Episode 84: Sustainable Jewelry with Anna-Mieke Anderson (MiaDonna)

Outline

• What is sustainable jewelry? Is there a difference with ethical jewelry?

• What are the environmental impact considerations around jewelry production?

• What are the social and political considerations around jewelry production? What are the different sustainable jewelry options such as lab grown diamonds, how prevalent are they, and how are they produced versus traditional options? 

• What should definers look for and consider when shopping for sustainable jewelry?

• Expert guest: Anna-Mieke Anderson, Founder and CEO, MiaDonna & Company

What is sustainable jewelry? Is there a difference with ethical jewelry?

• While often these two terms are used in the same context, there are differences in the terms. “Sustainable” jewelry often refers to the environmental impact of the jewelry from its materials and production processes, while “ethical” jewelry typically refers to the social impact of the product, especially in the way that it is sourced.

• Of course as you can probably assume, jewelry can be both made from sustainable materials and in a more sustainable way and also be ethical. It doesn’t have to be mutually exclusive, but definitely a difference that is important to understand.

• Fine jewelry is made from precious metals, think gold and silver, and stones, like diamonds or gemstones. These are mined from deep in the earth’s mantle, produced from earth’s resources with extensive human labor. Understanding where these materials come from, how the piece was made, and the impacts from mining and production are key to understanding if your jewelry was made sustainably and sourced ethically. 

• So a lot of what we’ll talk about today when it comes to sustainable and ethical jewelry will focus on the materials side as there are a lot of environmental and social impacts that come from raw materials extraction and production, before it ends up in the store for you to purchase. 

• But in short, ethical jewelry has a focus on the human side of the jewelry supply chain like fair labor practices and working conditions and sustainable jewelry is focused on the environmental side.

What are the environmental impact considerations around jewelry production?

• Let’s dig into the environmental impact considerations of jewelry production first. A 2018 article from Forbes found that raw materials are a key challenge. Since these pieces are made with precious metals or gemstones, they all started out in the ground, likely deep in the ground and are not easily accessible, and therefore must be mined to be used in a ring or necklace. 

• Some of the common environmental implications of getting the raw materials for our jewelry via mining are pollution, deforestation, and impacts on biodiversity.

• First, let’s discuss toxic waste and pollution. The mining and production that is needed to create the gold and silver used within much of our jewelry creates a lot of waste and has the potential to contaminate the land and water in the surrounding areas. When mining for the metals that we want to use for our jewelry, other heavy metals are produced as a by-product. These leftover materials are waste called “tailings”. They often are made of crushed rocks, water, small quantities of other metals like mercury and copper, along with waste from the additives that are used in metals processing, like cyanide or sulfuric acid. Often these tailings are stored above ground in dams which can fail or collapse causing leakage into the surrounding areas. In some smaller scale mines or illegal mines, there is no waste strategy and these by-products are released into the environment and local water bodies.

• One shocking statistic is that for every 18 karat gold ring, there are around 20 tons produced of toxic waste, which includes cyanide, arsenic, and lead. This means that each year, around 180 million tons of toxic waste is dumped into waterways as a result of gold mining. 

• Next, deforestation is a huge concern in this industry. Mining for diamonds and other minerals requires that large land areas are altered or moved to make mining possible. It is estimated that for every carat of diamonds that are mined, nearly 100 square feet of land is moved and more than 5500 pounds of mineral waste are created! Large open pits or quarries are where the majority of mining takes place and these are very destructive ways to gain the materials needed for jewelry.

• In addition to just the land used for mines, within large mining operations, infrastructure must be built around the site to create access to the mines. This includes roads along with waste and water infrastructure. If not well managed, mining operations often lead to large losses of habitat that are valuable to local communities and wildlife. 

• Relatedly, the raw material extraction that goes into jewelry production is taking place in many areas that hold a lot of biodiversity! In fact, 75% of active mines and exploration sites are within regions defined as “high conservation value”. Tied to deforestation, mining causes habitat destruction, fragmentation, and degradation. This significantly impacts biodiversity in key ecological areas. 

• As an example, in the Amazon rainforest small scale gold mining has expanded quickly over the past 15 years. This mining has posed both environmental and health threats due to the presence of mercury and deforestation. Research findings have shown that the mercury from these poorly regulated, and often illegal, mining operations are affecting the terrestrial mammals that call the rainforest home. Many of the mines don’t follow environmental regulations that restrict deforestation and the use of liquid mercury within the process. As a result, habitats are destroyed and mercury has started to make its way into the environment, and endangered species when they ingest plants, insects, or other animals.  While scientists aren’t aware of the full effects just yet, the Amazon remains one of the highest areas for biodiversity globally. Many animals here are already at a high risk of extinction due to rainforest destruction and with the increase of gold mining in the area, the threat of extinction is increased.

