JUNE 7, 2021

CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation, has announced that its Board of Directors has confirmed as a new member ASSOROLOGI, Associazione Italiana Produttori e Distributori di Orologeria, the Italian watch industry association.

The organization is the second major watch industry national association to have joined CIBJO’s ranks this year, following the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH in March, and according to CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri this indicates not only the growing collaboration between the watch and jewellery sectors, but also the need of both to create common benchmarks for standards, nomenclature, responsible sourcing and consumer confidence.

Representing manufacturers and importers of watches and supplies for watchmaking, ASSOROLOGI is the industry’s representative in CONFCOMMERCIO, the Italian General Confederation of Enterprises, Professions and Self-Employment, the country’s largest business association.

“I wish to thank President Gaetano Cavalieri and the Board of Directors for the decision to open the World Jewellery Confederation to the activities of the watch industry, and to welcome us in a spirit of mutual cooperation,” said Mario Peserico, President of ASSOROLOGI. “We are ready to contribute to the important work that CIBJO has been carrying out for many years, supporting and protecting the jewellery, gemstone and precious metal markets worldwide. For many years, ASSOROLOGI concentrated its efforts in Europe, but it is now time to broaden our vision to the world. Within CIBJO we will be able to stand united and strengthened in the international markets.”

“ASSOROLOGI’s becoming a CIBJO member is another important milestone in a process that cements the relationship between the watch and jewellery sectors,” Dr. Cavalieri said. “In so many respects we already operate as one united industry, using similar raw materials, supply chains and outlets to the wholesale and retail markets, as well as interacting with the same consumers. Our interests are aligned, as are our challenges. We welcome ASSOROLOGI into our family.”

APRIL 22, 2021

CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation, has announced that it has launched an online Toolkit designed to enable all members of the jewellery and gem sector to conduct responsible sourcing due diligence on their supply chains. The digital files of which the toolkit is comprised can be downloaded at no cost from a dedicated mini-website, located at www.cibjo.org/rs-toolkit.

The CIBJO Responsible Sourcing Toolkit supports the CIBJO Responsible Sourcing Book,  which provides companies in the jewellery supply chain with a framework and guidance for due diligence for the responsible sourcing of gem materials and precious metals.

The Toolkit was developed for CIBJO by the Coloured Gemstone Working Group, which is a forum of leading gem and jewellery companies dedicated to helping businesses in the coloured gemstones supply chain be more sustainable, and making responsible sourcing part of the way they operate. The work of the Coloured Gemstone Working Group is facilitated by TDI Sustainability, an advisory firm specialising in the jewellery, gemstone and mining industries.

The Toolkit comprises nine modules, each one of which relates to a specific section of the Responsible Sourcing Blue Book. Each module provides a detailed explanation of that section, and also a number of downloadable files, in MS Word or PDF format, which can be used to do the due diligence described. They include templates, forms, sample declarations and additional information.

While the modules are organised in the sequence that the subjects are addressed in the Responsible Sourcing Blue Book, they do not need to be applied in any particular order. However, it is recommended that users complete the first four modules before continuing on to the remaining five modules. These four modules relate specifically to establishing and implementing a responsible supply chain policy, basic supply chain due diligence, and Know Your Counterparty (KYC), both as it relates to anti-money laundering and bribery and facilitation payments.

Most of the tools in the Toolkit can be used with no additional costs involved. A small number will require support of third-parties, and in those cases, the Toolkit lists appropriate alternatives.

A screenshot from Module 1 of the CIBJO Responsible Sourcing Toolkit. The section describes the process of creating a Responsible Sourcing Policy Document, and a link to download a template, in MS Word format, which can be used to formulate the policy document.

“The launch of the CIBJO Responsible Sourcing Toolkit is the fulfilment of a promise to make freely available to all members of the industry the tools required to do essential responsible sourcing due diligence,” said Gateano Cavalieri, CIBJO President. “Our position is clear – while all responsible participants in our industry should be provided access to the chain of supply, irrespective of their size or financial capacity, all also are expected to do, to the best of their ability, the due diligence necessary to protect our product, our industry, our customers and our stakeholders. This Toolkit helps them do just that.”

“Our thanks go out to all those who brought this to fruition,” he continued. “This includes our Responsible Sourcing Commission and its President, Philip Olden, the Coloured Gemstone Working Group, and Assheton Carter and the team at TDI Sustainability.”

“The CIBJO Responsible Sourcing Toolkit is a simple and essential resource to help companies of all sizes in the complex and fragmented gem and jewellery supply chains to start the process of supply chain due diligence, which is becoming a fundamental business requirement,” said Philip Olden, President of the CIBJO Responsible Sourcing Commission, who headed the project on behalf of the World Jewellery Confederation. “It is a process of continuous improvement. The  Toolkit is designed to enable industry members get started, supporting the guidance in the CIBJO Responsible Soucing Blue Book. Companies can then use the Toolkit to systematically improve their level of due diligence to the best of their ability. It will also assist companies in preparing to become certified with a recognised compliance standard, such as that of the Responsible Jewellery Council, if and when they choose to do so.”

“The CIBJO Responsible Sourcing Toolkit is the latest addition to a wealth of industry standards, educational and guidance materials and programmes, and also practical tools that CIBJO makes freely available to members of our industry all over the world, to support their businesses and protect the confidence of consumers in our products and our people,” said Jonathan Kendall, CIBJO’s Executive Vice President. “Our mission is to create a better jewellery industry, equipped to succeed in the 21st Century. Responsible sourcing and supply chain integrity are key to meeting that challenge.”

MARCH 29, 2021

CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation, has announced that its Board of Directors has confirmed the membership of the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH. CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri welcomed the decision, stating that it underscores the convergent interests of the watch, jewellery and gemstones industries, and the need for all to work together to protect consumer confidence and support.

Representing around 460 members or more than 90 percent of Swiss firms active in the production and sale of watches, clocks and components, the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH was established in 1982 following the merger between the Swiss Federation of Watch Manufacturers’ Associations and the Swiss Chamber of Watchmaking. It thus represents almost 150 years of association activity within the Swiss watch industry.

Among the organisation’s objectives are to protect and develop the Swiss watch industry, to uphold its members’ interests generally and in a legal context, and to represent the sector as a whole, both in Switzerland and abroad.

“We are delighted to have so important a leader in the international watch sector as part of CIBJO,” Dr. Cavalieri said. “Together the jewellery, gemstone and watch industries represent more than $250 billion of sales annually, reaching out to a very similar consumer base, often using  the same chains of distribution, particularly at the retail end. We have parallel interests and face common threats. For all of us, consumer confidence is not simply desirable, but it is a business prerequisite. I look forward to working with my Swiss colleagues in creating a common front, allowing us work united and strengthened in the international markets.”

“We are very proud to join such a worldwide association as CIBJO,” said Dr. Jean-Daniel Pasche, FH President. “The jewellery, gemstone and watch industries are so linked together that it makes sense to group our competences and values in order to improve the development of our activities and to fully satisfy the expectations of the consumers.”