Read all about it; the standards behind Fair Trade gold

Opulent Ethics have been talking about the release of Fair Trade gold for quite a while now but we thought it was about time we looked a bit deeper into what makes Fair Trade gold special.

The launch of Fair Trade gold coincides with the most romantic day of the year; Valentines Day. Despite all the love in the air, Opulent Ethics thought it was important to understand what makes this gold Fair Trade? Who is certifying it? And how can we get involved?

Fairtrade and Fairmined gold

We all know about Fair Trade premiums which are paid to coffee pickers, cotton pickers and fruit growers currently working under Fair Trade principles and that these premiums help 7.5 million people worldwide, but how does this apply to gold miners?

Under the new standards, pure, unrefined Fair Trade gold will be bought at a minimum of 95% of the London Bullion Market Association price. This price threshold is set within the principles of the scheme meaning a certain level of security for those involved.   

On top of the 95% price 2 premiums are paid. 10% extra is paid for the gold as a Fair Trade Social Premium. This money goes to the community rather than a co-operative of miners or a mining company, and is used to improve amenities and services such as education, health, water and electricity. This ensures that Fair Trade is reaching more than just those who work for them.

An additional 5% will be paid for gold which is mined without the use of damaging chemicals and to miners who work to restore the mining area to its natural habitat once mining has ceased. The restoration process is ongoing and aims to work with the natural ecology of the area whilst bringing more money in. For example, an area may be replanted with native crops which can then be farmed for additional income.

Where chemicals are currently being used the Fair Trade system is working towards ensuring that they are used and disposed of as safely as possible without damage to humans or the environment. The overall aim is to stop the use of chemicals and rely on natural mining techniques. 

The Fairtrade Foundation is working towards giving the mining co-operatives more power by cutting out middle men. In doing this the actual miners are receiving more money for the gold and healthy markets and competition are encouraged. This extra power also brings increased confidence within communities.

Finally, the money made from Fair Trade gold will not go towards funding conflict and the Fairtrade Foundation hope to bring increased stability to areas where conflict may occur.

Fair Trade gold is being certified by 2 separate organisations. The Fair Labelling Organisation’s (FLO) UK member; the Fairtrade Foundation and the Association for Responsible Mining (ARM). The FLO control and apply sanctions to the use of the Fair Trade mark and the ARM are providing the second, ecological mark to the cause. Both are rigorous in ensuring that internationally recognised standards are rigorously met.

So how can we help? The 2 new hallmarks; Fair Trade gold and Fair Mined gold, mean that there is now a visual reference for our consumer decisions and we can decide to purchase these items rather than non-Fair Trade gold items, just like we do with our tea and chocolate.

Fairtrade and Fairmined hallmarks

Also, as consumers, we can use our voice. If your favourite jewellery store or designer do not use Fair Trade gold then you can ask them why. Consumer opinion is a very strong tool and, when used wisely, can lead to the lives of others being improved.

And if there are any jewellery makers out there who are wondering how to get involved then you can register as a license holder by contacting Victoria Waugh at the Fairtrade Foundation (gold@fairtrade.org.uk) who will be able to explain the process and its benefits to you.

That’s all for now…. 

The start of the Fairtrade gold rush!

Opulent Ethics have previously mentioned that Fairtrade Certified Gold is being launched on Valentine’s Day this year and that the Fairtrade Hallmark will be part of this. As Valentine’s Day is now creeping closer, over the next few weeks, Opulent Ethics will be reporting on the preparations for, events during and reaction after this milestone event.

There is still currently very little being said about the events which are planned but both Ute Decker and Linnie McLarty have started talking about and advertising their pop-up shop which they will be using to preview their first foray into Fairtrade gold. The pop-up shop will be running for a month from 6^th – 27^th February at 94 

Columbia Road

in London.

Ute Decker is already renowned for her beautiful sculptural jewellery which has previously been made from 100% recycled silver and bio-resin (derived from sunflower seeds) but as one of the first jewellers who are licensed to use Fairtrade gold, her work is about to take on a totally different aesthetic.