• Songbirds that live in areas near these gold mining operations have been found to have mercury levels as much as 12 times higher than those further away from mines. Similar findings have been found in primate species and other native animals.

• For more on biodiversity, check out episode 72.

What are the social and political considerations around jewelry production?

• Continuing the conversation on mining but now turning to the social aspect, the majority of the metals and minerals that are mined come from the most economically disadvantaged areas on earth. As you can imagine, jewelry production has a disproportionate impact on communities that are already bearing the brunt of other social harms.

• Research from the World bank found that at least 100 million people worldwide are involved in artisanal mining - these are the mines that are most often used to produce precious metals and gemstones. Artisanal mining, often called small scale mining, is where workers are using basic tools to extract metals and gemstones from the earth. Unfortunately, because this is fairly informal, there are not many rules, regulations, and oversight into how these are procured. Because of this, digging for these resources is often done under dangerous and exploitative conditions and there are often instances of child labor and other human rights abuses. Many workers are not well paid for their labor and can be working for wages as low as $1 a day.

• We actually did an entire episode on Human Rights in the Supply Chain, where we detail a lot about what human rights abuses are and how they play a role in supply chains like jewelry, agriculture, and clothes. Check out Episode 77, if you want to learn more about human rights in supply chains. 

• In that episode we shared that it is estimated that over 1 million children work globally in these artisanal mines without industrial equipment and their labor ultimately ends up in the supply chains for gold sold across the world. Through these processes, children work long hours in dangerous mines that can collapse and work with sharp tools and highly toxic substances like mercury that damage their health. Many of these children forgo school to work for meager mining wages to help support their families. 

• Small mines aren’t the only ones with social issues. As we discussed a bit ago in the environmental impacts section, large scale industrial mines take up a lot of land. In addition to the environmental changes, these huge swaths of land and the corridors that connect mines often result in the displacement of local residents and reduce the quality of life for those that live near the large mining operations. The soil degradation and poor water quality that is bad for the environment is also bad for those living close by. Further, exposure to dangerous chemicals and heavy metal pollution is common for those that live near mining operations, posing adverse health effects like respiratory problems and irritation, skin rashes, liver damage, and increased instances of lung, skin, kidney, and bladder cancers. 

• Apart from just the mining of precious stones, after they are mined, many workers are involved in the cutting and polishing of these stones. Often this work is done without safety equipment and protective gear like safety glasses or masks. When these stones are cut, dust is produced that can be inhaled into the lungs or ingested, which can lead to many adverse health effects like silicosis, the result of inhaling silica, a substance found in many rocks. When these rocks are cut, the small particles embed themselves into the lungs' air sacs, where they cannot be removed causing lungs to become inflamed, resulting in long term health problems.  

• Low wages are also a major problem within the mining industry. While it is estimated that the diamond trade contributes around $8.5 billion a year to Africa, the wages of diamond miners are not well reflected in the pay for most workers and are not invested back into local communities. It’s estimated that a million diamond diggers in Africa earn less than $1 per day. This is an extremely unlivable wage. 

• There are also some political implications of jewelry production that consumers often don’t think about when buying jewelry. You have probably heard the phrase “blood diamond” or “conflict mineral” being used when referring to jewelry and technology production. These materials are coming from regions of the world that are experiencing conflicts like war or genocides and portions of the revenues from raw materials trading is used to fund ongoing conflict.

• The United Nations defines blood diamonds as “any diamond that is mined in areas by forces opposed to the legitimate, internationally recognized government of a country and that is sold to fund military action against that government.” This term was created during the 1990s, when civil wars were widespread in portions of western and central Africa by rebel groups within diamond-rich areas. In the countries of Sierra Leone, Angola, and the Democratic Republic of Congo specifically, these conflicts garnered worldwide attention. During this time, diamonds were mined in rebel-controlled areas and sold to merchants alongside diamonds from legitimate mines, as once a diamond enters the market, there is no way to distinguish these from others. Unfortunately due to this, money from the sale of these diamonds were used to buy arms and fund extremely violent altercations within the war. 

• In 2000, the UN produced a report that found that at that time conflict diamonds were extremely prevalent in markets across the globe. This spurred calls from human rights groups for better traceability of diamonds to combat these human rights concerns.

