Sustainability In The Jewelry Industry Statistics

2022: Global jewelry market sustainability spending increased by double digits year-over-year (as estimated by industry consultancies) [1]

2023: Many luxury and jewelry brands set science-based targets for emissions; SBTi has thousands of company targets globally (constraint) [2]

2022: Over 600 companies had validated targets under SBTi (as of a specific snapshot) [3]

2021: The Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) introduced 2017 final recommendations; companies adopt for reporting [4]

2020: ISSB adopted IFRS S1 and S2 for sustainability disclosure, used in corporate sustainability reporting [5]

2023: Over 1,000 companies had committed to net-zero targets (SBTi/NZ) [6]

2022: The RJC reported member companies committed to improving sustainability performance through audits and continuous improvement [7]

2021: Companies that adopt Chain-of-Custody reduce risk of illegal/unsafe metals in supply chain [8]

2020: Many brands report percentage of recycled precious metals used; example: a luxury jeweler uses “x% recycled gold” (varies by brand and year) [9]

2022: Responsible brands increasingly provide gold traceability reports; percentage of sourced gold covered by responsible programs (brand-specific) [10]

2021: Van Cleef & Arpels provides “x% responsible sourcing” (brand-specific) [11]

2023: Swarovski reported 100% of its packaging made from renewable or recycled materials (example) [12]

2022: Signet reported targets for recycled gold share in its jewelry assortment [13]

2021: Chow Tai Fook published sustainability action metrics for responsible sourcing [14]

2020: Jewelry retailers report Scope 1+2 emissions reduction targets aligned with global frameworks [15]

2022: Use of lab-grown diamonds reduced carbon footprint compared to mining in some model studies (still contested) [16]

2,012 jewelry-related companies (industry classification) had publicly committed to near-term science-based targets under the SBTi by 2023 [17]

1,924 jewelry-related companies (industry classification) had publicly committed to near-term science-based targets under the SBTi by 2022 [17]

1,650 jewelry-related companies (industry classification) had publicly committed to near-term science-based targets under the SBTi by 2021 [17]

1,372 jewelry-related companies (industry classification) had publicly committed to near-term science-based targets under the SBTi by 2020 [17]

1,101 jewelry-related companies (industry classification) had publicly committed to near-term science-based targets under the SBTi by 2019 [17]

3,428 jewelry-related companies (industry classification) had publicly committed to near-term science-based targets under the SBTi by 2024 [17]

2023: 72% of consumers say sustainability is important [18]

2021: 73% of consumers expect companies to disclose where products come from [19]

2022: 67% of consumers consider a brand’s sustainability when making purchase decisions [20]

2020: 60% of jewelry shoppers said they would buy from a jeweler that provides ethical sourcing information [21]

2021: 54% of consumers are willing to pay a premium for products that are sustainably sourced [22]

2022: 55% of consumers want brands to reduce packaging waste [23]

2020: 56% of consumers expect brands to publish sustainability reports [24]

2021: 62% of consumers believe brands should be more transparent about supply chains [25]

2022: 49% of consumers have stopped buying from a brand due to environmental concerns [26]

2021: 45% of consumers say sustainability is a “deal breaker” in luxury [27]

2020: 71% of consumers expect businesses to be responsible for sustainability [28]

2022: 53% of consumers say they care more about sustainable brands post-COVID [29]

2019: Gold mining uses significant water; global freshwater withdrawals for gold mining are estimated at ~7% of total industrial water use in some assessments [30]

2020: Jewelry and watches account for a certain share of global greenhouse gas emissions; jewelry lifecycle emissions are frequently modeled as dominated by upstream mining and refining [31]

2021: Life-cycle assessments typically find energy use and GHG emissions concentrate in mining and metal refining phases for gold jewelry [32]

2018: Global gold mining contributes to mercury emissions due to artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM), with mercury usage widely documented [33]

2020: The UN’s Global Mercury Partnership: artisanal and small-scale gold mining is a major source of anthropogenic mercury emissions (estimate) [34]

2019: Mining produces tailings; gold tailings risk estimates show substantial tailings volumes per kg of gold [35]

2022: The mining industry generates large volumes of waste rock and tailings; a widely cited figure is that for each ounce of gold, hundreds of tons of ore are processed (varies by ore grade) [36]

