Beware, this logo is a greenwashing red flag

From its inception, the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) has been criticised as an attempt by large jewellery brands to self-police and control the narrative about the issues that affect the jewellery supply chain. 

Since 2005, the RJC has grown into the largest organisation of its type within the jewellery world, yet consistently fails to help the people at the bottom of the supply chain.  The list of achievements in improving the lives of people worst affected the industry in that time is virtually non-existent.

A quick look at the organisation’s board of directors reveals a who’s who of people with a vested interest in maintaining the status quo, where miners in poor countries are regularly exploited, work in dangerous conditions and the mineral wealth of nations is hidden, embezzled and squandered.

The most glaring example of this is the De Grosogono scandal. Until revelations about the firm’s ownership were revealed in a series of documents that have come to be known as the ‘Luanda Leaks’ the Swiss jewellery company was a fully accredited member of the RJC.  The firm is no longer listed on the RJC website however there has been no statement from the RJC about De Grosogono and how a company discovered to be so deeply interwoven in corruption could be certified as a member.

The issues that exist within the jewellery supply chain have been well documented and whilst the situation isn’t as extreme as when diamonds helped to fund the Angolan civil war, a more insipid and corrosive form of diamond fueled struggle eats away at the institutions and prospects for the nation.

Whilst these issues are now coming to light, in part because of the Luanda leaks, it’s been plain to see that the vast amounts of money the country's diamond industry brings in have not been fairly distributed for some time.

Isobel do Santos, the daughter of the former president Jose Eduardo dos Santos has emerged as the richest woman in Africa, whilst the country has the 12th worst infant mortality rate in world. This puts it behind South Sudan, Yemen, Haiti and Syria and around 70% of the population survive on less than $2 a day.

Luanda, the capital is frequently cited as the most expensive city in the world in which to live, mainly due to the country's oil industry, however normal Angolans have been forced out of the city, and journalists are frequently subjected to intimidation and even imprisonment.

I think it’s fair to say that until the revelations in the Luanda Leaks,  the RJC was certifying corruption,  but what’s changed? Has there been a review of the standards members must meet, what is there to stop another De Grosogono?

These are all questions I have submitted to the RJC, via their website, though I have yet to get a response.

Obviously, when a failing as comprehensive as this comes to light, it calls into question the effectiveness of the organization, the scope and the validity of their audits as well as the motivations of their members.  If I were a member I’d be asking serious questions about the organization and how this failure has damaged the veneer of ‘responsibility’ it bestows.

Whilst this scandal is very obvious and the most recent example of the RJC’s failings, question marks have long been present in the minds of industry watchers.  Most have come to the realization that the RJC is a trade organization concerned with the interests of its members, not the interests of those who suffer as a result of the jewellery supply chain or the jewellery buying public.

What does the RJC do?

The RJC describes itself as ‘‘the world’s leading standard-setting organisation for the jewellery and watch industry. We promote standards that underpin people’s trust in the worldwide jewellery and watch supply chain’’ - RJC

I think the wording of this statement alone is telling, They are pretty open about the fact they promote ‘standards that underpin peoples trust’ rather than for instance, ‘standards that reduce environmental damage’ or ‘standards that protect small scale miners’.  It’s about protecting an image, not making meaningful change to such a damaging industry.

Standards such as the Kimberley Process, considered to be deeply flawed by the likes of Global Witness but routinely trotted out by jewellers as an answer to any questions people have about ‘ethical diamonds’.  Sure, they might underpin people’s trust but that’s because people have been misled for so many years.  They trust it because they don’t know the full story, not because it actually does any good.

Its hard work finding out what exactly the RJC does.  As mentioned, they have repeatedly ignored my requests for information so we have had to work with publicly available information such as their 2020 progress report.

Who Audits the RJC?

In research for this article, we’ve tried to contact both the RJC and the company who conduct their audits of SGS. 

Swiss-based SGS describes itself as ’’the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company.’’  The relationship between RJC and SGS is a commercial one, the RJC are a customer of SGS so there seems little incentive for SGS to rock the boat.

Whilst I’m sure SGS are keen to keep a customer such as the RJC,  I wonder if being involved in certifying a company such as De Grosogono has raised any concerns.  If they are happy to certify this then what other frauds are they certifying? Some difficult questions must have been asked at a company with a global reputation.