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PARIS, April 21 – Forget how many carats, what ethic is your gold? While high-end consumers demand to know the origin of their treasures, some jewelers make sure to use gold from responsible, environmentally friendly or recycled sources.
Specialized producers now add a "fair" eco-label to their production, and last year the Swiss company Chopard became the first big name to engage in "100% ethical" creations.
The Geneva-based company, which won the Palme d'Or Trophy for the Cannes Film Festival, claims to use only verified gold suppliers that meet strict standards in order to minimize the negative environmental impacts of the operation of the Cannes Film Festival. precious metal.
Among the many certificates and standards claiming to codify a "responsible" orpaillerie, two labels stand out.
This is the "fairmined" gold – a label certified by a Colombian NGO – and the better known "fairtrade" label launched by the Swiss Max Havelaar Foundation.
Both support artisbad mines that seek to preserve the environment in terms of mining methods, as well as decent working conditions and wages for miners.
This production remains limited – a few hundred kilograms a year. World gold production by comparison is about 3,300 tons.
Good as recycled gold
The jewelers concerned are keen to ensure that they can trace the source of their entire supply up to an ethical production cycle and to certified companies by the non-profit Responsible Jewelery Council, which has developed standards for the entire supply chain.
RJC members must adhere to the strict standards governing ethical, human rights, social and environmental practices in the precious metals industry.
The luxury French group Kering, which claims to have purchased more than 3.5 tonnes of "responsibly produced" gold since 2015 for its brands Boucheron, Pomellato, Dodo and Gucci, is committed to using 100 % "ethical" gold by 2020.
"We are trying to maximize the proportion of Fairmined and Fairtrade gold – but their modest output is in great demand. The bulk of our supply is therefore recycled gold, which is certified "RJC Chain of Custody," says Claire Piroddi, head of sustainable development responsible for jewelry and watches Kering.
Fairmined or Fairtrade gold costs about 10 to 12% more. However, recycled gold generates little extra cost, "said Piroddi to AFP, as it was already perfected for a lifetime in the form of jewelery or high-tech product.
Go further still, only using precious metals from electronic or industrial waste is an original idea developed by Courbet, a brand launched last spring.
"We do not want to promote mining or use recently mined gold, so we looked for suppliers who recycle gold used in graphics cards or computer processors. It's because we know today that more than half of the available gold reserves have already been extracted, "says Marie-Ann Wachtmeister, co-founder and Artistic Director of Courbet.
She says that the brand's order words are ethical and environmental conscience.
"In a mine, a ton of land can hold five grams of gold, while a ton of electronic waste can generate 200 grams," says Wachtmeister.
"Customers are also increasingly demanding an eco-friendly approach: they are aware of their day-to-day impact and consider where they are coming from," she added.
No walleye
"The question of the offer really resonates with the general public", adds Thierry Lemaire, general manager of Ponce, a jewelry company created in the trendy district of the Marais in Paris in 1886.
The company is RJC certified and uses only recycled gold.
"There is a logic to that: if we want to do our job well, then let's go with all our heart and respect nature. This can be done today because the whole chain has become standardized.
"Studios like ours that work for big names in Place Vendôme are all certified," says Lemaire, referring to a high-end place in Paris.
It represents the fifth generation of the Ponce family business, which produces 45,000 gold rings a year from recycled gold.
Working in a hot atmosphere of heated metal, the refiners are sitting on polishing machines, a large leather skin hung on the knees to catch the smallest shave.
"Every Friday, we have a large storeroom and review the workshop with a fine tooth comb to pick up small pieces of dust (gold) and chips," says Lemaire.
"Nothing is lost, it's a really virtuous chain." – AFP
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