The Rise Of Ethical Jewellery Due To Global Warming

This year, there have been many global meetings regarding the issues of global warming. Fashion brands are slowly changing their ways into making sure they are more sustainable and ethical.

Jewellery brands are also facing the same issues as the fashion world. It is even more difficult for jewellery brands to be more eco-friendly. Nonetheless, there are initiatives in place to make sure that the materials are mined ethically.

Mining is one of the biggest contributors to global warming. Furthermore, the packaging that jewellery companies use for their product is unlikely to be eco-friendly. Making it harder to recycle.

The packaging that is used for jewellery is over the top. Yes, it keeps the jewellery protected but the packaging might not be recyclable. Nonetheless, these brands are changing ways to make sure that they are becoming more sustainable and ethical.

Why Is It Difficult to Make Jewellery Eco-Friendly?

As mentioned earlier, mines are one of the largest contributors to global warming. Additionally, making sure mines are more eco-friendly is highly difficult due to the machinery. Not to mention the number of mines around the world that are functioning. If they make a lot of money, they will continue to provide the materials. That is just how the world works at the minute.

The materials used for jewellery are likely to be mined from the ground. Due to new technology, gemstones can be created in a lab. It reduces CO2 emissions although they continue to produce CO2. However, it is a step forward.

Mines today are still underpaying their staff or not paying them at all. The majority of the countries that mine the materials for jewellers are LDCs (Less developed countries). Slavery is still a big issue around the world and in the fashion industry. Nonetheless, many countries have acknowledged the issues regarding slavery and are now acting upon it.

Jewellery brands around the world try their best to find where the materials have been mined from. It is unlikely to find this information with jewellery that was mined years ago. Technology can be used to track where the materials have been mined from. Blockchain technology is created so that it can track all of the finer details of gemstones and other materials.       

Due to the machinery that mines use, it will be difficult to reduce the CO2 gases that are produced. The only thing possible is to reduce the demand for new materials and gemstones.

There are many ethical issues when it comes to mines around the world. A lot of miners will either be working for nothing or less than minimum wage. Additionally, are a few organisations that help with the trading of materials and gemstones that are unethical. Both fairtrade and Fairmined are great for this and have had a massive impact already.

The Concerns of Protecting The Environment and The Eco-Friendly Considerations

Mining these products has a massive impact on global warming. Global warming activists are in constant protest to reduce the number of mines functioning due to the carbon dioxide produced.

Mass-farming for pearls also affects the environment. This is because the organisms are washed off which leads to more organic waste. This is bad for the environment because fish and other animals cannot break down the nutrients. It leads to deoxygenation which is a chemical reaction that removes oxygen atoms from molecules. 

What Is The Jewellery Industry Doing To Reduce CO2 Emissions?

 There are a couple of things that jewellery brands are doing to make sure their products are eco-friendly. For starters, the majority of the brands in the jewellery industry will use recyclable packaging. Additionally, more jewellery stores are opening and are only selling second-hand jewellery such as vintage jewellery.

Some of the best styles of jewellery come from previous years where it has attention to detail. There are many couples out there that would buy a vintage engagement ring. The reason is that it is more eco-friendly for the environment. Furthermore, vintage jewellery stores sell a lot of signet rings that are very much in style at the moment.

Rules and Regulations for The Jewellery Industry

In the past few years, initiatives have been launched to combat the ethical and sustainable issues the whole world is facing. Here are some that have had a massive impact on the industry. Regarding the ethical and sustainable production of jewellery.

Fairtrade Gold & Fairmined Gold

According to metal focus, around 560 tonnes of gold is mined from small-scale mines. Small-scale mining is mines without machinery or very little machinery. These will be more common in less developed countries. It is highly likely at these small scale mines. That they are paying the miners very little money or it could be slavery. There will be annumber of human rights violations at these small-scale mines as well. However, this has been recognised in the 21st century and initiatives such fairtrade and fairmined gold have launched. Fairmined gold is a label that confirms the materials that have been mined are ethical. They have managed to work with over 377 businesses since their launch back in 2014.

Kimberley Process Diamonds

Mining diamonds is highly damaging for the environment as well as unethical. Kimberley Process formed to reduce the conflict around diamonds, also known as blood diamonds. It is common for the less developed countries that the mines are run by corrupt governments and militias. Something that the Kimberley Process wants to be a stop to.

They began back in 2000 and had a big impact on the jewellery industry. In fact, they have been responsible for filtering around 99.8% of the global production. Not to mention that they have worked with 583 countries around the world including all of those that are in the European Union.

To Summarise

The world is currently facing a lot of issues regarding global warming. There are aims that organisations have set for the world that need to be achieved in very little time. Jewellery is one of those industries which is struggling to find a more eco-friendly way of producing jewellery. In hindsight, it is all about the consumer and not buying new gemstones unless they are from a lab or it is vintage.