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Envigado, Colombia / London, UK – 26 July 2016 – The Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM) and the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) renew their Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to strengthen their collaboration in promoting and facilitating responsible jewellery supply chains.
ARM and RJC share objectives to promote responsible precious metals supply chains, and will continue working together to ensure their standards and assurance models are mutually supportive.
Through their collaboration ARM and RJC aim to –
ARM and RJC see exciting opportunities for a wider inclusion of the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector in responsible global supply chains, and will jointly work with multiple stakeholders to make it happen.
”RJC is delighted to announce a renewed formal relationship between two organizations that share a common objective. With this renewed MOU we look forward to strengthening our relationship with ARM and working together on our collective efforts towards responsible business practices within the jewelry supply chain. It’s an honor for the RJC to partner with a leading organization such as ARM on standards harmonization, collaboration and raising awareness about the ASM sector,” says Andrew Bone, RJC’s Executive Director.
ARM and RJC also respond to the industry’s demand for harmonization by aligning aspects of their assurance systems. ARM and RJC will allow for joint Fairmined and RJC Chain-of-Custody audits for those companies who participate in both certification schemes to reduce audit burden. Such measures help to reduce barriers towards more responsible supply chains and facilitate engagement with artisanal and small-scale mining.
“We welcome this new phase in the collaboration between RJC and ARM. Participation in the Fairmined system has now become easier and more cost-effective for RJC members, yet another step to streamline Fairmined sourcing and encourage new clients to buy “Gold to be Proud of”. ARM recognizes RJC´s leadership in certification of the downstream supply chain, and work will continue to align our standards and audit procedures,” says Marcin Piersiak, Deputy Director of the Alliance for Responsible Mining.
About RJC
The Responsible Jewellery Council is an international not-for-profit standards and certification organisation. It has more than 800 Member companies that span the jewellery supply chain from mine to retail. RJC Members commit to and are independently audited against the RJC Code of Practices – an international standard on responsible business practices for diamonds, gold and platinum group metals. The Code of Practices addresses human rights, labour rights, environmental impact, mining practices, product disclosure and many more important topics in the jewellery supply chain. RJC also works with multi-stakeholder initiatives on responsible sourcing and supply chain due diligence.
The RJC’s Chain-of-Custody Certification for precious metals supports these initiatives and can be used as a tool to deliver broader Member and stakeholder benefit. The RJC is a Full Member of the ISEAL Alliance – the global association for sustainability standards. For more information on RJC Members, Certification, and Standards please visit www.responsiblejewellery.com
About the Alliance for Responsible Mining
The Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM) is an independent, global-scale, pioneering initiative established in 2004 to enhance equity and wellbeing in artisanal and small-scale mining communities. ARM is committed to social justice and environmental responsibility as the values driving the transformation of ASM. ARM’s vision is for ASM to become a formalized, organized and profitable activity that uses efficient technologies and is socially and environmentally responsible. ARM’s work is focused on four strategic areas: Standard Setting, Producer Support, Market Development and Advocacy and Communications.
Fairmined is an assurance label that certifies gold from empowered responsible mining communities. It is backed by a rigorous 3rd party certification and audit system that ensures that small entrepreneurial mining communities meet world leading standards for responsible practices. Fairmined transforms mining into an active force for good, ensuring social development and environmental protection, providing everyone with a source of gold to be proud of. www.responsiblemines.org and www.fairmined.org