Ute Decker arm piece in 100% recycled silver

Opulent Ethics have always loved Ute’s work in silver as the colour and finish of the silver compliments the designs and shapes that she creates. We are, however, very excited about seeing Ute’s new range, PURE, in Fairtrade gold as she is going to be one of the figure heads for the whole Fairtrade gold movement.

 Ute Decker arm piece in Fairtrade gold

 

Linnie McLarty has used more colour and more varied materials in her work. Inspired by the natural and aquatic worlds some of her pieces make use of the wearers clothing within themselves. This ensures that the same piece of Linnie’s jewellery looks different and individual on each different wearer.

Linnie McLarty "Poppi" brooches

By using various metals, stones, and, more recently, enamels, Linnie creates different bodies of work which appear to link the disciplines of jewellery, silversmithing, sculpture, fashion and art. Like with Ute, it will be very interesting to see how Linnie’s work has developed and been affected by the new material of Fairtrade gold.

Linnie McLarty "Poppi" brooch

Opulent Ethics will be popping along to Ute and Linnie’s pop-up shop in February and will let you know what we see. This first event promises to be a spectacular, eye-opening first dip into the Fairtrade gold waters.

That’s all for now….

Opulent Ethics gets technical

As we move nearer to the Opulent Ethics website becoming live it seemed like the right time to expand our on-line profile. So this week Opulent Ethics have set up a dedicated Twitter page, Facebook page and LinkedIn page.

This now means that we are now accessible from all over the place.

See the Opulent Ethics Twitter page for quick links to what we are writing about or doing.

  

Opulent Ethics Twitter Page

The Opulent Ethics Facebook page will be updated with events as they happen.

Opulent Ethics Facebook Page - Search for opulentethics

And the Opulent Ethics’ LinkedIn page will allow us to be in constant contact with people within the jewellery industry.

Opulent Ethics LinkedIn Page

So if you want to follow or hear from us, use any of the links above or click on the relevant icons on this page.

That’s all for now….

Designers block

One of Opulent Ethics’ main beliefs is that good design and ethical or sustainable design do not have to be mutually exclusive. But when we hit a big old designers block this week we were left floundering for any sort of design. So we thought we would have a look at some of the new, fun and exciting designs which other people are managing to come up with (we are not jealous!).

Opulent Ethics is a fan of the outdoors, flora, fauna and all things wild but this combination of transport and animal left us with a big confused smile on our faces. Sometimes design doesn’t need a reason.

Horsey bike attachment by Eungi Kim

These are possibly not the most wearable of paper dresses (what with the amount of rainfall we get in the UK!) but Amila Hrustic is inspired by tetrahedrons, cubes, octahedrons, dodecahedrons and icosahedrons and applies them to her fashion.

Cubic dress by Amila Hrustic  

Inspired by a flower opening this elegant structure was designed by Petra Architects for a competition in Dubai. Opulent Ethics love the flow, suggested movement and transparency of this breathtaking building.

Blossoming Dubai by Petra Architects

Definitely one for the youngsters; these earphones are quirky and fun and will definitely make you look twice. We are not too sure about the sushi earphones but particularly love the bolt version.

Crazy earphones by Solid Alliance

And finally, as we head off for our 8^th cup of coffee, which we hope will help us overcome our designers block, how about something fun to drink it from?

Camera Lens cup

That’s all for now….

What is making technology feel green around the gills?

 Albert Einstein says...

Albert Einstein once said that:

"Technological progress is like an axe in the hands of a pathological criminal"

And whilst it may seem like that at times, the technological axe may now be becoming more of a solar powered lawn mower, especially in terms of green technology.

Opulent Ethics have recently been looking at setting up a website for the brand but, like with this blog, we wanted to limit the environmental impact that our website will cause. Whilst researching how you go about setting up a website we have been finding it hard to find and digest relevant information. So this is what we have learnt and hopefully it may be of help to other like minded people in the future:

The internet is run by massive data centres which store websites and the information that you access each time you Google something. The power required to run these data centres leaves a massive carbon footprint through their CO₂ emissions. It is estimated that the internet uses 868 billion kilowatt hours per year. An average household (made up of 2 adults and 2.4 children) will use an average of 3000 kWh in a year so it is a massive amount of energy!   

