|
Press Release: The Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC), in collaboration with Signet Jewelers Ltd., hosted a very successful outreach event on September 19 to enhance the RJC’s representation to the China and Hong Kong jewelry trade. Another key objective was to introduce the new CEO of the RJC, Ashish Deo, to the industry representatives.
The event was arranged around the Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair to maximize attendance of a broad range of representatives – current and prospective members, trade media, banks, and industry associations, etc. – interested to learn about the RJC and its benefits.
The Hong Kong and China region is the most important manufacturing center for fine jewelry and is increasingly a very important consumer market. This makes it a crucial part of successfully building responsible and sustainable jewelry supply chains and business practices globally.
The event attracted over 100 attendees including senior leaders from the top three jewelry retailers in China, leading diamond producing company ALROSA, leading trade media, several current RJC members and many other jewelry industry businesses. Many attendees expressed strong interest in joining the RJC as a result of this event.
The RJC was represented by its chairman of the board, James Courage (the CEO of Platinum Guild International), the vice chair, Charles Chaussepied (the director of corporate affairs for Piaget), as well as Deo. Signet was represented by David Bouffard (the vice president of corporate affairs) and David Gaynes (Sterling's division vice president of product development). Importantly, Benedict Sin, the chairman of the Hong Kong Jewellery and Jade Manufacturers' Association (HKJJMA) and Victor Chan (the managing director of Continental Jewellery Exports) also joined the panel of speakers.
Courage outlined the RJC mission, what it means to be a member, how RJC supports members to become certified and the benefits of becoming a certified member. He also introduced Deo.
Bouffard and Gaynes emphasised that Signet is a committed founding and certified member of the RJC and expected its suppliers to become certified members of the RJC over time, as a part of meeting Signet’s corporate policy on ethical and responsible supply chains.
Chan provided insight into how the RJC certification program can help maintain and grow Hong Kong and Chinese businesses in the U.S. and European markets. Sin endorsed the benefits RJC brings to the wider jewelry industry and specifically to the Hong Kong manufacturing and export sectors.
Chaussepied closed the session outlining how important safeguarding the reputation is for luxury brands, since customers buy them primarily for emotional reasons. He also said that RJC is the ideal vehicle for implementing best practices in the industry so brand reputation can be protected effectively.
The Responsible Jewellery Council
The Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) is an international not-for-profit standards and certification organization. It has more than 500 member companies that span the jewelry supply chain from mine to retail. RJC members commit to and are independently audited against the RJC code of practices – an international standard on responsible business practices for diamonds, gold and platinum group metals. The code of practices addresses human rights, labor rights, environmental impact, mining practices, product disclosure and many more important topics in the jewelry supply chain. RJC also works with multi-stakeholder initiatives on responsible sourcing and supply chain due diligence. The RJC’s chain-of-custody certification for precious metals supports these initiatives and can be used as a tool to deliver broader Member and stakeholder benefit. The RJC is a full member of the ISEAL Alliance – the global association for sustainability standards.
Rapaport News is not responsible for, and does not endorse, the content of any third-party press release. This is not a Rapaport Press Release. It has been provided as additional information for our clients.
|