Ethical Gold Jewellery

Ethical Gold Jewellery

 The jewellery industry is notorious for having most of its innerworkings behind closed doors. So, with a growing interest in ethical gold jewellery, how do we know if what we’re buying has been made with ethically sourced materials? This is where initiatives such as Fairtrade and Fairmined gold come in, which believe that the value of gold should be determined by more than just its weight, but by its ethical journey too. December 2021 marked 10 years since Fairtrade came to the UK market and, though there’s still far to go, Fairtrade and Fairmined have made strides in cleaning up the industry.

Inside of a mine

The Problems with Conventional Gold

Before we talk about Fairtrade and Fairmined gold, let’s talk about conventional gold. Why is it that we need alternatives such as Fairtrade and Fairmined? There are two primary categories into which we can divide the problems with conventional gold: environmental and social.

Environmental issues are many and include, but are not limited to, waste, pollution, and destruction of the environment. Firstly, a lot of waste is produced in the procurement of gold. A single wedding ring produces approximately 20 tons of toxic waste. This in addition to the fact that harmful chemicals – such as mercury and cyanide – are used in the process of mining gold and are then released into the surrounding environment. Even more problematic is when these chemicals get into rivers and other water sources due to poor regulations. As a result, local water sources for humans and animals alike are polluted. Lastly, the mining process demands the stripping of vegetation on the surface, threatening biodiversity.

The social issues associated with mining gold are equally concerning. Often, worker rights and safety measures are considered of little importance in mines, putting miners at risk of injury or death. There’s also the serious problem of who is employed, with child labour going unchecked. High levels of poverty in small-scale mining communities means that children will often work in order to help support their families. Jobs also go almost exclusively to men, leaving women without work. Additionally, the money made from mining can be used to fund conflicts.

Fairtrade logo

Fairtrade Gold

 Fairtrade gold was the first initiative of its kind. It is an assurance label that certifies gold from responsible artisanal and small-scale miners, ensuring that gold is sourced ethically and is traceable from mine to jeweller. So, how does it do this?

Fairtrade Gold Standard

 Fairtrade gold is sourced exclusively from mines which have been certified as meeting the Fairtrade Gold Standard. What is the Fairtrade Gold Standard? It’s a series of stipulations that an artisanal and small-scale miners (ASM) must meet. While there are numerous aspects to the Fairtrade Gold Standard, some key ones are that there must be no child labour, working conditions must be safe, miners’ wages must be fair, health and safety requirements met, chemicals are handled properly, and the environment protected. An independent third party auditor, FLOCERT, will ensure that these standards are met before a mine becomes Fairtrade certified, with future audits being carried out to ensure these standards are maintained.

Once a mine has been Fairtrade certified, all gold produced from that mine will bear a Fairtrade Gold Mark, which will also be stamped discreetly on any ethical gold jewellery made with Fairtrade Gold. Any jewellery bearing this mark can be traced from the jeweller back to the mine it came from so that you know the ethical gold jewellery you’re buying came from a mine that’s protecting its workers, environment, and community.

Fairmined ingot with logo

Fairmined Gold

 Though established later than Fairtrade gold, Fairmined is a very similar initiative. In fact, the Fairmined Standard was initially developed in 2009 in partnership with Fairtrade, before being revised and launched in 2014. Whereas Fairtrade gold is a subsect of Fairtrade, Fairmined was established by the Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM).

The Fairmined Standard

 The Fairmined Standard is very similar to the Fairtrade Standard. It’s broken down into four categories: organisational development, social development, work conditions, and environmental protection. Within each of these categories are criteria a mine must meet. For example, social development will include that the mine must have no link to conflict, no child labour, and gender equality. Environmental protection states that the operation must have low environmental impact, safe and reduced handling of chemicals, and protect water supplies. Work conditions will involve establishing the workers’ right to organise, healthy and safe work conditions, and stable jobs. Lastly, organisational development will focus on the benefits to the mine, such as a guaranteed minimum price for their gold, improving trade relationships, and legitimising mining operations.

How Mines Become Fairmined Certified

 The process by which a mine becomes Fairmined certified is, again, quite similar to Fairtrade. Arm identifies artisanal and small-scale mining organisations that have the potential to become Fairmined certified. After working together to ensure the mine meets the standard, an independent third-party certification body performs an audit to determine whether the mine is compliant. Once certified, the mine can sell its gold on the international market, with further audits to ensure continual compliance.

Fairmined Ecological Gold

 Fairmined has gone one step further in cleaning up the gold industry though. In addition to establishing Fairmined Gold, they’ve set up Fairmined Ecological Gold. Fairmined Ecological Gold is held to the same rigorous standards as Fairmined Gold, with a few additional adjustments. First, while Fairmined Gold is produced using reduced and responsible handling of chemicals such as mercury and cyanide, Fairmined Ecological Gold uses no toxic chemicals at all. This is done by implementing gravimetric processes, which includes such equipment as gutters, concentration tables, centrifugal concentrators, and/or pans. Fairmined Ecological Gold certified miners are also committed to the rehabilitation of native ecosystems. This might include the restoration of forests.

Gold rings

Why Do We Need Fairtrade and Fairmined?

 Aside from the reasons enumerated earlier, stating the problematic nature of gold mining, gold mining is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. This is especially true of small-scale gold mines, where accident rates are six to seven time higher than one would find in a large-scale mining operation. Additionally, if toxic chemicals used to extract gold are not responsibly handled and disposed of, they can cause birth defects, brain and kidney damage, and can contaminate water supplies, endangering life for miles.

According to the Fairtrade website, small-scale mining is relied upon by an estimated 100 million people to support families and communities. This makes gold mining one of the largest sectors in the world, second only to agriculture. Roughly 90% of gold miners are ASMs, which is why Fairtrade works exclusively with ASMs.

Ethical Gold Jewellery

 All of this is to say that there are ethical ways of sourcing gold jewellery, so that you know no harm has been done in order to acquire the gold you buy. There are lots of jewellers who work with Fairtrade and Fairmined gold, so here’s a list of some of our favourite pieces from them.

Blue Topaz and Pearl Drop Earrings (9ct Fairtrade Gold) – Edward Fleming Jewellery

Compass Amulet (18ct Fairtrade Gold) – Anna Loucan

Queen Philippa Ring (18ct Fairtrade Gold) – Joy Everley

Gold Molten Ring with Hexagonal Rose Cut Diamond (9ct Fairtrade Gold) – Diana Porter

Found Earrings (9ct Fairtrade Gold) – Farah Quereshi

The Limpet Shell Bracelet (18ct Fairtrade Gold) – Pascale James

Montana Sapphire Pendent (18ct Fairmined Gold) – Susan Crow

9ct Fairtrade gold blue topaz and pearl earrings from Edward Fleming Jewellery