Fair Jewelery Action (FJA) is a Human Rights and Environmental Justice Organization within the jewelery sector. FJA’s objective is to direct more of the economic impact of the jewelery sector for the regenerating of local economies, in support of cultural preservation and environmental sustainability.
Recognizing that small-scale mining strengthens communities and has the potential to redeem economies in the third world, the FJA will support mining projects enabling miners and their products to reach fair trade certification.
FJA is a program launched in the UK and USA by Fairtrade jewelers and ethical jewelery advocates Greg Valerio and Marc Choyt. Greg has been a pioneer and foundational to the international development and realization of fair trade jewelery and traceable supply chains from mine to retail.
In December 2010, the world has it’s very first Fairtrade Fairmined gold mine in Bolivia. The final sign-off took place by FLO (Fairtrade Labeling Organization) certifying the Cotapata mines, in the mountains of Bolivia, as Fairtrade. This represents a monumental moment in the world of gold mining and responsible jewelry. The work between Fairtrade Labeling Organization (FLO) and Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM) has finally proven that a certifiable, traceable and transparent gold supply chain from small scale miners to the end consumer is possible.
This is the first ‘pebble’ that will start an eventual avalanche of opportunities for the marginalized miners in our world. With the logical conclusion being the emergence of a new class of mining sector, namely the Responsible Artisanal Community Based Organization (RACBO). RACBO’s will be as organized, efficient, articulate, as their larger cousins in the large-scale mining sector, but will by default drive more ultimate benefit to the communities and countries they live in. Also, with their direct link through the Fairtrade labeling scheme with the consumer and the jeweler they will have a dedicated route to market for their product.
There are many people to recognize in this achievement. All the dedicated team at ARM, at Fairtrade Foundation, and Fairtrade Labeling, the dedication and commitment of the small scale miners in South America, the Standards Committee who labored long hours in defining what Fairtrade Fairmined gold was going to look like. Also, the many jewelers and jewelry companies who believed in the idea, launched out on a course of being intentionally ethical in their practice long before the international Fairtrade system was able to deliver up a certified mine. Everyone took a risk. That risk has paid off.
http://blog.gregvalerio.com/
Open Source Minerals, founded a few years ago by Mike Angenent, offers ethical, traceable and transparent sourcing for diamonds and other gems. It has become one of the most respected organizations in the ethical sourcing community, providing ethically sourced diamonds and gems to jewelers interested in exceptional standards. Now, Open Source Minerals has resigned from the RJC. This resignation, as Mike’s letter below reveals, was catalyzed by RJC’s stance in the allowance of diamonds from the Marange field in Zimbabwe.
The Kimberley Certification Process (KP) is certifying these Marange diamonds. KP has been the backbone of the diamond trade, as it was developed in response to the blood diamond tragedy in which over three million Africans died mostly between 1990 and 2000. RJC is backing KP, despite the fact that human rights violations, including rape and murder, have been widely documented in Marange.
This resignation is an important development for those who follow these issues closely. It is further evidence of the split between the large scale companies and trade organizations that drive the RJC agenda, and the smaller organizations, such as Fair Jewelry Action, interested in developing more comprehensive standards based not only on traceability and transparency, but human rights and environmental justice.
Below is Mike’s letter to the RJC ~ Toby Pomeroy
*******************************************************************
Due to RJC’s decision to welcome the Kimberley Certification Process’s (KP) agreement regarding Zimbabwe, I decided that it would not befit Open Source Minerals to retain it’s RJC membership.
I can understand, to some extent, that multi-stakeholder decisions require compromises and should be considered professionally and not personally. I do not however, share that view. Decisions like these are never merely professional, as they affect the lives and livelihoods of many. My concern for the lives of the small scale is therefore very personal and should be the main concern in any policy making decision.
Furthermore, it is one thing to come to a professional compromise and another to acknowledge the same as being “Responsible.”
Responsibility is about the Council’s and its member’s bigger role in society. Establishing a Code of Conduct should not externalize costs by expensive auditing measures, but should first and foremost lead to true empowerment and shareholding of communities.
Therefore, responsibility should in the first place extend to the villagers of Marange in Zimbabwe that discovered the diamonds in 2006. These are among the poorest people in the world – despite the $56 million sold in the recent tenders. Any Council claiming Responsibility, as an absolute requirement, should take stewardship into assuring that the basic rights of these people are met.
There is also a Supreme Court order* regarding legal ownership of Chiadzwa which has been ignored by the KP. While the KP might have its reasons to ignore it under the mandate they have, I do not think it befits the RJC to do the same. Compliance with national law is a basic requirement for all who claim responsible practices and especially for those who promote them.
I understand that under the current definition of ‘blood diamonds’ it has been difficult for the KP members to file Marange’s production as such. Semantics however should not be the main concern when people’s lives are involved. However difficult it may be, it is again one thing to come to such a decision and another to acknowledge it.
While this case could have been a clear statement by the RJC of its independence and that it is living up to the internationally applicable standards they have set out in their Ethical and Responsible sourcing / Stewardship, it has now become a meager compromise to a decision that “if implemented could provide hope”.
That the decisions and demands are not being implemented should not come as a surprise.
*There are pending legal disputes over ownership (Chiadzwa) after Africa Consolidated Resources was taken over illegally and forcefully by state owned companies.
Pending or not, there seem to be some Supreme Court orders that where disregarded by the KP.
Mike Angenent
Happy Independence Day everyone!
While we were getting ready for all the picnics and camping trips last week, we noticed an article in the New York Times that made us do a double take – “New British Leaders Cancel Third Heathrow Runway”.
“The government decided that enabling more flying was incompatible with Britain’s oft-stated goal of curbing emissions.”
Um, that’s right – the new coalition government cobbled together in the May election made up of the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have stopped any additional runways being built in the country, citing the need for the British to curb their environmentally unsound addiction to easy and cheap air travel.
Let’s take this 4th of July week to make an ironic recognition of something that we’ve known in our gut for a long time: That Europe, and specifically the UK in this case, is kicking our butts in the realm of sustainability and general awareness of how not to screw up the environment so much (okay, the BP disaster makes an interesting corollary to this arguments, but that’s a blog for another day). Yup - 234 years after declaring our separateness, we find ourselves trailing far behind in reference to sustainable living. It takes a lot of courage and boldness to stand up and do the right thing for people and the planet when there’s politics and money that often rewards the easiest thing. Standing up to big business and curbing new runways in the name of saving the planet is certainly to be commended.
In the United Kingdom , the jewelry business world has long accepted the idea that the deleterious social and environmental impacts of the jewelry trade can be and should be minimized. TOBY POMEROY Jewelry is committed to spreading the word about fairly traded and environmentally sustainable jewelry here in the United States.
Among designers and jewelers around the world, there is a rapidly growing interest in offering fair trade and fair mined metals and gems. With the roughly 100 million people who depend upon small-scale and artisanal mining for their livelihood, we are excited about the significant difference we can make through promoting, educating and inspiring others to take the steps toward a jewelry industry that is socially responsible.
To borrow and rephrase a commitment of Greg Valerio, co-founder of the Alliance for Responsible Mining, it’s our mission to make it culturally unacceptable to purchase jewelry that is not independently certified as socially and environmentally responsible.
This July 4th, at TOBY POMEROY we're declaring it's time for us to make those responsible decisions that may be difficult but are good for everyone, not just the bottom line.
Until next time!
