With responsible sourcing policies, verifiable supply chain integrity and social and environmental sustainability fast becoming requirements for companies operating in the jewellery sector, small and medium-sized enterprises are feeling increasingly pressured. The cost of conducting due diligence can be restrictive, and often is a source of anxiety,  particularly in Italy, where all but a handful of companies are SMEs and family owned.

But, as more major retailers require that suppliers demonstrate they have conducted due diligence as a requirement of doing business, and key mining companies demand that clients comply with minimum standards to be eligible for direct supply, SMEs are searching for solutions that will allow them to meet to meet expectations. They will be the subjects of a seminar during the first day of the upcoming VICENZAORO show in Vicenza, Italy, organized by CIBJO and hosted by the Italian Exhibition Group (IEG).

Moderated by Philip Olden, President of CIBJO’s Responsible Sourcing Commission, it will take place on Friday, January 17, 2020, from  11:00 AM to 1:00 PM in the Tiziano Room, Hall 7.1 of the Vicenza Exposition Centre. The seminar is being supported by leading Italian trade organisations, among them Federpreziosi and Club degli Orafi. Steven Tranquilli, Federpreziosi’s Director, and Gabriele Aprea, President of Club degli Orafi, are featured speakers.

Entitled “Does Size Matter?”, the seminar will provide practical guidance and viable solutions geared for SMEs operating in the international jewellery sector, outlining what is required today in the industry in terms of responsible sourcing, supply chain integrity and environmental sustainability. Featuring a panel of international speakers, it also will present the experiences of smaller Italian companies that successfully have incorporated principles of CSR and sustainability in their businesses.

The seminar will be conducted simultaneously in English and Italian. It is the latest edition in a series of educational programmes organized by CIBJO and IEG in support of Corporate Social Responsibility and sustainability in the jewellery sector, and is endorsed by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

“We are committed to the principle that, to the greatest degree possible, every ethical member of our industry should enjoy fair access both to supply and the markets,” said CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri. “We also contend that all members of our industry are reasonably able to conduct basic due diligence on their supply chains. How that can be done will come under the spotlight in Vicenza.”