SubscribeSears/Kmart join other jewelers in pledging to avoid *dirty* gold
60 jewelers now committed to sourcing precious metals responsibly
Washington, D.C, 11/18 -- Three major jewelry retailers today announced their decision to shun irresponsible gold mining and seek cleaner sources of gold and precious metals. Sears Holdings (parent company of Sears and Kmart), Ultra Stores, and Blue Nile all signed the No Dirty Gold campaign's Golden Rules for responsible sourcing of precious metals, bringing the total number of jewelry retail signatories up to 60. These jewelry retailers include 7 of the top 10 jewelry retail firms in the United States, and represent over $1.3 billion in annual US jewelry sales, or nearly a quarter of total sales.
"The No Dirty Gold campaign is a great initiative that pushes for sustainability and ethnical sourcing on gold. We are proud to be a part of it and to offer our customers gold that was obtained in a responsible manner", said Michelle Pearlman, Senior Vice President and President of Jewelry at Sears Holdings. "Sears strives to be a green company and we will continue to work to build lifetime relationships with our customers starting from the mines up."
Jewelers are realizing that their customers are concerned about dirty gold and the devastating effect of gold mining on communities and the environment. The production of one gold ring generates, on average, 20 tons of mine waste. Gold mining has been linked to human rights violations, forest destruction, toxic pollution, and loss of lands and livelihoods.
"The No Dirty Gold campaign applauds this important step taken by Sears, Kmart, Blue Nile and Ultra Stores," said Payal Sampat of Earthworks, which spearheads the No Dirty Gold campaign. "We look forward to working with these companies to find solutions to irresponsible gold mining practices."
Sears, Ultra, and Blue Nile have signed on to the Golden Rules at a time when discussions are advancing on third party certification of more responsible mining practices through the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA). The Golden Rules signatories have committed to seeking third party certification of responsible sourcing when it becomes available.
The Golden Rules call on mining companies to meet the following basic standards in their operations:
- Respect basic human rights outlined in international conventions and law
- Obtain the free, prior, and informed consent of affected communities.
- Respect workers' rights and labor standards, including safe working conditions
- Ensure that operations are not located in areas of armed or militarized conflict
- Ensure that projects do not force communities off their lands
- Ensure that projects are not located in protected areas, fragile ecosystems, or other areas of high conservation or ecological value
- Refrain from dumping mine wastes into the ocean, rivers, lakes, or streams
- Ensure that projects do not contaminate water, soil, or air with sulfuric acid drainage or other toxic chemicals
- Cover all costs of closing down and cleaning up mine sites
- Fully disclose information about social and environmental effects of projects
- Allow independent verification of the above
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