Fair Trade Jewelry

Introduction:

Here is a press release illustrating the power of share holders to demand Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) from Gold Corp Inc. ~ Marc

In an unprecedented move Canadian mining firm Goldcorp Inc. has agreed to conduct an independent Human Rights Impact Assessment in Guatemala at the request of Canadian and Swedish shareholders.

The company has faced criticism regarding the environmental and human rights impacts of its mining operations. The shareholders hope that the assessment will become a benchmark for mining companies operating in high risk countries. The agreement was announced in a statement today.

The statement reads: “The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) Staff Pension Fund, The Ethical Funds Company, The First Swedish National Pension Fund and The Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund, have reached an agreement with Goldcorp Inc. and have withdrawn a shareholder resolution submitted to the company in March. Goldcorp Inc. has agreed to commission an independent human rights impact assessment of its operations in Guatemala.”

The intention of the assessment is to provide the company with concrete recommendations regarding its implementation of practices, policies and procedures, and the impact of its operations on human rights.

A steering committee is being formed to oversee the assessment process and will include representatives from the company, shareholders and other stakeholders.

Shareholders expect the assessment to be completed in the next 8-12 months, at which time the company will develop a plan for implementing recommendations of the assessment.”

A group of investors has been in dialogue with the company for more than two years, and stepped up engagement efforts in February by conducting a field trip to Goldcorp’s Marlin mine in Guatemala.

The group met with NGOs, indigenous people, government authorities and company representatives in order to get a clearer picture of the complex situation. The trip culminated in a shareholder resolution submitted to the company.

“By taking on a Human Rights Impact Assessment (HRIA), Goldcorp is behaving responsibly and responding to the concerns raised by local stakeholders in Guatemala. Goldcorp is also setting a standard for others in the mining industry - for which they should be commended,” said Bill Brassington of the PSAC Staff Pension Fund, who will represent the investor group in the HRIA steering committee.

“Mining corporations are increasingly operating in high risk areas - both in terms of culture and environment and they need to address these risks in a way that satisfies local stakeholders, as well as investors,” said Peter
Chapman, Executive Director of the Shareholder Association for Research and Education (SHARE) which is providing research and engagement assistance to the PSAC and Meritas Mutual Funds.

“Business recognition of human rights obligations is relatively new,” said Robert Walker, Vice President of Sustainability at The Ethical Funds Company. “And human rights impact assessment is a relatively new concept for promoting human rights. We laud Goldcorp for embracing this tool as a foundation for protecting human rights and addressing community concerns in Guatemala. We look forward to reviewing the results.”

“The outcome of this process could set a precedent for the entire industry and is crucial for Guatemala, since the mining industry has rapidly expanded there. However, after ending 36 years of civil war, the country is extremely
vulnerable. Therefore, mining companies and others have a responsibility to make sure their business operations are sustainable over the long-term, and respect the Maya culture,” said Helene Regnell, Research Director of GES Investment Services, an advisor to the filing First and Fourth Swedish National Pension Funds as well as the Second and Third Swedish National Pension Funds who supported the resolution through their collaborative body, the Ethical Council.

For further information, contact: Bill Brassington, PSAC Staff Pension Fund, Phone: (604) 298-6301, Email: brassrouts@telus.net

Peter Chapman, Executive Director, SHARE, Phone: (604) 408-2456, Email: pchapman@share.ca

Robert Walker, Vice President, Sustainability, The Ethical Funds Company, Phone: (604) 714-3833, Mobile: (778) 772-2142, Fax: (604) 714-3861, Email: bwalker@ethicalfunds.com

Carl Rosén, Chairman, Ethical Council, Phone: +46 31 704 29 00, Mobile: +46 73 940 10 10, carl.rosen@ap2.se

Helene Regnell, Research Director, GES Investment Services, Phone: +46 8787 99 17, Mobile: +46 70 787 01 04, Email: helene.regnell@ges-invest.com

=== EARTHWORKS: Protecting Communities and the Environment

Stephen D’Esposito
President and Executive Director
EARTHWORKS
1612 K St., NW, Suite 808
Washington, D.C., USA 20006
202-887-1872×203
202-887-1875 (fax)
sdesposito@earthworksaction.org
www.earthworksaction.org

Tags: Spin, CSR, Ethical Initiatives, Sustainability, Transparency, Change Agents, Gold, Platinum, Ethics, Environment, Mining by Marc Choyt
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Kim Poole, www.aurorawildlife.com has over 25 years of professional wildlife experience in the public and private sector throughout western Canada, with extensive experience in the Northwest Territories where diamond mining is taking place.

His work focuses on wildlife research & management, and wildlife habitat management and assessment.

I met him in British Columbia, where we discussed diamond mining issues. These follow up questions were sent via email.

