CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation, and quality assurance firm Intertek Italia SpA will unveil the first sustainability training and certification programme in the jewellery industry.

The online programme will be carried out with the support of the International Council for Sustainable Business, which was established by CIBJO's educational arm, the World Jewellery Confederation Education Foundation (WJCEF).

It comes in a series of modules by sustainability experts on a dedicated e-training platform developed by Intertek. Students must obtain a certain number of training hours to get certified. The certification will be issued by Intertek.

According to CIBJO, the initiative – to be launched at VICENZAORO on September 10 – will provide industry professionals with the knowledge and practical tools to help implement sustainability and corporate social responsibility practices. These include auditing techniques, information on laws and regulations such as the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, US and European conflict mineral legislations, OECD due diligence guidelines, the WDC System of Warranties, Responsible Jewellery Council's Code of Practice, and CIBJO's Blue Book on Responsible Sourcing, among others.