10 | JNA March/April 2024 FOCUS 焦点 Corey explained, “When she enrolled in our free entrepreneurship programme, she did not anticipate securing funding for her farm. She persevered through a rigorous 16-week business training, involving multiple interviews and business pitches.” Tshireletso received the grant in 2022. Her business, Erba Farms, began on the windowsill of her parents’ backyard. Today, it is present in over 25 supermarkets across Botswana, creating employment in her rural community. “These grants invest in local entrepreneurs who make a difference in their local communities. We cannot wait to see how these will impact individuals and communities in the Northwest Territories,” said Corey. ESG for smaller businesses More stringent regulations and rising expectations from consumers and investors underscore the imperative nature of sustainability reporting. Van der Veken remarked, “Sustainability reporting brings significant value to organisations of all sizes. With an increased focus on reporting across the value chain, SMEs, particularly mid-to-upstream SMEs, play a pivotal role in furthering transparency and providing valuable data.” As clamour for supply chain due diligence rises, SMEs will increasingly need to disclose ESG data to downstream buyers. Their contribution can significantly impact the development of a more responsible supply chain, she added. Meanwhile, supply chain due diligence requirements are also intensifying across jurisdictions, making it essential for organisations throughout the value chain to deliver comprehensive sustainability disclosures. Van der Veken said luxury brands are undergoing a paradigm shift, viewing sustainability as a strategic imperative, more than just a compliance measure. SMEs can do the same while focusing on prioritising disclosure of topics most relevant to their operations to effectively manage risk and showcase impact. SMEs can use industry standards like the WJI 2030 framework to ensure consistent reporting of KPIs across the board. As SMEs are at various stages of the sustainability reporting journey, it is also important to balance the disclosures of quantitative and qualitative KPIs to ensure that organisations are reporting information that is consistent and comparable, while effectively managing costs, she added. Smaller establishments can streamline their reporting processes by effectively leveraging technology services and platforms such as ESG Book, which is designed to assist enterprises on their sustainability reporting journey. “The ESG Book enables companies to be custodians of their own data, allowing them to publish and share their disclosures with investors and stakeholders,” noted Van der Veken. According to Corey, small businesses can achieve ESG goals by collaborating with organisations that provide feasible roadmaps for reaching these objectives. She said, “Many companies are already supporting some form of communitybuilding programmes around the areas where they do business. Communicating these initiatives to customers demonstrates the company's commitment to responsible practices aligned with shared values.” Grant, for her part, said sustainability in the jewellery industry is a mindset that leads to a set of actions such as applying due diligence, abiding by legislation and incorporating SDG goals into business strategies. “The first step is to simply start. Read, listen and learn. Join a scheme, talk to your suppliers and make your own unique contribution. The future of jewellery depends on it,” she said. 麦肯锡公司的2021年珠宝行业报告显示，到了 2025年，20%至30%的高级珠宝消费活动可能会 受到可持续发展考虑因素影响。 迫切的气候危机及消费者喜好之转变，无疑引起了一定 的担忧，但亦促使宝石和珠宝企业重新思考优先事项，并审 视其商业实践，以在整个供应链中注入环保元素。 而遵循可持续发展原则，还可以赢取年轻消费者的信任。 行业专家表示，领袖计划有助引领珠宝业实行环境、社 会和治理(ESG)策略。 提倡可持续发展的主要业界机构，包括责任珠宝业委 员会(RJC)、国际有色宝石协会(ICA)、Diamonds Do Good (DDG)、钟表与珠宝2030倡议(WJI 2023)，以及GIA美国宝石 研究院等。 业界付诸实行 WJI 2030以日内瓦为基地，由奢侈品集团开云集团和历 峰集团旗下的卡地亚创立。该计划汇聚手表和珠宝品牌、行 业协会和主要持份者，以在三个领域实现重大转变，包括气 候复原力、保护自然资源和促进包容性。 该计划目前有近60位成员，以联合国全球契约的十项原 则和17个可持续发展目标(SDG)为方针。 WJI 2030执行董事Iris van der Veken解释说：“2024伊 始，我们未来将更强调完整性、透明度、可追溯性和循环性， 这点需要业界共同协力才能达成。” 她指出珠宝行业“与美学和情感密切相关”，因此，业者 承担“培育和行动”的双重责任。同時，业界必须重新思考从 设计到售后服务的整个珠宝生命周期，并探索商业模式的 循环性。Van der Veken补充道：“虽然供应链的可持续元素 错综复杂，但若能推展更深入的合作和与同侪分享最佳实 践方针，就可以大力推动其进程。” WJI 2030在2023年取得的主要成就，包括创建多部门治 理框架、获得15家成员公司对科学基础减量目标倡议(SBTi) 作出承诺，以及推出《Nature Primer》，引导全行业迈向“自 然受益型”路线图，其中包含业界如何为“自然受益型”世界 作出贡献的具体步骤。 倡议小组还与联合国妇女署合作，推出了一项关于促 进性别平等采购的案例研究，并推出“人权导航”工具，为 Kamtonga Project of the International Colored Gemstone Association’s Gems Keep Giving programme 国际有色宝石协会Gems Keep Giving计划之Kamtonga矿区项目
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