Dear members and stakeholders,
The global coronavirus pandemic is affecting all of our families, our businesses, our communities, and our way of life. During this time, we wanted to reach out and update you on our current activities.
First and foremost, we are dedicated to our Members First Strategy. We are focused on the health and safety of our employees, families and communities. We have developed additional guidance for our members which can be found on our dedicated COVID-19 webpage. Due to the ongoing risks of the COVID-19 virus and the current operational challenges, the RJC is providing temporary exceptional measures on audit flexibility.
Second we continue to engage with all our members and all our stakeholders around the world. Check out our Progress Report and RJC rebranded video. We joined the United Nations Global Compact Leaders’ Summit and we will launch our SDG Roadshow soon. We welcome you to join us for the LBMA Panel on Thursday 23 July and we will also be participating in the JCK Virtual Event from 10-14 August. We are proud to partner with Diamonds Do Good who are hosting a virtual gathering on Thursday 30 July.
Third, as we deal with this pandemic, we remain focused on supporting our members in their business continuity. RJC was founded in 2005 with the core values of Respectful and Fair-Honesty, Integrity and Accountability and Open Collaboration - and they continue to guide everything we do today. Our team is working closely with our members to support them in these unprecedented times. We have also set up smaller workstreams on the implementation of the Code of Practices. We are proud of our strong engagement with the Plumb Club who are leading the way forward.
This moment in history reminds us that we’re all connected like never before. On behalf of all of us at RJC, we’re committed to being your partner. This is the decade of delivery and SDG 17 Partnerships matter.
As we go forward, we will keep you updated, and we welcome your suggestions on commmunications@responsiblejewellery.com.
Stay safe.
Kindest regards,
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Six month extension to audit deadlines
Due to the ongoing risks of the COVID-19 virus and the current operational challenges, the RJC is providing temporary measures on audit flexibility to support our members. We are prolonging the duration of our six-month audit extension deadline for members with an in-person or “onsite” audit schedule for the period March 1 to August 31, 2020.
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COVID- 19 Remote Audit Derogation
We all recognise the benefits of flexibility and support during challenging times. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect business operations and continuity across all sectors of the jewellery and watch industry, in addition to the six-month extension for all onsite audits RJC has developed a mechanism to increase eligibility for remote audits, applicable for Code of Practice (COP) re-certification audits and mid-term reviews, due or scheduled from now until 31 December 2020. More information can be found here.
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If you have any queries please email: Daylia.Brown@responsiblejewellery.com
Visit our dedicated COVID-19 webpage for regular updates.
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Special interview with Diamonds Do Good
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Diamonds Do Good - virtual gathering
Join Diamonds Do Good for an exciting panel titled 'Global Perspectives for the Future of Our Industry' on Thursday 30 July at 11am (EDT). Read our special interview with Nancy Orem Lyman, V.P. Executive Director, Diamonds Do Good below.
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What is the purpose of Diamonds Do Good?
The inspiration for the Diamond Empowerment Fund came from Nelson Mandela in 2007. He encouraged our founders to tell the good story behind diamonds which were so important to the socio-economic development of Southern Africa.
Over the past 12+ years the Diamond Empowerment Fund’s mission has supported programs that develop and empower people in diamond communities around the world. Our message to tell the good diamonds do has resonated with consumers and the trade over these same years. Consumers have a better image of the natural diamond industry and are more interested in purchasing a natural diamond after reading our ‘do good’ stories. Many members of the industry now identify their own sustainability programs under the ‘do good’ banner and use #diamondsdogood in their Instagram posts.
Seizing on this clear identification of our mission, and which we trademarked in 2014, we have now extended our Diamonds Do Good identity beyond consumers to the trade and media and are doing business moving forward as Diamonds Do Good.
What are the major challenges Post-Covid? What is next on the agenda?
Traditionally we have received almost all of our support through our ‘Diamonds Do Good’ dinners held in Las Vegas on the eve of the JCK show.
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This clearly did not happen. But the organisation took a positive approach during the dark days of the virus and its spread.
We continually shared stories of how the industry was giving back and included a “COVID-19” section to our website which highlighted stories of how industry members were giving back during the pandemic. We were going to announce the winners of the first annual Diamonds Do Good Jewelry Awards in partnership with JCK at our event. We had asked industry members to share stories of how doing good was part of their successful business model. Instead, we made all the submissions into stories and launched them on DiamondsDoGood.com here. The winner will now be announced during our Virtual Global Gathering. We are anticipating our Global Gathering to be a success and plan to run other in the months to come.
How can RJC Members support your excellent work on the ground?
