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We appreciate and applaud you for inquiring into our sourcing and sustainability practices. Challenging retailers and producers to be more aware of the impact that their products have on the environment and communities is ultimately what will drive real industry change. Melissa Joy Manning is committed to operating in a manner that promotes socially responsible sourcing and manufacturing and minimizes environmental impact.
Melissa Joy Manning works exclusively with US-based vendors; because the US is a participant country in the Kimberley Certification Process, diamonds are not allowed to be imported into the country unless they are documented to be Kimberley Certified Conflict Free Diamonds. However, this does not mean that all diamonds sold in the US are guaranteed to be conflict-free. Just as we encourage our customers to challenge our practices, we actively challenge our suppliers to provide documentation verifying the sources of our stones. We have received Kimberley Process documentation from some of our key diamond suppliers, and continue to seek documentation from all gemstone vendors with whom we work.
Since you are inquiring into this matter, you are likely very informed on the subject. However, we believe that education is one of the first steps towards creating change, so included below please find the key findings from our sustainability research and some additional information sources.
How are we environmentally responsible?
In addition to diamond sourcing, we want to ensure social responsibility throughout the entire jewelry making process, from mining and refining to jewelry manufacturing. We draw upon nature both for design inspiration and for the materials that we use to create our jewelry; therefore it is our responsibility and desire to be sensitive to our environmental impact. The jewelry industry relies heavily upon mining companies to generate raw materials for their products; unfortunately the mining process creates significant waste and contaminants, causing harm to the land and its inhabitants. Because of the negative impacts of metal mining, we purchase 100% recycled metal. The refining processes employed by our metal supplier also create up to 75% fewer waste products than standard refining techniques.
Additionally we employ strict guidelines within our production facility to capture and recycle the maximum
amount of our own metal scrap and waste. We have also undertaken efforts to make our workplace more environmentally friendly. We recently initiated a Green Certification Process through Alameda County, where our headquarters are located. The certification process focuses on waste reduction and recycling, energy conservation, water conservation, and pollution prevention.
We are proud to continue incorporating environmental practices in our own workplace, such as recycling paper and packaging materials, switching to permanent instead of temporary items (towels, dishes, etc.), and using energy-efficient light bulbs, all small changes that make a big difference over the long run. We even have water efficient toilets and use only "green" cleaning products.
Producing locally is one of the key ways that we reduce our environmental impact, while simultaneously spurring economic development in the inner city. Melissa Joy Manning jewelry is hand made in Oakland, California by trained metal smiths earning a living, working wage. We offer full benefit and retirement packages, including companymatched IRAs and financial literacy training. Melissa Joy Manning was recently named to Inc. Magazine's Inner City 100 list, which honors the fastest growing companies operating in US "inner cities".
While we are proud of what we have already achieved in these areas, we recognize there is much more work to do at our company and industry-wide. One of our key goals for 2008 is to become a more green-friendly company, so we will keep you informed as we continue to make progress in these areas.
What are Conflict Diamonds and the Kimberley Process?
Conflict diamonds, sometimes called blood diamonds, are diamonds that are sold to fund the unlawful and illegal wars of rebel groups seeking to overthrow internationally recognized governments. Countries that have been most affected by conflict diamonds are Sierra Leone, Angola, Liberia and the Democratic Republic of Congo -- all places where citizens have been impacted by groups in control of the local diamond trade. Conflict diamonds attracted international attention due to the conflict in Sierra Leone throughout the 1990's. In 2000, South African countries with a legitimate diamond trade began a campaign to track the origins of all rough diamonds, attempting to put a stop to blood diamond sales from known conflict areas. As a result, the Kimberley Process was developed in Kimberley, South Africa in 2000, and US Congress adopted the Clean Diamond Trade Act in 2003 which authorized US compliance with the international Kimberley Certification Process.
The goals of the Kimberley Process are to document and track all rough diamonds entering a participating country to assure manufacturers, retailers and consumers that the diamonds they are purchasing are conflict-free. In order for a country to be a participant, they must ensure that:
1) any diamond originating from the country does not finance a rebel group or any entity seeking to overthrow a UN-recognized government
2) every diamond be accompanied by a Kimberley Process Certificate, and
3) no diamond is imported from or exported to a non-member country.
Key requirements of the Kimberley Process include, among others, that shipments of rough diamonds crossing an international border be transported in a tamper-resistant container and accompanied by a government-validated Kimberley Process Certificate that is resistant to forgery, uniquely numbered and describes the shipment's contents.
As of September 2007, the Kimberley Process has 48 members, representing 74 countries. Over 99% of diamonds are certified through the Kimberley Process to be from conflict-free sources.
Despite this progress, there is still significant debate in the industry surrounding issues ranging from uniform documentation standards to the impact of changes in purchase behavior on workers in the mining industry. The Kimberley Process is currently the only real form of documentation and does not apply to cutting and polishing processes or to colored gemstones; it also focuses on what some consider to be the UN's narrow definition of conflict-free that centers on funding of rebel wars, but ignores environmental and labor-related concerns. The industry also lacks a standard definition of what it means to be fair-trade or environmentally friendly. The Tiffany Foundation, charitable arm of Tiffany & Co, recently funded a study by TransFair on the feasibility of fair trade diamonds. However even this study has raised controversy given the difficulty of labeling a product "fair trade" when the industry is so fragmented along the supply chain; for instance, while the mining process may follow fair-trade principles, the cutting and polishing may not. Additionally, many debate that sourcing from entirely conflict-free regions is the best manner to resolve the issue.
While consumers and manufacturers may prefer to purchase from conflict-free regions such as Canada, this essentially creates a boycott on products from regions that rely heavily upon mining for their livelihood. Mining drives economic development in many of the world's poorest regions. Ceasing to purchase gemstones and metals from these regions may actually deprive the workers and inhabitants of a key source of economic sustainability.
To learn more about conflict diamonds and 'green' practices in the jewelry industry, visit the following web sites:
www.ethicalmetalsmiths.org
www.kimberleyprocess.com
www.diamondfacts.org
www.nodirtygold.org
www.madisondialogue.org
www.responsiblejewellery.com
www.responsiblemining.net
www.earthworksaction.org
Sources:
Bates, Rob. "The Quest for Fair Trade Diamonds." JCK April 2008: 60-64.
Roskin, Gary. "Clear-Conscience Color." JCK April 2008: 66-70.
Shuster, William George. "Cleaning up the Mines." JCK April 2008: 72-76.
http://www.un.org/peace/africa/Diamond.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimberley_Process
http://www.diamondfacts.org/conflict/eliminating_conflict_diamonds.html
www.hooverandstrong.com
www.kimberleyprocess.com
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