The Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM) has provided feedback to the proposed changes to the RJC Chain of Custody Standard (2019) during the first round of public consultation in 2022. Several proposed updates made to the standard have caught our attention and we would like to propose changes in order to promote a greater inclusion of the artisanal and small-scale mining sector in industry.
The Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) and its standards have become an important reference for responsible practices in the jewellery and watch industry. The association has more than 1500 members working in 71 countries committed to complying with the rules of at least one of its two standards:
- The RJC Code of Practices Standard (COP): enables ethical, social, human rights and environmental practices.
- The RJC Chain of Custody Standard (CoC): enables fully traceable and responsibly sourced practices.
Both standards are considered by numerous actors as key guidelines to define ethical and responsible practices for the industry.
RJC is currently reviewing its CoC standard, which offers the community interested in responsible sourcing a unique opportunity to advocate for greater inclusion of the ASM sector and for substantial changes that could facilitate the connection of this sector with major companies in the gold industry. We thus would like to invite all interested stakeholders to participate en masse in the public consultation led by RJC to make sure that these messages are heard.
Our objectives are:
- To narrow down the definition of the “recycled gold” so as to avoid the risk of misleading customers regarding the actual ESG impacts of recycling gold that is simply being re-refined.
- To expand the scope of mined material to include all legitimate ASM sources and to encourage the recognition by the RJC of legitimate and transparent ASM assurance schemes.
Do you share our goals? Participate in the public consultation!
You can use and adapt our key messages to submit your comments to public consultation to the RJC Chain of Custody standard by filling out this form here. Comments can be submitted as a “general comment” or against specific provisions of the CoC; as detailed in the form.
Comments must be submitted before December 19, 2022, to ensure they are taken into consideration.
For further information, please contact us at gro.s1713430427enime1713430427lbisn1713430427opser1713430427@mra1713430427
Gold has been recycled for thousands of years. It’s being used as a marketing tool by the jewelry industry that has no real benefit to the planet. Jewelers who use it are comfortable to sit on the sidelines and not recognize the real issues with gold mining and work to improve them.
Gold will be mined at the same pace every year with or without recycled gold because it is a commodity that has value and supports the lives of millions of miners around the world. Now that the United Nations has declared through the Minamata Convention the need to eliminate the use of mercury in small scale gold mining, it’s time for the jewelry industry to work with them and really contribute to making our futures better.