It would be great if they would put the Diamonds Do Good logo on their websites with a link back to our website and share our mission/message with their customers and retail partners. Helpful information can be found on our site here.
Donations of any size are always welcome! Donation page link is here.
And of course, attend the global gathering - registration link is included below.
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RJC hosts panel discussion at the United Nations Leaders Summit
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We took part in the United Nations Virtual Leaders Summit earlier this month where RJC a hosted deep dive panel discussion titled ‘SDG Impact through the Jewellery Industry’.
The panel covered the entire span of where the jewellery industry began its sustainability journey, and where we are today.
Moderated by RJC's Executive Director, Iris Van der Veken, the panel featured leading pioneers from across the jewellery industry:
- David Bouffard, Chair of Responsible Jewellery Council and Vice President, Corporate Affairs at Signet Jewelers Ltd.
- Gaetano Cavalieri, President, World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO)
- Feriel Zerouki, Senior Vice President of International Relations and Ethical Initiatives at The De Beers Group of Companies
- Nere Teriba, Founder and Vice Chairman of Kian Smith Trade & Co
- Bernadette Pinet-Cuoq, Executive President, Union Française de la Bijouterie, Joaillerie, Orfèvrerie, Pierres et des Perles (UFBJOP)
- Raj Mehta, Director, Rosy Blue NV
- Giorgio Bodei, Director of Production and Planning, Pomellato
More than 20,000 sustainability champions attend UN Global Compact’s 20th anniversary Leaders Summit online - with nearly 150 people visiting RJC's virtual booth space at the summit.
Read our blog post to get an insight in to the discussions held during our deep dive session.
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WEBINAR: The Gold Jewellery Industry in the Pandemic - Now and Future'
23 July | 1.30pm (BST)
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Join RJC at the LBMA Virtual Summit - where we will be speaking at a session titled 'The Gold Jewellery Industry in the Pandemic - Now and Future'.
Gold jewellery accounts for nearly 60% of global gold demand.
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Join a group of gold industry experts and influencers to review the impact of COVID-19 on the gold jewellery supply chain, how the industry will be affected in the future, and how it can deal with the growing pressure to support artisanal gold mining.
Speakers:
- Iris Van der Veken, Executive Director, RJC
- Philip Olden, Independent Consultant (Moderator)
- Mark Hanna, Chief Marketing Officer, Richline Group, Inc.
- Neil Harby, Chief Technical Officer, LBMA
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Uniting for positive recovery
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Here at the RJC, we have joined hands with more than 150 leaders across the UK to call on Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, to build the United Nations Global Compact’s (UNGC) 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) into the UK recovery plans.
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We believe the SDGs are pivotal to help us recover and drive positive change for future generations to come as we enter a post Covid19 era.
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Find out more about the campaign here.
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We are proud to announce RJC's Executive Director, Iris Van ver Veken has been elected as a new member of the ISEAL Board. The Board includes representatives from nine of their full member organisations. It guides the strategic direction of ISEAL’s work and provides oversight of annual work plans and budgets.
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Take part in ISEAL's Credibility Principles public consultation
Since launching in 2013, ISEAL's Credibility Principles have become an international reference for the foundations of credible practice for sustainability standards. This year the principles are being updated to reflect current and future trends in the sustainability landscape as well as expanding their scope beyond sustainability standards to include a wider range of systems.
ISEAL is now encouraging everyone with an interest in what credible practices look like for sustainability standards and similar systems to give feedback on the revised version of the principles. Learn more and take part in the consultation by visiting the consultation page. The first round of consultations is open until 31 July 2020. For any queries, please contact kimberly@isealalliance.org.
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You're Invited to the Women's Jewelry Association's Biggest Celebration of the Year!
Join WJA on Monday 27 July at 7:00pm (EST) for a sparkling line up of speakers, including notable authors and a TED Talks speaker who will share how we can confidently lead into the future.
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The celebration will feature highlights of WJA programming, including their mentorship lifecycle and grants and scholarships offerings, and live conversations on diversity and the power of mentorship.
To find out more about the event and purchase tickets:
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Happy Birthday month to UN Women
Celebrating 10 years of promoting women empowerment, women’s rights and gender equality all over the world.
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To read more and find out all the great things they have been doing to place women’s rights, priorities and voices centre-stage click here.
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Diamond Insight Report July 2020
The second issue of the De Beers Group Flash Report is now available reflecting consumers views as we pass through the stages of the global pandemic. The study has also been widened to include retailer sentiment. Click here.
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Jewelry Trend Report Fall 2020
Read Natural Diamond Jewelry Fall Trend Report, created by industry powerhouses, is your guide to the hottest diamond jewelry styles for all consumers and price ranges.
Click here.
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