For jewellery brands, sourcing risk is concentrated in raw materials: precious metals and gemstones extracted from the ground, often in regions where oversight is limited. Understanding the human and environmental impacts of extraction means looking beyond the finished piece to where its materials originate.
Positive Luxury’s guide, Responsible Sourcing in Luxury, explores how brands can identify, assess and work with responsible suppliers. For jewellery, this means strengthening visibility back to source and supporting sourcing claims with evidence.
WHERE THE RISK IS CONCENTRATED
Human rights in high-risk sourcing regions is the biggest challenge for jewellery brands. Mining for gold, diamonds and coloured gemstones can take place in areas where labour standards, land rights and impacts on local communities are difficult to verify. Addressing these risks requires close engagement with suppliers and a clear understanding of the conditions at source.
Traceability compounds the problem. For many jewellery brands, visibility stops at Tier 2 – a gap remains between what a brand can say about its metals and stones and what it can prove. Mining is also inherently tied to natural systems, and extraction affects land, water and ecosystems, making climate and biodiversity considerations an essential part of sourcing decisions.
WHAT GOOD LOOKS LIKE
There are three key approaches to mitigation that brands can take:
- Conduct enhanced due diligence on the regions and materials with the greatest human rights risks
- Invest in traceability systems that track metals and stones beyond refiners and cutters, as far back to extraction as possible
- Support environmental restoration in mining areas, including land where extraction has already taken place
INSPIRATIONAL CASE STUDIES
Mejuri’s work with Salmon Gold links precious metal sourcing to environmental restoration, bringing together traceability and the rehabilitation of habitats affected by mining.
Monica Vinader invests in supply chain transparency and product-level traceability, helping the brand and its customers understand the sourcing practices behind individual pieces.
KEY TAKEAWAYS FOR PREMIUM DRINKS BRANDS
- Prioritise due diligence where risks are greatest – focus enhanced scrutiny on the sourcing regions and materials with the highest human rights and environmental exposure
- Trace metals and stones back to extraction – extend visibility beyond refiners and cutters to understand where raw materials originate and support provenance claims with evidence
- Connect sourcing with restoration – explore opportunities to support the rehabilitation of land and ecosystems affected by mining
DOWNLOAD POSITIVE LUXURY’S RESPONSIBLE SOURCING IN LUXURY