In recent years numerous websites have begun to offer carbon-offset programmes whereby the same amount of energy is used but then this is counterbalanced. Some companies do this by planting trees which reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the environment. Afforestation programmes are effective, especially in areas such as California where wild fires destroy tree plantations almost annually.   

Other companies have Green Tags. These are purchased from energy companies who provide energy from renewable sources; wind, solar (sun) or hydro (water) power rather than non-renewable sources such as coal. There are also other alternatives such as sharing your server with other users, thus decreasing the initial amount of energy required.

And, now you can even register your web address as a .eco website. Yes that’s right; there is talk of a new suffix for sites which are eco-orientated. Obviously, this is not a black and white area and what is eco to one person is not to another so the people at Dot Eco are currently trying their best to filter and sort and grant a .eco to sites which fit with their standards. They also created Ecolabelling.org, a site providing information on eco-sites from around the world.

The Green Technology plant

So, once you have registered your domain name and decided on what type of green website you want to run, next you have to choose your hosting company. Some of the green hosting companies we have found include:

Green Hosting – A partner of Make Hay; a brilliant Ethical Web Design service.

HostPapa – They use 100% renewable energy resources.

Supergreen Hosting – A carbon neutral company with a very user friendly site.

Fat Cow – A humorous, application and design tool full hosting service. 

Green Geeks – A 300% green company due to the wind power they produce.

As of yet, Opulent Ethics have not decided on which of these likely candidates our site will be hosted by but watch this space for our decision, how we are getting on and, hopefully very soon, our website!

For more information on how the internet can be greener or companies which are working towards improving the green credentials of technology click on the articles below:

• Article on reducing the carbon footprint of the internet.
• Article on the many ways that hosting companies are going green.
• Apple’s environmental impact and how their product design is changed by this.
• Site which lists the best eco-friendly web hosts.

That’s all for now….

A gold mine that we can be proud to use!

Opulent Ethics are a bit behind the times in this post. Over the Christmas / New Year festive period news emerged of Cotapata, the worlds first Fair-trade, Fair-mined gold mine opening in Bolivia. So how fair is it? And does it sound too fair to be true?

On the negative side, the mine is placed in a National Park. The mine was in action before National Park status was awarded to the area but it must still be remembered that even with certified clean and fair practices, mining is still a destructive and dirty business.

  Road in the Yungas cloud forest

The Cotapata National Park is considered tiny at 583 sq-km and is situated near to La Paz where workers can commute from and where the gold is exported to for refining and deployment elsewhere. Laid across hills and mountains with elevations of almost 4,500m, the Cotapata National Park makes up part of the Yungas Cloud Forest. The hot, humid, rainy weather in the region makes this region full of flora and fauna which is still being discovered. More common vegetation includes avocado, coffee, guava and citrus fruits. It is also believed that the Yungas region also contains the last remaining evergreen forests which originated due to the Quaternary glaciers. It is, therefore, an area which requires protection.

The Cotapata mine is, currently, producing 3kg of gold per month. A quick search on the internet reveals that other, non-ethical, large scale mines can produce in the region of 2000kg per month. So the amount is small but everything has to start somewhere.

So what are the positive things about the mine? It produces 3kg of gold per month. Large-scale mines are able to produce the amount they do because of the more harmful processes they employ and destructive machinery they use. To have a mine which is not only Fair-trade (paying a fair wage to its workers and a premium to local communities) but Fair-mined (more environmentally friendly techniques are used) is amazing and all involved should be very proud.

Cotapata Fair-trade, Fair-mined gold mine workers

It is 3^rd party certified. This has to be the main positive point about this. Here is a decisive move towards having fully transparent supply chains in the ethical jewellery industry, something that we have been waiting a long time for.

As well as the certification there are numerous renowned organisations which have been involved in the development of the mine including; the Fairtrade Labelling Organisation and the Alliance for Responsible Mining, both of whom are big players in the world of ethical jewellery and, in this instance, are able to lend their support and, therefore, their members confidence in Cotapata.

