ABOVE: The \u00a0panel discussion during the Responsible Sourcing Commission session on November 1, 2021, featuring (from top) Mark Hanna of the Richline Group, Commission President Philip Olden, RJC\u2019s Iris Van der Veken, Nature\u2019s Geometry\u2019s Brian Cook, and Chie Murakami of Diamonds for Peace.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

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NOVEMBER 2, 2021<\/strong><\/p>\n
For the first time in its 95-year history, CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation, has launched its annual congress online rather than in a physical location, with an Opening Ceremony followed by a session of the CIBJO Responsible Sourcing Commission, during which a strong emphasis was placed on the jewellery industry\u2019s obligations to society and the environment. The Opening Session took place on November 1, 2021.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn congresses gone by, I have looked out over a crowded conference hall or auditorium when I said these words of welcome,\u201d said CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri, greeting the congress delegates. \u201cToday, like all of you, I am seated at my desk looking at my computer, just as I have done almost each day for the past 20 months.\u201d<\/p>\n
The period of the coronavirus has proven to be an inflection point for the industry, the CIBJO President stated. \u201cThere are moments in the human experience where we all realise that it will be possible to define life before the event differently to life as it is after the event. The COVID-19 pandemic is one of those,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>
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CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri greeting congress delegates.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>
\u201cDo not misunderstand me,\u201d he continued. \u201cI do not believe that all-virtual congresses, where we gather while remaining isolated in our homes or offices, are our destiny from now on. I am confident that in the not-too-distant future we will be able to set aside most, if not all of the restrictions we now live with. Indeed, there is a very good chance that the next CIBJO Congress will be in-person rather than exclusively online.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut the tools, modus operandi and methods that we have adopted, initially as coping mechanisms, have changed the way we live and do business. In many respects they are more efficient, more effective and more able to deliver immediate results than those we used before the crisis. Now that we know how to use them, there is no going back,\u201d Dr. Cavalieri said.<\/p>\n
For an organisation like CIBJO, he stated, which brings together jewellery, gemstone and watch associations and companies from around the world, the adoption of online and digital technologies led to a period of increased activity, and a level of productivity and achievement that most probably is greater than at any time in the organisation\u2019s history.<\/p>\n<\/div>
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Keynote speaker Patrick L\u00f6tscher, Head of the Watch Industry Standards Department at the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>
SWISS WATCH INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHTED IN KEYNOTE SPEECH<\/strong><\/p>\n
Delivering the keynote address during the Opening Ceremony was Patrick L\u00f6tscher, Head of the Watch Industry Standards Department at the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH, which brings under its umbrella many of the world\u2019s most famous watch brands.<\/p>\n
A new member of CIBJO, the Swiss organisation is at the vanguard of a process to unite the watch and jewellery sectors within the confederation. The two industries use many of the same raw materials and share supply lines and retail distribution outlets.<\/p>\n
Mr. L\u00f6tscher spoke of the Switzerland\u2019s watch industry\u2019s struggle against counterfeiters, who in 2019 sold considerably more fake Swiss-brand watches that the 20.7 million genuine Swiss-brand watches that were sold that same year, costing the sector billions of dollars and more than 3,000 jobs.<\/p>\n<\/div>
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RESPONSIBLE SOURCING AND SUSTAINABILITY<\/strong><\/p>\n
The Responsible Sourcing Commission\u2019s session was moderated by the body\u2019s President, Philip Olden, who asked his panel of guests if enough was being done by the industry on the subject of responsible sourcing, and if not what else should be done.<\/p>\n
Opening the session, Mr. Olden mentioned that CIBJO\u2019s Responsible Sourcing Commission\u2019s Blue Book (CLICK TO DOWNLOAD<\/a>) was the most downloaded of all such documents since the start of the pandemic, and reported that in April 2021 CIBJO launched an online Responsible Sourcing Toolkit, \u201cwhich will enable members of the industry to do due diligence on their supply chains.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Responsible Sourcing Toolkit can be downloaded from the CIBJO website free of charge, by CLICKING HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Among the panellists was Lila Karbassi, Chief of Programmes at the UN Global Compact, which unites some 14,000 firms and organisations from a wide range of industries, working to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Speaking to the CIBJO delegates, she called on the jewellery industry to do its part in the campaign against climate change.<\/p>\n
\u201cSee if your targets align with science,\u201d she stated. \u201cBy 2030 you need to reduce emissions by almost half, and by 2050 significantly more. We look forward to validating company results, and we hope many firms from the jewellery industry will join us and create a momentum for the industry overall to be on track regarding climate change.\u201d<\/p>\n
Panellist Iris Van der Veken, Executive Director of the Responsible Jewellery Council, described the jewellery industry as being at a \u201ctipping point.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to get everyone on this journey,\u201d she stated. \u201cHow do we bring all members of the supply chain along? This is the challenge. We need to step up a gear and show collectively the good impact of the business.\u201d<\/p>\n
Panellist Chie Murakami, the founder of Diamonds for Peace, an NGO based in Japan, said that the commitment to responsible sourcing is largely \u201ca Western thing, which needs to be spread to other parts of the world\u201d. She mentioned visits to jewellery stores in Tokyo where no members of sales staff could provide firm answers on the issue of the sourcing of the jewellery.<\/p>\n
She also spoke about diamond smuggling in Liberia, where her organisation is active. \u201cThe government does not have the resources to monitor this sufficiently,\u201d she said. \u201cIt patrols mines looking for illegal activities, with inspectors that often are unpaid volunteers. The government needs more resources.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div> $\"CIBJO$ <\/span>
Lila Karbassi, Chief of Programmes at the UN Global Compact, in discussion with Philip Olden, President of CIBJO\u2019s Responsible Sourcing Commission.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>
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THE 3 Cs: CLIMATE, CARBON AND CIRCULARITY<\/strong><\/p>\n
Panellist Mark Hanna, Chief Marketing Officer at the Richline Group, which is part of Warren Buffet\u2019s Berkshire Hathaway corporation, said that today, more than ever before, \u201cwe need to pay attention to the 3Cs: climate, carbon and circularity.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAll firms should have a social purpose,\u201d he said. \u201cWe need a strong and planned way of dealing with this. Harmonisation is critical and I believe there is a will across the industry to work together, so that both large and small firms can share information.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr. Hannah said that the use of recycled materials is important to the issue of sustainability. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing more recyclable than gold but any product that reduces waste and uses ecologically friendly materials is good for the world and the industry,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n
Brian Cook, the owner of Nature\u2019s Geometry, who also was a panellist, said the jewellery industry is now more attuned to consumers, \u201cbecause they have the buying power to make us listen.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cConsumers want to see real action and transparency,\u201d he said. \u201cThey want to know what is really going on.\u201d<\/p>\n
The jewellery sector has capacity to be an effective leader,\u201d Mr. Cook added. \u201cWe transcend religion, race and culture and that makes us a model for other trades. It gives us the opportunity to show we are doing good for the planet. We need to find a way to harmonise our efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMultilateralism, which in our community means coordinating the activities of the various sectors and the different national associations and companies, is essential to progress being made in the jewellery and watch industries, particularly where it comes to fulfilling our obligations to support and protect society and the environment,\u201d said CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri, concluding the session. \u201cWhat we have demonstrated today is that everyone is provided an opportunity to speak their mind, but we then have to find common ground and move to action.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>
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