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Tags: Spin, Transparency, CSR, Ethical Initiatives, Sustainability, Change Agents, Environment, Fair Trade Gems, Interviews, Mining, Ethics, Diamonds by Marc Choyt
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Introduction:

This article from Market Watch educates consumers on ethical jewelry issues. This type of press will be needed in order to educate customers on these issues. As the JCOC surveys show, it is education which will ultimately build the market demand that will shift the jewelry sector toward higher ethical standards. ~ Marc

By Marshall Loeb

Though the article was initially posted on May 7th for the Mother’s Day market, it’s precepts ring true for any jewelry purchase…

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Tags: CSR, Best Practices, Spin, Transparency, Editorial by Marc Choyt
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Introduction:

An article in the Journal Times from Racine WI discusses a local jeweler’s line of fair trade gemstones from Eric Braunwart’s Columbia Gem House, along with supporting comments from Steve D’Esposito from Earthworks.

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Tags: CSR, Ethical Initiatives, Fair Trade, Sustainability, Spin, Transparency, Rubies, Mining, Ethics, Change Agents, Fair Trade Gems by Marc Choyt
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Introduction:
Here is a brief statement that captures the spirit of the Madison Dialogue by the Diamond Working Group. ~Marc

The Way We Work

The Madison Dialogue is a cross-sector initiative established to promote communication and collaboration among companies, civil society groups and others seeking to encourage best practices, sustainable economic development, and verified sources of responsible gold, diamonds and other minerals. Organizations, companies and individuals participate in the Madison Dialogue on a voluntary basis.

Among the initiatives currently under way is an exercise that aims to develop standards for what we are calling “ethical diamonds”. These standards will apply to all diamonds, whether produced in large kimberlite mining operations, or in small-scale artisanal operations. We believe the initiative will have value for the entire diamond industry, but that it will have special value for small-scale producers in Africa and South America.

The process of developing viable standards begins with the enunciation of broad principles ­ such as ³no child labour². Many codes and sets of principles already exist, and the Madison Dialogue is in the process of distilling these into a document specifically relevant to the diamond industry.

The second step will be to convert the principles into meaningful and workable standards. Child labour, for example, may be understood differently in situations of extreme poverty, or where the laws defining the age of a child are ambiguous, or where birth records do not exist. The challenge of converting principles into standards will, therefore, be a more lengthy exercise. We will consult the International Social and Environmental Accreditation and Labelling (ISEAL) Alliance and others on issues relating to appropriate procedures and participation in the development of these standards.

The final stage in the development of effective standards is third party verification. We see this as an essential part of the exercise, but we understand that agreement on questions about how it will be done, who might carry it out, and how it would be financed need to be elaborated as the discussion about standards moves forward.

We do not underestimate the potential complexity of the exercise, but we believe that it is an important one that will have significant benefits for all stakeholders. In order to underline the importance we attach to it, we
will endeavour to complete the exercise within a period of two years, by the end of April, 2010.

This exercise is being undertaken by the Madison Dialogue Diamonds Working Group. The MDDWG is an open group where companies, NGOs and government officials can share information and ideas in this field. For more information, please email Lloyd Cotler (lcotler@earthworksaction.org) or contact the Acting Chair, Estelle Levin (estellelevin@resourceglobal.co.uk).

Tags: Spin, CSR, Ethical Initiatives, Sustainability, Transparency, Change Agents, Diamonds, Madison Dialogue, Mining, Editorial by Marc Choyt
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I live in the American Southwest, and we have an environmental movement out here which I am part of: it is called the “Radical Center.” Basically, this movement is comprised of conservative Republican ranches and left wing green environmentalists who work together toward sustainability in our fragile environment.

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Tags: Spin, Ethical Initiatives, Sustainability, Transparency, Change Agents, Ethics, Environment, Editorial by Marc Choyt
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INTRODUCTION:

“Luamba works in the brutal business known as artisanal mining, which accounts for as much as 90 percent of the country’s mineral exports,” writes Stephanie McCrummen of the Washington Post.

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Tags: Fair Trade, Spin, Ethics, Gold, Mining by Marc Choyt
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Introduction:

The ongoing marketing of “green” jewelry became a subject of conversation on the Madison Dialogue list serve. This list is composed of many of the leaders in the multi-sector initiative to clean up the jewelry supply chain.

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Tags: CSR, Spin, Ethical Initiatives, Fair Trade, Sustainability, Transparency, Change Agents, Madison Dialogue, Fair Trade Gems, F*R*E*, Ethics, Environment, Editorial by Marc Choyt
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Introduction:

Guest blogger and bench jeweler, Steve Gerencser returns to fairjewelry.org to post this insightful comment: The phrase “ethical jewelry” is divisive because, “somehow the people not following the newest trend are somehow unethical.” ~Marc

The use of the word, “ethical”, put forth in the Madison Dialogue to describe what is being attempted in the jewelry sector, is divisive. The implication for those of us who are not producing “ethical” jewelry is that somehow the people not following the newest trend are somehow unethical.

Many of us are working very hard to do the right thing to the best of our ability. By using the ethical tag it becomes nearly impossible to incorporate it in to our daily use at the showroom level because of the implied negative

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Tags: Spin, CSR, Fair Trade, Transparency, Change Agents, Madison Dialogue, Jewelry Manufacturing, Ethics, Diamonds by Steve Gerencser
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Introduction:

I am naturally encouraged by any efforts toward greater Corporate Social Responsibility in any business sector. When I think of the Jewelry sector, there is one real and meaningful issue that as far as I know has not been adequately addressed.

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Tags: CSR, Spin, Change Agents, Editorial by Marc Choyt
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