And then of course, there are all the wonderful positives which are normally associated with Fair-trade; a fair price for the produce (for Cotapata there have been problems with the export taxes in Bolivia which will now be overcome), improvement in local communities (education is being improved in a neighbouring village), improved work standards (the mine accommodation and facilities are being improved) and work ethics (women and men are employed equally and all are paid well above the average Bolivian miners wage).

Also, by coming under the banner of Fair Trade, this gold has a market already existing for it. The miners or their representatives will not have to search very far to find ethically conscious jewellers who are willing to pay that little bit more for that clean, traceable supply chain and Opulent Ethics believe it won’t be very long until we see other small-scale mines following in Cotapata’s very wise footsteps!

That’s all for now….

Birmingham becomes ethically Brilliant!

So Brilliantly Birmingham has come to an end but not before a great talk on ethical jewellery was held. The talk, titled “Jewellery Ethics; Making and Buying” didn’t seem to stick to what it said on the tin but in this case, that was not necessarily a bad thing.

 Brilliantly Birmingham poster

Even before anyone began talking the line-up was like a who’s who of ethical celebrity. On the panel was Vivien Johnston the founder of ethical company Fifi Bijoux, Jack Cunningham the Head of Birmingham’s School of Jewellery, Sara Preisler a Birmingham based sculptural jeweller, Fairtrade Foundation representative Greg Valerio and the panel was led by Kate Carter, The Guardian’s ethical fashion extraordinaire.

Each gave a lecture on their backgrounds, interests and how and why they are interested in ethics before a question session was opened up to the public. Vivien Johnston spoke about how she took ethical practices into account when considering her business plan as she set Fifi Bijoux up. We here at Opulent Ethics think that considering our ethical beliefs as we set up our business rather than as an add on at a later date is integral to being a successful ethical jeweller and we hope that this business advice will stand us in good stead when Opulent Ethics is fully set up.

Fifi Bijoux bangle

Fifi Bijoux is an aspirational brand which encourages its consumers to buy into their story. Having spent time sourcing materials for another company Vivien Johnston was determined that all materials used in Fifi Bijoux’s pieces would be traceable, of a high standard and have a chain of custody which can be validated. Ms Johnston founded the British Ethical Jewellery Association as a way of forcing ethics in jewellery into the mainstream.

Jack Cunningham played devil’s advocate by talking about how the jewellery industry as a whole is the dirtiest industry going and that all jewellers know this. Opulent Ethics felt that this was an interesting point which deserved to be made and, coming from a jeweller who is not yet ethical, it reiterates the fact that ethics as an issue is rising and soon, no-one in the industry will be able to shy away from it.

Next, Sara Preisler went on to discuss what beauty is. Obviously the answer to this is personal to us all but Sara Preisler made a very interesting point about why beauty surrounds preciousness and asked who decides gold and diamonds are precious? She went on to suggest that, by individual jewellers and consumers moving away from bling then we may make a change in how materials are considered. Opulent Ethics are currently experimenting with this idea by using vegetable ivory in their next range. We will let you know how we get on!

Sara Preisler cufflinks

Finally, Greg Valerio spoke very passionately about how the Fair Trade movement is a good economic response to social injustice and that, whilst being helpful, recycling is not the full answer. Greg Valerio made a very interesting point about how the jewellery industry is very good at producing beautiful items whilst hiding the horror which is experienced at source. It led Opulent Ethics to think about what impact there would be on consumer opinion if we knew in detail about the destruction and terror which allows our jewellery to be produced. Opulent Ethics are now more determined than ever to be 100% ethical in our practices.

He also went on to talk about the Fair Trade Gold Hallmark which will be released in February (for Valentines Day) and how this is a massive step forward as there are now clearly defined standards which can be downloaded from the Fairtrade Labelling Organisation website. He also spoke about the plan to have 25 tonnes of Fair Trade gold sold in the UK over the next 15 years. For anyone who is interested in registering to use the Hallmark contact Victoria Waugh ( gold@fairtrade.org.uk ) for details.

So the overall message from this Brilliantly Birmingham talk is that ethical jewellery now has the start of a fairy tale story which can and will be pushed forward. Fair Trade gold is going to be all over the place in the run up to the release of the Hallmark so watch this space for more information.

So Happy New Year and that’s all for now….