Editor’s Note
This article highlights the launch of the “Watch & Jewelry Initiative 2030,” a significant industry-wide effort led by Cartier and Kering to promote sustainability across the entire value chain. We welcome this collaborative approach and will continue to monitor its progress and impact.
Cartier and Kering officially announced the launch of the “Watch & Jewelry Initiative 2030 (WJI2030)” in April 2022. This is a major movement calling for participation from all companies in the jewelry industry, transcending brand and group boundaries. The initiative targets a wide range of members, from luxury companies to mass-market brands, distributors, and suppliers. Since its establishment, new members including Chanel (Watches & Fine Jewelry) and Swarovski have joined, in addition to Kering’s brands like Gucci (Watches), Boucheron, and Pomellato. Goals are set in three areas: promoting emission reduction targets for climate change mitigation, protecting biodiversity and water in communities, and fostering inclusion across the entire value chain. The aim is to realize and drive industry transformation and innovation.
Traceability, or transparency, is now an urgent need across all industries. Diamonds, in particular, come with numerous issues in their manufacturing process, including the problem of “conflict diamonds” funding conflicts, environmental destruction at the source, and labor conditions for those involved in cutting and polishing. The Kimberley Process was established in 2000, and the industry has long worked towards supply chain transparency.
Opening up information about origin and manufacturing processes to demonstrate fair practices has become the new critical standard in diamond selection.
Pomellato announced the industry’s first traceability app in November 2021. It allows users to track the journey of diamonds and gemstones from their origin, through workshops, to the consumer’s hands. The app enables downloading certificates like RJC Fairmined and GIA, and explores sustainability stories by detailing the meaning, clarity, color, and cut of each piece.
Russia is currently the world’s largest supplier of diamonds, accounting for about one-third of the global market. Following Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine, U.S. President Joe Biden applied import restrictions on Russian diamonds. Following suit, Tiffany announced it would stop sourcing diamonds mined in Russia. As mentioned, the diamond industry has been increasing supply chain transparency in recent years, making it easier to identify countries of origin. For consumers, the origin of the diamonds they purchase remains a point of continued focus.
Meanwhile, the market for lab-grown diamonds, which avoids ethical concerns about origin and supply chains, is also seeing significant growth. Natural diamonds, crystals nurtured by the Earth, are unique, rare, and therefore expensive. In contrast, diamonds created artificially in labs have more consistent shape, size, and quality, allow for sustainable supply, and are relatively affordable. In a typical process, a diamond is grown from a thin carbon slice called a diamond seed placed in a lab by injecting heat, pressure, and other minerals. Depending on size and shape, it takes about two weeks for the seed to grow into a crystal. Cutting and polishing then completes the lab-grown diamond. Pioneering designers attracted to this new option are increasingly showcasing their creativity.
Not only diamonds but also precious metals like gold and silver are seeing increased importance of ethical perspectives. Brands using ethical gold mined with environmental consideration, or recycled metals like recycled gold and silver, are rapidly increasing. Chopard was particularly early in the industry to start ethical gold initiatives. By 2018, they achieved making all watches and jewelry with ethical gold. Chopard’s ethical gold is classified into two types. One is “Fairmined certified gold” mined responsibly by small-scale miners not belonging to international resource conglomerates. Chopard aims to increase the proportion of this gold, which creates employment and contributes to improving the lives of mine workers, to 60% by 2022. The second type uses recycled gold sourced through refineries certified by the RJC.
Among recycled metals, the “Refine Metal” project originating in Japan is gathering attention. Precious metals recovered from discarded mobile phones and PCs lying dormant in domestic “urban mines,” then refined and reused, are called Refine Metal. The jewelry brand “hum” aims to create jewelry using these metals without depleting natural resources and with clear production backgrounds. The Refine Metal Association was established in 2021. Furthermore, a certification system to prove metals are Refine Metal is scheduled to start within the 2022 fiscal year. This project, which aims to expand recognition domestically and internationally about the unique recycling potential of precious metals and achieve a sustainable and traceable cycle, is one to watch.
Some brands draw inspiration from reused materials and transform them into beautiful designs. “Adlin Hue,” launched in July 2021 by former “Artida Oud” director Mariko Abe, uses materials like long-dormant deadstock stones, Akoya pearls, recycled silver and glass, and vintage chains. It creates unique designs that highlight the individuality of these materials.
