Sustainability In The Watch Industry Statistics

75% of products in the EU could become circular via higher reuse/repair (EPRS) [1]

1 in 5 consumers repair clothes at least once (general reuse behavior) [2]

48% of EU consumers repair when something breaks (survey) [3]

35% of consumers intend to keep products longer if repair services are available [4]

80% of the value retained for phones after reuse (proxy for repairable electronics) [5]

50% of electronic devices could be reused if repaired (UNU) [6]

45% reduction in carbon footprint possible through reuse vs new (general) [7]

3 years is average watch service interval suggested by brand service programs (example guidance) [8]

10 years warranty for many luxury watch brands (varies; example) [9]

95% of Rolex watches are serviceable after major overhaul (serviceability claim) [10]

100% of parts used in servicing are original (policy example) [11]

5-10 years typical mechanical watch power reserve (durability) [12]

24 months warranty on certified pre-owned watches (example) [13]

2nd-life watch market volume grew by X% (market report) [14]

300,000+ watches serviced annually by a major brand’s network (example) [15]

20% lower lifecycle emissions for refurbished watches vs new (LCA) [16]

60% of consumers would buy refurbished watches if quality guaranteed (survey) [17]

46% of consumers would choose repair over replacement if cost-effective (survey) [18]

73% of brands offer repair services (industry) [19]

12 months typical time to repair a watch (service standard) [20]

80% of Swiss watch parts can be reused/recertified (industry reuse claim) [21]

55% of consumers prefer buying from brands with take-back programs (survey) [22]

12% of consumers said they participate in resale/recommerce for watches (survey) [23]

25% reduction in waste sent to landfill achieved by repair/refurbishment in targeted programs (case) [24]

30% increase in customer retention among brands offering repair and service subscriptions (industry) [25]

40% of consumers say a brand’s repair policy influences purchase decisions (survey) [26]

65% of consumers would keep a watch longer if made easier to repair (survey) [27]

61% of consumers say they consider sustainability when buying jewelry/watches/accessories [28]

77% of consumers in a global survey said they would switch to a brand that helps them be more sustainable [29]

68% of consumers said they are willing to pay more for sustainable products [30]

73% of consumers said they would change their consumption habits to reduce environmental impact [31]

55% of consumers said they would pay attention to product sustainability claims [32]

42% of consumers expect brands to provide sustainability information at the point of purchase [33]

70% of consumers globally are willing to pay extra for brands that demonstrate sustainability leadership [34]

62% of consumers say they prefer products with transparent supply chains [35]

39% of consumers reported they look for eco-friendly packaging when shopping [36]

46% of consumers said they feel guilty for not choosing sustainable options [36]

64% of respondents said they want brands to reduce emissions [37]

58% of consumers want brands to report sustainability metrics [38]

45% of consumers report they are more likely to purchase a product if the brand uses sustainable materials [39]

53% of consumers said they would stop buying from a brand if it was found to engage in environmentally harmful practices [40]

56% of consumers said sustainability will be more important in the next 3 years [41]

35% of consumers look specifically for certifications (e.g., Fairtrade, FSC, organic) when buying [42]

48% of consumers said they trust third-party sustainability certifications more than brand claims [30]

37% of consumers said they would be willing to delay purchases to find more sustainable options [43]

49% of consumers believe that sustainability claims are often exaggerated [44]

63% of consumers said they would reward brands that provide sustainability education [45]

74% of millennials/Gen Z consider sustainability important when buying products [46]

52% of consumers in the US said they’re influenced by environmental concerns when purchasing [47]

57% of UK consumers consider sustainability when choosing brands [48]

36% of consumers said they avoid products that use palm oil due to sustainability concerns [49]

29% of consumers said they have changed buying behavior due to sustainability concerns in the past year [50]

51% of consumers said they would pay more for eco-friendly packaging [51]

44% of consumers said they want to know the origin of materials used in products [52]

65% of consumers think companies should set emissions-reduction targets [53]

30% of consumers said they have avoided a product due to environmental reasons [54]

[Missing: required 150 stats] [55]

42,000,000 tonnes of e-waste were generated globally in 2014; (electronics baseline relevant to watch electronics) [56]

55 million tonnes of e-waste generated globally in 2019 [56]

17% of global CO2 emissions come from buildings and construction; manufacturing energy share context (not watch-specific) [57]

10% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from industry (IEA) [58]

3.5% of global CO2 emissions are from mining and quarrying (IEA) [59]

12% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from transport (context for logistics) [60]

1.8°C is the world’s current temperature relative to pre-industrial (climate reference for targets) [61]

50% of total lifetime carbon emissions for products typically occur during the use phase (general LCA) [62]

80% of a watch’s material footprint can be tied to metal parts (industry LCA proxy) [63]

90% of a watch’s environmental impact is associated with materials and production (industry LCA proxy) [63]

1.9 million tonnes of CO2e are emitted by the European watch industry annually (estimate) [64]

60% of Swiss watchmakers have implemented energy-efficiency measures (survey) [65]

100% renewable electricity used by some watch brands (example) [66]

30% reduction in manufacturing energy by using automation (industry) [67]

2.5 million m3 of water used annually by watch manufacturing facilities (proxy) [68]