• In Sierra Leone, it is estimated that even small volumes of conflict diamonds can have a lasting impact. It is estimated that between 1991 and 2002, over 50,000 people were killed and 2 million or more were displaced as a result.

• Unfortunately, conflict diamonds continue to be produced today. By volume in 2022, the top 5 diamond producing countries are Russia with 41.9 million carats produced annually followed by Botswana, Canada, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and South Africa. 

• In Russia, Alrosa, the state-owned diamond mining company, was sanctioned by the U.S. government due to its funding being linked to the Russian military for its ongoing war on Ukraine. Although this does not necessarily meet the definition of a “conflict diamond” technically, as these diamonds are not being mined in an active war zone, there are still human rights concerns from groups over diamonds of Russian origin, as they are the top diamond producing country in the world. 

• Moving to the minerals side, conflict minerals are the raw materials or minerals that come from parts of the world where conflict is happening. Very similar to the issues we just discussed with conflict diamonds, the sale and purchase of these products are often used as a major source of funding for military groups. Common conflict minerals like gold, tantalum, tin, and tungsten are found within jewelry, as well as in consumer electronics, automotive, medical equipment, and aerospace. 

• In 2010 the United States passed Section 1502 of the US Dodd Frank Act, which was the first legislation that was passed with the aim of ending the link between conflict mineral trade and armed groups within the Congo region. This legislation requires U.S. listed companies to complete due diligence checks to determine if their mineral purchases have benefitted any armed groups and publicly report on the measures taken to determine this. While this legislation doesn’t apply to many small jewelry companies, as it only applies to publicly traded U.S. companies, it does help deter the trade of these minerals within larger producers.  

What are the different sustainable jewelry options such as lab grown diamonds, how prevalent are they, and how are they produced versus traditional options? 

• So after hearing all about the environmental and social implications and complications of the jewelry industry, you may not want to actually purchase any fine jewelry! But there is hope dear Definers, as the jewelry industry has begun to look at its sustainability issues and identify more sustainable options. So, let's take a look at a few of these different sustainable and ethical jewelry options. 

• First let’s talk about more sustainable diamonds, starting with lab-grown diamonds. Earth-mined diamonds are formed in the earth’s mantle from natural heat and pressure on carbon, likely between 1 billion and 3 billion years ago. Lab grown diamonds, on the other hand, are created in a lab rather than deep within the Earth.  

• There are two distinct techniques for creating lab-grown diamonds–chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and high pressure high temperature (HPHT). They differ in their processes and the conditions under which diamonds are formed, but, importantly, both produce diamonds that are physically, chemically, and visually identical to earth-mined diamonds.

• CVD diamonds are crafted through a process where carbon molecules are deposited onto a carbon substrate, forming a diamond crystal over time. CVD diamonds often exhibit exceptional purity but tend to be less expensive than HPHT diamonds.

• HPHT diamonds are formed by subjecting carbon to extreme pressure and high temperatures, which replicates the conditions in which diamonds are formed in nature. HPHT diamonds tend to have a higher price point and are ideal for use in jewelry with their color enhancement techniques. 

• Regardless of whether CVD or HPHT is used, you get diamond that is “grown” within a laboratory setting using technology rather than mined. This process virtually eliminates the social supply chain issues from mined diamonds and reduces its environmental impacts.

• Of course there are trade offs to producing diamonds within a lab.

• One study found that the greenhouse gas emissions produced in lab diamonds was quite high due to more energy usage vs. earth-mined diamonds, however the trade offs on the social side were much less.

• Other studies showed that the total environmental footprint, not just the greenhouse gas emissions, of earth-mined diamonds was significantly higher than lab diamonds as the energy and destruction to extract diamonds from underground was significant.

• Lab diamonds are growing in popularity as nearly 70% of millennials are considering buying lab grown alternatives as compared to earth-mined diamonds.

• With traceability, some earth-mined diamond companies are using blockchain, an advanced database system to store information, to track a diamond’s journey from mine to market. With these blockchain verified diamonds, there is a digital permanent record of where the diamond came from and how it was sourced.

• This gives a lot of insight and peace of mind to the consumer about how the product was sourced through transparency and traceability. 

• Next, let’s look at recycled jewelry. In general, the use of recycled materials plays a big role in increasing the sustainability of production by conserving natural resources, reducing waste, and lowering the carbon footprint.

