes in 2010. Since then she has worn ready-to-wear gowns from sustainable designers, bespoke designs from innovative eco fabrics, and my favourite - the amazing creation of upcycled vintage fabrics from the 1930's making the stunning Oscars 2012 outfit completed with the first ever Fairtrade and Fairmined gold marked jewellery, made by CRED Jewellery.
2011 was an amazing year for CRED, Fairtrade gold and the Jewellery industry. To give ourselves a boost into the new year and all that 2012 could bring we are reminding ourselves of our 2011 highlights. What would yours be?
1. Fairtrade gold launched
On Valentines Day 2011 Fairtrade gold was certified for the first time with the joint Fairtrade and Fairmined Gold mark. When CRED began 10 years ago we came up against opinions in the jewellery industry that tracability could never be reached for gold and precious stones. So we worked hard to build up relationships with small scale group Oro Verde who mine gold to fairtrade and ecological standards that we developed together - these standards became the basis for the Fairtrade gold certification. All gold with this mark is independently audited so the system is open and transparent. Our gold has always been fairtrade, but now we have an extra stamp to prove it. Read more about Fairtrade and Fairmined gold.
The first jewellery made that was stamped with the new Fairtrade and Fairmined mark was...
2. CRED Jewellery on the Oscars red carpet.
The first certified Fairtrade gold to arrive in the UK was whisked straight off to be made into an exclusive collection for Livia Firth to wear on the Oscars red carpet as she accompanied husband Colin Firth to pick up the Best Actor award for The Kings Speech. Designed by Anna Loucah, the earrings and cocktail ring were made from CRED ethical white gold with ethical diamonds and dramatic aquamarines - all from traceable sources. So CRED jewellery was paraded to the world and talked about on Vogue.com. The collection was then auctioned in aid of Oxfam for a record breaking £25,000. More pieces from the Juana collection are available from CRED.
3. Greg wins ethical campaigner of the year
15 years after setting up CRED Jewellery Greg Valerio was recognised in June for his work with the Observer Ethical Award for Campaigner of the Year. His vision has always been 'to make it culturally unacceptable to buy any jewellery that is not fairtrade or ethically responsible'. Greg accepted the award from Livia Firth alongside Americo Mosquero, a miner from Oro Verde Colombia - a poignant moment - but more about that next...
4. Americo's Trip
After working with us since we offered fairly traded Gold 10 years ago, Luis Americo Mosquero, one of the miners from Oro Verde in Colombia, finally came to the UK. We brought him over for the summer launch of Fairtrade Gold at London Jewellery Week as the representative of Oro Verde and the artisanal miners. In the short time he was here Americo had a whirlwind tour including the usual tourist stops, and adding in a few extras including hanging out with Colin Firth, accepting an award, giving a speech to the jewellery industry, and meeting influential players. His father used to joke about leaving the Chocco rainforest in Colombia and going to London, and Americo has finally lived his dream many years later.
5. CRED on TV
Throughout 2011 CRED were on TV talking about fairtrade, gold, diamonds, awards, fashion and generally being called upon for our expert opinion, and often to input a positive story where the news seemed negative. The Channel 4 Dispatches programme in June caused many a debate about the sources of gold, but we could confirm that it is possible to buy from truly traceable and ethical sources. similarly with the negative news that the Kimberley Process has received we talked to Channel 4 news about ensuring we offer traceable stones from ethical mines. Great News! See some of our videos on YouTube
What a year! As
well as this top 5, in 2011 we also launched a new website, hosted a
party for Fairtrade UK, hosted an ethical jewellery show as part of London Jewellery Week, held a competition for MA students... The appearance of Fairtrade gold in unusual places, such as on top of
Chichester Cathedral, and in a Banana shaped necklace in Denmark, also
made the news...
Thank you to everyone for your support this year. It has been amazing. Read our 2011 Highlights
Through the campaigning and ethical jewellery produced we know that together we are making a positive impact on the lives of the Fairtrade miners, and the jewellery industry is starting to take notice.
The journey continues with our Winter Sale starting tomorrow, and fresh new ethical jewellery collections in the new year - so stay tuned.
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