Chopard Increasing Ethical Assurance

The Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) may not mean anything to people apart from those in the jewellery trade, but it is an important organisation for jewellery manufacturers. The RJC is an international organisation with over 360 member companies. They are a not-for-profit organisation who promote responsible ethics, human rights and environmental practices throughout the jewellery trade, from mining to retail.

One of the latest members to be certified by the RJC is Chopard, the family owned watch and jewellery house. Over a series of processes and audits, the company has met the standards in place to ensure they follow the best practices possible as far as sustainability, traceability and ethics are concerned.

The move into membership comes with a trend where people are more and more concerned about how the people who make or work with products are treated. People will often buy fair-trade products in favour of non-fair trade, and this concern is being passed on to high end jewellery and watches. With Chopard being a member of the council, you can rest assured that the treatment of workers from sourcing raw materials through to retail selling is fair and ethical.

Chopard join a list of over three hundred and sixty member companies throughout the jewellery industry who adhere to the standards set, including such names as Bulgari, Cartier, Chanel, Gucci, Tag Heuer and many more.

The added peace of mind adds to Chopard's appeal

The chief operating officer for the RJC, Catherine Sproule explains:
“We noted that consumers were going out of their way to get a Fairtrade cup of coffee.
“Coupled with that was learning from the Blood Diamonds situation in the 1990s, the ‘No Dirty Gold’ campaign, and issues surrounding artisanal miners.
“The RJC was born out of this and thoughts on how we could create a mine-to-retail certification initiative that would address diamonds, gold and platinum.”

As official stockists of Chopard watches and jewellery, Banks Lyon welcomes the announcement, which can only boost confidence for the already prestigious brand.