Misleading Marketing Tactics, Part 1: Diverting Attention

These days, many jewelry brands want to position themselves as sustainable and ethical. They talk a lot about how they make their jewelry, highlighting how they reduce waste in their workshops and showing happy workers, and eco-conscious packaging. But, this is just one part of the story. The whole process of making jewelry is much longer and more complicated.

"How Your Jewelry Is Being Made"

Jewelry brands often extensively promote the last part of making jewelry. They talk about how their jewelry is put together in an eco-friendly way. These aspects are undoubtedly important and contribute to a better industry standard. However, by focusing almost exclusively on the final assembly process, these brands divert attention away from the earlier stages of the supply chain,

The Whole Journey of Jewelry

Before a piece of jewelry is put together, many things happen:

• Mining and Sourcing:The extraction of metals and gemstones can have significant environmental impacts, including deforestation, water pollution, and loss of biodiversity. Additionally, mining practices in many regions are associated with human rights abuses, including child labor and unsafe working conditions.
• Processing and Refining: After mining, the raw materials must be processed and refined. This step can involve toxic chemicals and generate hazardous waste, which, if not managed properly, can lead to severe environmental damage and health risks for workers.
• Transportation: Moving these materials around the world uses a lot of energy and adds to pollution.

Gemstones: The Complicated Path

For jewelry that uses gemstones, the story is even more complicated:

• Sourcing: The environmental impact of gemstone mining includes soil erosion, habitat destruction, and water contamination. Additionally, the human cost is high, with laborers often working in dangerous conditions for little to no pay.
• Processing, Cutting, and Polishing: This is often done in developing countries under terrible working conditions. Workers frequently lack safety equipment, risking their health. The stones may also be treated with chemicals during this process.
• Trading: Gemstones frequently pass through many hands, from miners to traders, each adding their markup. Those at the bottom of this chain—often in developing countries—earn a fraction of the final sale price.
• Certification: While some brands offer certification for their gemstones, but these certificates only exist for the most expensive gems like diamonds, emeralds etc. And even for these, the lack of transparency in the supply chain makes it difficult to verify the ethical sourcing of every stone.

Gold Plated and Fashion Jewelry: More Issues

Gold plated and fashion jewelry have even longer supply chains with more problems:

• Electroplating: The process of electroplating, where a thin layer of gold is applied to the base metal, involves hazardous chemicals and generates toxic waste.
• Mass Production: Fashion jewelry is often mass-produced in factories with poor labor conditions. Workers are frequently underpaid and subjected to unsafe environments.

Asking the Right Questions

To make sure your jewelry is truly eco-friendly and fair, ask these questions:

• Where do the materials come from?
• How does mining and processing affect people and the planet?
• Are the workers treated and paid fairly?
• Can the brand explain every step of their supply chain?

Conclusion

It’s great that brands are trying to be eco-friendly, but we need to look at the whole picture. True sustainability means caring about every step of making jewelry, from digging up the materials to the final piece. As buyers, we can ask for more transparency and fairness in the jewelry industry. By asking the right questions and learning about the whole process, we can make choices that are good for the planet and its people.