A Hierarchy OF 'ETHICAL' METALS

There are more ethical metal options now than ever before, which is great, but in our opinion not all ethical metals are equal in terms of the good that they actually do.  This is the hierarchy that we implement in our business and we will be adding blog posts as to why this is in the coming weeks and months.  Where possible, we will implement this policy from 1st to 5th.

 1st - Fairmined Gold - Fairmined gold was the label developed by ARM (Alliance for Responsible Mining) and in our opinion represents the best solution for miners, their communities and the environment.Learn more about Fairmined gold

2nd - Fairtrade Gold - A Scheme aligned to the fairtrade brand which ensures full traceability, is independently audited and guarantees miners and their communities a good price for their gold plus a premium to help with business and community projects. Learn more about Fairtrade gold.

3rd-Ecosilver - Silver bullion available in the UK to jewellery manufacturers make from 100% recycled silver from jewellery, giftware and electronics.

4th- Recycled metals (General) - Various metal dealers offer 100% recycled gold and platinum products though there is no 3rd part accreditation system or auditing.

5th - 'Normal' metal - These are metals that come from the open market and are untraceable.

In our opinion there is a case for using untraceable metals when there is no other option, provided a donation is made to an effective charity.  The basis for this is the approach is outlined by effective altruism in a short video you can see here.

Whilst using 'normal' metals may mean that the metal has come from a mine where working conditions are poor and workers are paid badly, money from that sale can be used to help tackle extreme poverty which is the reason why people have no option but to work in these conditions in the first place. 

Metal that does not come with the guarantees and safeguards that our 1st to 4th choices come with is cheaper, therefore a donation of 5% of the retail price of all jewellery sold using normal metals with be donated to givewell.org on a quarterly basis.

This metal will generally contain up to 80% recycled metal, though this is industry standard and represents no systematic change in the jewellery supply chain.

SO WHY DOES FAIRMINED COME OUT ON TOP?

In our opinion, Fairmined helps the greatest number of people gain access to fair market prices and the information and education they need to build their communities and businesses.  They are, as an organisation, well organised and dedicated to their mining partners but also their retail partners offering fantastic support to jewellers and jewellery manufactures, helping them with marketing material and information to support their work.

As well as allowing certified small scale mines to access better prices, they receive a premium to cover the cost of certification and to build community projects.

Fairmined is linked to ARM - The Alliance for Responsible Mining, a grassroots organisation that was created in 2004 to work to transform artisanal and small scale mining (ASM) sector into a socially and environmentally responsible activity.

ARM now help communities in Latin Ameria and Africa to meet these standards.

FAIRTRADE GOLD

The Fairtrade gold system is very similar to Fairmined and they are a very close second.  Fairtrade, like the Fairmined label ,was linked to ARM at the beginning, however, the decision was made to create separate labels, one reason being that the Fairtrade label was an already well-known brand name. For the full story about the creation of Fairtrade gold, read ‘Making Trouble’ by Greg Valerio, The Fight for Fair Trade Jewellery.

RECYCLED GOLD

There are various 100% recycled metal options available and although we are happy to incorporate these into our jewellery and our business, we feel they offer only a slight upgrade on gold and precious metals from normal channels.

For metals such as platinum or palladium, where no initiatives like ‘fairtrade platinum’ or ‘Fairmind palladium’ exist, 100% recycled metals are the best option.

There has been a sporadic supply of Fairmined silver, as silver is often a by-product of gold mining, however, this is limited.

We feel that the benefits of using recycled metals are minimal and are often overstated.  The harm that the gold industry does is not reduced by using ‘recycled’ metals. Close to 100% of all the gold, silver and platinum ever mined has been re-used or ‘recycled’. This has always has been the case, nobody has ever thrown away gold.  Yet, the industry is still responsible for exploitation and significant environmental damage.  This would suggest that ‘recycling metals’ is not the answer to the problem(s).

For jewellers and brands, using and communicating about recycled metals represents the easy option.  Both Fairmined and Fairtrade gold require registration and fees, whereas using recycled metals do not.  It allows jewellers to look like they are taking steps to change the industry when they are not.

Recycled metals do not represent a change, they do nothing to help miners, their communities or repair the damage to the environment caused by gold mining.

‘NORMAL’ METALS

In our opinion there is a case for using untraceable metals when there is no other option, provided a donation is made to an effective charity.  The basis for this is the approach is outlined by effective altruism in a short video you can see here.

Whilst using 'normal' metals may mean that the metal has come from a mine where working conditions are poor and workers are paid badly, money from that sale can be used to help tackle extreme poverty which is the reason why people have no option but to work in these conditions in the first place. 

Metal that does not come with the guarantees and safeguards that our 1st to 4th choices come with is cheaper, therefore a donation of 5% of the retail price of all jewellery sold using normal metals with be donated to givewell.org on a quarterly basis.

This metal will generally contain up to 80% recycled metal, though this is industry standard and represents no systematic change in the jewellery supply chain.