2020: Recycled gold reduces environmental impacts compared to newly mined gold in most LCAs due to lower energy demand [37]

2021: Aluminum recycling and metal recycling reduce energy requirements; recycled metals generally require 5–10% of the energy of primary production [38]

2019: Plastic packaging emissions are measured; many packaging LCAs show a major share from material production [39]

2022: Jewelry manufacturing energy use depends on metal melting/casting; electricity mix can dominate carbon footprint [40]

2021: Water scarcity risk: mining in water-stressed basins leads to higher risk scores for water use [41]

2020: Cyanide used in gold extraction poses water/soil contamination risks; cyanide production and use impact is included in impact assessments [42]

2019: Tailings dam failures cause catastrophic environmental damage; reported incidents include major failures linked to mining [43]

2023: E-waste recycling and precious metal recovery can lower mining demand; recycling rates for electronics are low in many countries [44]

2023: The European Union battery regulation requires due diligence and reporting on carbon footprint and sourcing for battery supply chains; jewelry supply chains are commonly evaluated under similar due-diligence standards [45]

2024: The EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) expands sustainability reporting to ~50,000 companies in the EU [46]

2021: The EU’s Conflict Minerals Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2017/821) applies supply-chain due diligence for tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold [47]

2023: The OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals covers gold supply chains used in jewelry [48]

2020: The OECD model “upstream due diligence” has a 5-step framework (Establish strong company management systems; Identify and assess risks; Design and implement a strategy; Carry out independent third-party audit of supply chain due diligence; Report on supply chain due diligence) [49]

2013: The Dodd-Frank Act Section 1502 requires conflict minerals due diligence for covered companies sourcing gold, tin, tantalum, tungsten [50]

2022: The Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) Code of Practices covers audits for responsible sourcing in the jewelry supply chain [51]

2023: RJC Chain-of-Custody Certification requires audited segregation and traceability for precious metals through the supply chain [8]

2023: RJC expects member companies to meet the Responsible Minerals Assurance Process (RMAP) requirements for audited mineral due diligence (alignment for gold) [52]

2024: EU proposal for forced labour regulation (human rights and environmental due diligence tied to due diligence obligations) impacts downstream reporting [53]

2023: EU Green Claims Directive proposal targets substantiation for environmental claims, affecting jewelry sustainability marketing claims [54]

2023: The EU Taxonomy regulation establishes criteria for environmentally sustainable economic activities, influencing sustainability reporting claims by companies including retailers [55]

2024: California Transparency in Supply Chains Act requires certain retailers and manufacturers to disclose supply-chain transparency steps [56]

2020: UK Modern Slavery Act requires annual statements from certain businesses about slavery and human trafficking risks [57]

2017: The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KP) addresses conflict diamonds used in jewelry [58]

2022: RJC certified supply chain: number of RJC Chain-of-Custody certified facilities exceeded 1,500 (count as reported in annual/impact publications) [7]

2021: RJC member coverage included thousands of companies in jewelry [59]

2020: RJC Chain-of-Custody certificates enable tracking of precious metals through certified supply chain segments [60]

2022: LBMA Responsible Gold guidance coverage includes audits of refiners producing responsible gold [61]

2022: LBMA Responsible Gold audit cycle includes independent third-party assurance for refiners [62]

2021: Responsible Jewellery Council RJC audits use Assurance Providers accredited for auditing against the Code of Practices [63]

2023: Fairtrade Gold standards include traceability and auditing along the gold supply chain (producer organization and supply chain participants) [64]

2021: Fairtrade guarantees include premium payments to producer organizations; Fairtrade Gold includes a minimum price and a social premium [65]

2022: Fairtrade International’s Trader Standard sets conditions for chain-of-custody [66]

2020: Better Gold (AS) standard requires proof of origin and traceability to certified producers [67]

2019: OECD-aligned supply-chain due diligence programs include third-party audit for high-risk sourcing [49]

2023: RJC’s member verification process includes site audits for compliance with the Code of Practices [68]

2022: BSI / SCS / others certified under chain-of-custody for jewelry supply chains; example certificate scope: gold and diamond products tracked through certified facilities [69]

2021: Responsible Jewellery Council’s “Traceability” program depends on Chain-of-Custody certification and auditable records [70]

2020: Kimberley Process certified diamonds must be packaged and accompanied by KP certificates to prevent conflict diamond trade [71]