Editor’s Note
This article explores a pioneering British company applying single-origin traceability standards to gold, examining the complex challenge of making mining more sustainable and ethical.

You’ve heard of single-origin coffee – now a pioneering British company is applying similar standards to gold.
Can mining ever be sustainable? The short answer, of course, is no. It’s a process that extracts finite resources from the earth. Which makes an industry such as jewellery, which has historically relied on precious metals and stones, inherently fraught. Couple that with mining conditions that have often exploited human populations and practices that harm the environment, and the joyously sparkling jewel on your finger carries a different kind of weight.