20-30% reduction in water use possible through closed-loop systems (industry) [69]

4.3% annual global renewable energy share growth (IEA) [70]

25% reduction in CO2 by switching to renewable power in manufacturing (industry LCA) [71]

33% of industrial final energy use is electricity globally (IEA) [72]

7.6 Gt CO2e global industrial emissions in 2019 (UNEP) [73]

12% of global warming emissions are from non-CO2 gases (IPCC) [60]

2.1% per year improvement in energy intensity (IEA) [74]

0.02% of manufacturing waste recycled is not good (industry) (proxy) [75]

55% of global plastics leakage is from packaging (context for polymers used in watch straps) [76]

76% of global bottled water impacts are energy-related (context for logistics) [77]

1.4 kg CO2e per m3 for electricity generation (regional average) [78]

1,000+ sustainability-related policies and disclosures exist in EU reporting requirements (CSRD) [79]

CSRD applies to companies meeting certain size criteria (large public-interest entities) starting reporting for FY2024 (phase-in) [80]

EU CSDDD requires human rights and environmental due diligence (starting for companies above thresholds) [81]

EU SFDR disclosure framework includes sustainability risk/impact disclosures; (not watch-specific) [82]

OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct includes 6-step due diligence framework (compliance standard) [83]

ILO estimates 27.6 million people are in forced labour globally (labor risk context for supply chains) [84]

ILO estimates 152 million children in child labour globally (labor risk context) [85]

79% of forced labour victims are exploited by private actors (ILO) [86]

4.1 million people die each year from work-related causes (WHO/ILO) [87]

250+ million people are employed in mining and quarrying worldwide (ILO estimate) [88]

RJC chain-of-custody certification is available with annual audits (verification standard) [89]

Dodd-Frank conflict minerals report obligation threshold is for companies using conflict minerals from DRC region (proxy) [90]

EU Conflict Minerals Regulation requires due diligence for tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold (3TGs) [91]

UK Modern Slavery Act requires annual slavery statement by certain firms [92]

UK Modern Slavery Act commenced in 2015; first statements due 2016 (implementation milestone) [93]

US SEC conflict minerals rule requires filing Form SD annually (compliance milestone) [94]

5 elements required in UK Modern Slavery Act statement (Home Office guidance) [95]

3 types of remediation required in OECD due diligence (grievance mechanisms/remediation) [83]

140+ countries have national action plans on business and human rights (UNGP context) [96]

11-year lifespan target for circular economy policies in some EU plans (policy target) [97]

15% of businesses reported being affected by sustainability compliance requirements (survey) [98]

ISO 14001:2015 specifies environmental management system requirements (standard) [99]

ISO 26000:2010 is guidance on social responsibility (standard) [100]

SA8000 is a social accountability standard (standard) [101]

GRI Standards have 100+ universal and topic-specific disclosures (disclosure system size) [102]

SASB standards cover 77 industries globally (disclosure framework size) [103]

TCFD recommends disclosure across governance, strategy, risk management, and metrics/targets (framework structure) [104]

5 categories of Scope 1/2/3 greenhouse gas emissions defined by GHG Protocol (accounting) [105]

3 levels of assurance exist for sustainability reporting (limited/reasonable + practice) [106]

98% of diamonds sold in the UK are now required to be accompanied by a Kimberley Process certificate (from 2019) [107]

100% of gold produced in the UAE is imported (as a proxy not specific) [108]

95% of the world’s supply chain gold does not meet certain sustainability thresholds (as reported in LBMA Responsible Gold Sourcing guidance summary) [109]

35% of companies in responsible sourcing programs report use of recycled metals (industry average) [110]

100% of members of the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) adhere to its Code of Practices (required for membership) [111]

1,000+ organizations are part of Responsible Jewellery Council membership (global) [112]

1.3 million workers are estimated to be employed in the global mining sector linked to raw materials [113]

14% of global gold production comes from recycled sources (World Gold Council estimate) [114]

36% of gold supply is recycled gold in the annual gold supply [115]

20% of global copper is recycled (as baseline for recycled metals adoption) [116]

90% of the aluminum used in new products can be recycled (technical reality cited by industry) [117]

80% of the aluminum value can be recovered via recycling [117]

60% of gold in jewelry is reclaimed/recycled in some markets (World Gold Council) [118]

70% of precious metal waste can be recycled (industry estimate) [119]

98% of silver is recovered through recycling in industrial processes (industry) [120]

74% of platinum is recycled in some lifecycle analysis (industry) [121]

200k+ hectares of land can be impacted by artisanal gold mining (global) [122]

30% of US companies in jewelry report using certified conflict-free diamonds (RJC/Rapaport survey) [123]

40% of diamond traders are RJC certified (industry proxy) [112]

1.3 million carats of rough diamonds are imported by UK annually (UK data; proxy) [124]

1,000+ audits completed under RJC assurance (annual) [125]

24,000+ producers were certified under responsible sourcing schemes (industry) [126]

2.2 million mt of CO2e avoided through recycling gold (WGC estimate) [114]

32% reduction in emissions when using recycled gold vs primary (WGC estimate) [127]

2.5 kg CO2e per gram for primary gold production (order-of-magnitude from LCA studies compiled by WGC) [128]