Editor’s Note
This article highlights a new partnership between TOUS and Tracemark to provide full traceability for jewelry certified by the Responsible Jewellery Council. Starting with one collection, the collaboration aims to expand across more product lines, reinforcing a commitment to transparency and ethical sourcing in the industry.
The jewelry brand TOUS has partnered with Tracemark, a company that guarantees complete traceability for jewelry pieces from companies certified by the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC). This project has begun with one collection, and both companies are working to extend this collaboration to other product lines.
Customers receive an alphanumeric code engraved on the jewelry or a QR code on the tag, through which they can access Tracemark’s interactive and personalized traceability dashboard. Here, they can consult the origin of the materials, the manufacturing process behind each piece, and the certifications that guarantee the ethics and sustainability of the items and material details.
In this way, they can verify if the gold and diamonds in the collection have a 100% ethical and responsible origin. Regarding the gold, it comes from refineries that only work with CoC (Chain of Custody) Gold. This distinction, granted by the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC), means it comes from verified sources, following international best environmental practices and globally recognized social standards.
Specifically, the CoC Gold certified by Tracemark is 100% ethical and recycled gold. This represents a significant advance in sustainability because, by using recycled gold instead of newly mined gold, the carbon footprint is reduced by 99%, according to a recent study by Pforzheim University of Applied Sciences.
The detailed traceability provided by Tracemark also allows customers to know the origin of the diamonds and the manufacturing process. All diamonds used by TOUS strictly comply with the Kimberley Process, thereby guaranteeing their authenticity, origin, and ethical extraction.
The strict requirements for obtaining the Kimberley Certificate endorse “conflict-free” diamonds and prevent those mined in conflict zones from entering legitimate trade.
Furthermore, customers will also be able to see that the manufacturing of the collection is the result of collaboration between TOUS workshops in Manresa and artisan collaborators located in Córdoba (Spain) and Italy. This working methodology stems from the jewelry firm’s commitment to collaboration within the sector.
TOUS is committed to sustainability, a factor increasingly relevant to customers. According to the Sustainable Luxury Consumer Report 2021 conducted by Tracemark, 71% of consumers would choose a piece of jewelry based on its traceability.