Editor’s Note
This article provides an overview of the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC), a leading oversight body with a global membership spanning the entire jewelry and watch supply chain.
The Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) is one of the main oversight bodies for the global jewelry and watch market, bringing together over 1,500 member companies across 71 countries. Our members represent every link in the gold market supply chain, from the mine to the point of sale. Some members also include financial institutions and trade associations.
The RJC complies with two standards: the “Code of Practices” (COP) and the “Chain of Custody” (COC). The COP Code of Conduct provides robust management practices to ensure the responsible nature of an operation. This includes, for example, oversight of labor rights and human rights, health and safety, gender equality, ethics, transparency, and climate action. The latest version of this code, distributed at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris in April 2019, aligns with the OECD Due Diligence Guidance, and the United Nations’ “Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.” The latter has been extended to cover precious stones and silver. The COC Chain of Custody, on the other hand, concerns segregation practices and traceability.
Wherever possible, the COP Code of Conduct has been aligned with major global standards for responsible business practices, such as the “Sustainable Development Goals” (SDGs). These SDGs list the priority issues for jewelry market players, which are essential for developing dedicated policies. The COP Code of Conduct and the SDGs are intrinsically linked. And applying this code can have a positive impact on several SDGs. For example, applying COP20 related to forced labor will promote SDG 8 on decent work and economic prosperity.
The “Decade of Action” calls on us to accelerate actions specific to the greatest global challenges, from gender issues to climate, peace, and water purification. The RJC is thus committed to including the jewelry and watchmaking sectors in these efforts, by launching initiatives and establishing a task force to enable the jewelry and watch industry to also contribute to the achievements of the “Sustainable Development Goals” (SDGs) by 2030.
Established in 2021, the “SDG Taskforce” brings together 26 members, in addition to the executive director. This task force is co-chaired by Feriel Zerouki, Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs at the De Beers Group. There is also Matthew Kilgarriff, Commercial Director for “Social Responsibility” at Richemont. Our strategic guide was developed with Georg Kell, founder and former executive director of the United Nations Global Compact program.
The role of the “Taskforce” is to align with the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for responsible development, whose 17 goals our members will follow. The 26 members of the “SDG Taskforce” form a multi-stakeholder group representing all aspects of the jewelry and watch sectors. Their objectives therefore consist of coordinating their efforts to serve as guides in the application of the SDGs.
The breadth of membership is unique to the RJC. They range from mines to retail stores, including leading global brands like Bvlgari, Cartier, Chanel, Hermes, Piaget, IWC, Jaeger LeCoultre, Tiffany, ALROSA and De Beers, but also independent companies. We have grown from 14 founding members in 2005 to over 1,500, of which 60% represent small businesses, spread across 71 countries. Despite Covid, the RJC has continued to grow, proof of the industry’s commitment to accelerating responsible sourcing.