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Synthetics Could Get Sustainability Badge
May 23, 2019 5:44 AM
By Rapaport News
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RAPAPORT... The Lab Grown Diamond Council (LGDC) will create the first
sustainability certification mark for synthetic diamonds to reassure
consumers their stones have met rigorous environmental and social standards, the newly-established trade group said.
“Our mission is to create increased market clarity about the
benefit of lab-grown diamonds,” LGDC chairman Michael Barlerin explained Wednesday. “This
is a giant step in that process.”
The new standard will address environmental stewardship,
social responsibility and economic viability. It will also establish a climate-neutrality
benchmark goal for participating companies, the LGDC noted.
Before approving certification, the LGDC, together with
third-party certifier and standards developer SCS Global Services, will
conduct a comprehensive assessment of the lab-grown production process. That
procedure will include compliance auditing, diamond testing and traceability. Once
the process is completed, qualifying synthetics businesses will be issued an SCS
Sustainably Grown Diamond certification mark.
“As consumers increasingly choose lab-grown diamonds, they
want to be sure that their choices match their values,” said Stanley Mathuram,
vice president of SCS. “Certification to the Sustainably Grown Diamond standard
will provide the scientifically robust reassurance that consumers are looking
for, demonstrating company performance in meeting rigorous environmental and
social requirements.”
Certified companies can use the Sustainably Grown Diamond
label to market their products to consumers, as well as in communications with
the trade. The LGDC expects to begin the certification process by the start
of 2020, it added.
Image: Lab-grown High-Pressure High-Temperature (HPHT) diamonds. (Ludvig 14)
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Tags:
Lab Grown Diamond Council, Lab-Grown Certification, LGDC, Michael Barlerin, Rapaport News, SCS, SCS Global Services, SCS Sustainably Grown Diamond, Stanley Mathuram, sustainability certification mark, Sustainably Grown Diamond mark
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