Tucson: The organizers of the Jewelry Industry Summit have announced the publication of the final report on the recent meeting in Tucson, Arizona.
Nearly 150 people from 14 different countries came together as a follow-up to the first summit in New York in March 2016 to discuss collective action on strengthening a sustainable and responsible supply chain.
"The goals of the second summit included the development of a shared vision for key segments of the industry supply chain that support the broader industry vision for sustainable business and responsible sourcing," according to a press statement. "Another important goal was to develop practical tools and strategies that are easily accessible, allowing businesses to make progress through continuous improvement."
"The Summit report describes the results of the two-day interactive workshop in Tucson. Updates were delivered on the initiatives kicked off at the previous Jewelry Industry Summit in March 2016, including the communication and marketing initiative #ResponsibleJewelryStories. Building on existing efforts and generating new initiatives, participants at the Second Summit engaged in dynamic and innovative ways to make their mark on the responsible jewelry movement. The initiatives created touch on a broad range of the jewelry supply chain and reflect the creative ways that anyone can participate in advancing the Summit mission, including some of the following:
• The Small Jeweler Ethical Toolkit: A virtual toolkit to aid small jewelers in understanding the issues and existing standards in the jewelry industry. It also aims to provide resources and tools to help small jewelers on their ethical journey.
• Sales Associate and Consumer Training: Getting the message out! This initiative exists to provide training and knowledge on responsible practices for retail associates in the jewelry industry. By educating those selling the products, the message and story of responsible jewelry can be further disseminated to consumers and the public.
• The Bahia Golden Rutilated Quartz Mine to Market Sustainability Model: A model to guide sustainable development in mining, environmental stewardship, value-added activity, parallel activity in organic agriculture, and geo-ag tourism. This model highlights and exemplifies the positive global impacts made possible by committing to responsible and ethical jewelry practices.
These initiatives, among many more, will be implemented throughout the year by a group of industry volunteers energized by their attendance at the Summit who are committed to ensuring that these projects succeed.
The Summit report also highlights the speakers who educated attendees on their work on sustainable supply chains in the electronics industry, explained the meaning and implementation of 'Conscious Capitalism,' and shared insight on the effective marketing and communication of sustainable practices."
