The Guildford-based jeweller says ethically sourced gold is good for staff morale
Fairly traded or ethically sourced products such as bananas and coffee beans have been on the market for a while. But now artisanal and small-scale miners in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru are being given a chance to improve their livelihoods by working to a set of responsible standards developed by Fairtrade International and the Alliance for Responsible Mining.
Jon Dibben is the eponymous owner of a Guildford-based jeweller which is one of 20 companies to launch a fairmined gold collection in the UK. Dibben says the range is a good morale boost for his small firm, because "it's doing something positive without really changing what we do—we're artisan craftspeople ourselves; we source ethically wherever we can. Why would you not want to get involved?"
He says Fairtrade certification will have a big effect on mining communities, from discouraging child labour through to encouraging responsible use of chemicals and strengthening miners' organisations.
Anything that we can do to stimulate demand and get investment back to the core is a good thing," Dibben adds. "We worked out that a Fairtrade fine-gold wedding ring would cost about seven per cent more. That's not a great deal to make a difference."
