精辟视野 JNA March/April 2023 | 25 | Isabella Yan | The Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) helps set the sustainability agenda in the watch and jewellery world. Now under new leadership, it is poised to play an even more important role in an increasingly socially conscious market. 责任珠宝委员会(RJC)致力为 钟表及珠宝业订立可持续发展 时间表。随着新领导层正式上任 及社会意识日渐提升，该会将于 市场上担当更重要的角色。 RJC于环境、社会和治理范畴的责任与承诺 in the ESG dialogue RJC’S RESPONSIBILITY Following a challenging year when it lost key members – and its executive director – over Alrosa’s membership amid the RussiaUkraine war, the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) is regaining its footing as a key proponent of sustainable practices in the jewellery world. Membership continues to grow, with more companies seeking certification to reinforce their Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) credentials. Jewellery journalist and curator Melanie Grant joined as executive director in late January. She shares with JNA her priorities at RJC and how it can help businesses fulfil their ESG ambitions. JNA: As executive director of RJC, what changes and new practices will you bring to the organisation and the jewellery industry at large? Melanie Grant: I would love to actively create a more positive dialogue around the sustainability of watches and jewellery. As the single biggest issue facing the industry today, we know we face serious challenges such as human rights abuses but there are also people doing great things and we should highlight them in powerful ways. If we are to encourage people to be better inside and outside the industry, we need to foster positive, proactive change wherever possible. I can tell you what we at the RJC are doing. Over the past 18 years, the RJC Code of Practices and Chain of Custody standards have enabled business leaders throughout the entire supply chain to integrate sustainability into the heart of their operations. This is often a complex, multi-layered and ever moving evolution and part of my objective will be to look for ways to simplify how we talk about and how we adopt environmentally conscious practices so that sustainable action is accessible to a broader range of people and businesses. We opened public consultation last year as a first step to create relevant and credible standards for lab-grown diamonds. A key priority for RJC is to ensure that consumers are confident that the watches and jewellery they buy include the use of fair labour and environmentally conscious practices.
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