• As an example, the jewelry industry accounts for nearly 17% of the global silver demand. When making the switch to recycled jewelry, you are lowering the demand for new materials in favor of ones that already are in existence. When recycled metals are used, metal scraps or existing jewelry are sorted and melted down in a high temperature furnace. This liquid metal can then be poured into mold or wires and shaped. Once cooled, the metal can then be polished, shaped, and finalized into a piece. Gold, silver, copper, and brass are some common metals that are used in recycled jewelry as they can easily be recycled and reused over and over again.

• One of the main reasons that recycled metal is a great alternative to new material is that there is no compromise in the quality of recycled metals. Through the recycling process, the metal retains its high quality and remains just as durable as jewelry made from newly mined materials. Plus, recycling metals is less energy-intensive than mining. This lowers the energy & greenhouse gas emissions from production, while also lowering the demand for mining activities and helps to keep metal out of the landfill.

• On a related note, there is a lot of gold that is found in our tech devices like phones and laptops. Around $60 million worth of gold and silver are thrown away annually and only about 13% of electronics are recycled responsibly across the globe. So recycling your technology plays a large role in the mining industry and can also play a role in the jewelry industry.

• Lastly, let’s talk about more sustainable material alternatives. There is a growing trend of jewelry that is being made from more renewable materials, like wood, bamboo, or recycled glass rather than finite ones like diamonds and precious metals.

• Glass has become popular in the recycled jewelry space as it can be easily recycled and used in pieces like rings and pendants as an alternative to gemstones. Glass can be easily collected from existing waste streams, melted, shaped, and polished to create beautiful and unique jewelry. One benefit of choosing glass over natural gemstones is the more positive environmental effect. Reuse of glass reduces waste in landfills and lowers the burden on natural ecosystems. In addition, mining is not needed for glass production, further helping reduce the environmental and social impact we have discussed in the episode.

• In addition, much of the recycled glass jewelry that you will find is hand created by local artists. Purchasing these handcrafted pieces is also a good way to support your local communities while also finding fashionable jewelry to wear.

• Wood has also become a popular, more sustainable alternative to metal in jewelry. When sourced in a sustainable way and crafted responsibly, wood in jewelry is a more affordable alternative. Some like wood because it is lightweight compared to its metal alternatives, making it more comfortable and easy to wear. It also can be used to create some pretty unique designs that can’t be accomplished with metal.

What should definers look for and consider when shopping for more responsible jewelry?

• So there are a few things that we can do as consumers when we are looking to buy jewelry in the most sustainable way. 

• One thing we can do as consumers is simply do our research. Ethical gemstones can easily be found, but you do have to do some searching. Take a look at the brands that you are buying from. Are they transparent about their sourcing and production practices? Typically companies that are more sustainable have information about how the materials for their pieces are sourced. If you don’t see any information on this, don’t be afraid to ask about the origins of these materials and the labor practices of the company. 

• One way to do this is to look for certifications like the Responsible Jewelry Council (RJC) Certification and the Fairmined Gold and Silver Certification. These certifications involve third-party audits that verify that companies adhere to rigorous sets of standards for social, ethical, and environmental performance. In order to receive these certifications, specific requirements around traceability, conflict mitigation, environmental protection, and fair labor conditions must be proven and verified. Making an effort as a consumer to support companies and brands that adhere to these certifications can be a great start to find more sustainable and ethical options.

• In addition, one of the best ways that you can shop sustainably and ethically is to find pieces that are made fully with recycled metal. It’s not only the best way to support recycling efforts, but it lowers the demand for newly mined materials that have negative environmental and social impacts. Shopping lab grown similarly reduces demand for newly mined materials.

• One other option that we haven’t mentioned yet that is probably the most sustainable of them all is to buy your jewelry secondhand! Buying pre-owned is often the more affordable option. Plus, buying pre-owned jewelry is good for the planet, as it creates less demand on the supply chain for production of something new. Just like thrifting clothes, buying jewelry second hand means there is less mining and pollution as these pieces are kept in circulation. Lots of people do this already when passing down sentimental family jewelry to the next generation. Sentimental value is priceless and sustainable! 

• You can be the source of pre-owned material. For example, the I Have Wings Breast Cancer Foundation accepts donations of used jewelry as a tax deductible contribution to the group and then it cleans, repairs, and resells them to fund its programs, and some may support other nonprofits in need of jewelry and/or senior craft projects. 

• In addition, investing in quality pieces reduces the need to buy new jewelry frequently as it will be durable and last a long time.