If participants in last month’s summit on the future of the jewellery industry were initially unsure of their role in tacking climate change and inequality, the heavy hitters from Harvard University and MIT left them in no doubt.
This particular opportunity to discuss the latest developments in research, technology, business and art in jewellery was organised by the Responsible Jewellery Council , the Gemological Institute of America , and the Mineralogical and Geological Museum at Harvard University. “Right now, when you look outside, you think about the sustainable Earth and then you think about technology. What you forget is the human piece of it. So I am going to claim you cannot have a sustainable Earth with poverty.”
However, Toby Pomeroy, founder of Mercury Free Mining and a jewellery designer, outlined a different route to address poverty. “We are presenting proposals to USAID [the United States Agency for International Development] and the GIA on how we can scale this,” he said. “I don’t think there is a bigger issue for our industry and the business reputation opportunities if we take this on.”
However, embracing ESG principles can be daunting, particularly for smaller businesses, which may not always recognise the implications. At the summit, the RJC launched an ESG toolkit that explains what ESG is, how it can benefit business and how that ties in with impact globally.