These days, an increasing number of us are interested in sustainability and helping the planet, leading us to look out for ways we can incorporate sustainable practices into our lifestyle. You might avoid anything that comes out of the fast fashion industry, buy secondhand when you can, forgo unrecyclable plastic products, or a combination of all of them - but what about jewellery?
What is sustainable jewellery?
Sustainable jewellery is made to last. It is created from high quality materials that will stand the test of time, and the processes used in making it have a lower impact on the environment and the people involved in its production.
When it comes to environmental impact, jewellery can be eco friendly in a few different ways. The practices used in making the jewellery can be monitored to ensure they have the smallest effect on the environment - for instance, by using renewable energy sources during production. The jewellery may be made from recycled materials - including reusing gemstones and precious metals, since gold and silver can be melted down and remade into new pieces time and again - or other materials that have a lower environmental impact that those widely used in the industry as a whole.
Sustainable jewellery is very closely linked to ethical jewellery, although they are not always the same thing. For example, you may come across brands who label themselves as sustainable and practice this by using some eco friendly materials or plastic free packaging, but who would not necessarily be considered ethical because they do not place focus on the treatment of workers in their supply chain. If both of these elements are important to you, be sure to do your research into any new company before choosing to buy from them.
How jewellery brands can be sustainable
There are several ways that a jewellery brand can lessen their impact on the environment, including swapping traditionally harmful, unrecyclable or polluting elements for more sustainable ones.
These could include using different materials, changing parts of the production process, or exchanging plastic packaging for more eco-friendly options.
Materials
One of the great virtues of precious metals like sterling silver and gold is that they can be melted down and remade into new jewellery multiple times, with little effect on the quality or purity of the metal.
Gemstones too can be repurposed into new jewellery pieces, which is an excellent way of working in a more sustainable and ethical way, since no new gems need to be mined. In fact, repurposing both the metals and precious gems avoids both metal mining and mining for diamonds.
Lab-grown diamonds offer a more sustainable alternative to mined diamonds, since they are created in a laboratory rather than in nature. Diamond mines have a devastating impact on the environment surrounding them, not to mention the human cost for those working in the mines.
Production processes
There are a multitude of environmental issues to contend with when it comes to the jewellery making process.
For example, diamond mines have a hugely damaging effect on the environment around them.
Sustainable jewellery companies tend to be extremely particular about the sourcing of gemstones, and will usually prefer lab-grown alternatives for their new gems, or ethically mined options from smaller and highly traceable mines. Look out for companies that work with low environmental impact labs, such as those that operate a closed-loop system, or run on renewable energy.
Alternatively, look out for brands that have a focus on repurposed metals and gemstones.
Packaging
The environmentally-conscious amongst us will probably already try to avoid buying products that come with unnecessary packaging, especially when that packaging is plastic.
A sustainable jewellery brand will avoid non-recyclable packaging, and instead opt for FSC-certified paper or cardboard, or reusable fabric or plant-based packaging.
What qualifies a jewellery brand as sustainable?
It can be confusing to navigate sustainable credentials, since there will always be brands for whom sustainability is seen as more of a marketing opportunity than a way of operating. The term itself is not closely regulated, but there are some things that you as a consumer can look out for.
Any sustainable jewellery brands will aim to minimise the impact that they have on the planet. They might do this by avoiding the use of harmful chemicals in the production process, limiting waste and the need for new materials by using recycled gold, silver and gemstones, and sourcing local craftspeople and components to keep pollution from travelling or shipping low.
You can also look out for transparency about the way the business operates and the information they are willing to share about what they are doing about environmental issues, such as published sustainability reports or policies. For example, you can read the Wild Fawn environmental policy on our website.
The sustainability issues in the jewellery industry
Environmental impact
Both diamond and precious metal mines have a huge impact on the environment around them. Mining metals requires a massive amount of water, whilst also contaminating the local groundwater with toxic chemicals including mercury, cyanide and sulphuric acid. This in turn poses a threat to the nearby drinking water supply, which coupled with the release of greenhouse gases and other toxic air pollutants, means that the mines are not only life-threatening to those working in them, but also to those simply living nearby.
Both diamond and precious metal mines are extremely damaging to the natural ecosystem. The amount of displacement required to create the huge craters that make up the mines causes the death of thousands of animal and plant species, as well as soil degradation.
Ethics around workers
Historically, the ethics around diamond mines and those who work in them have been extremely sketchy.
Diamond and precious metal mines have links to violent arms groups around the world, where profits from the mines are used to fund more violence.
Plus, safety precautions are often practically non-existent, and child labour remains a huge problem in the industry.
In other parts of the production line, jewellery makers are exposed to large amounts of toxic chemicals including cyanide and mercury. And when it comes to cutting diamonds into the sparkling shapes we're familiar with, massive amounts of harmful diamond dust are released into the air. For the workers involved, these can all lead to multiple health complications, disability and even death.
The complex supply chain
With diamond and precious metal mines being situated in countries including South Africa, Russia, the USA, Australia and South America, it can be difficult from the start to keep track of where the materials required to make jewellery are coming from. That's before the gold has been processed in another country, the diamonds cut and polished in another and the jewellery itself has been made in yet another different place.
Overconsumption and fast fashion
The fast-fashion practice of wearing something once before discarding it doesn't just happen with clothing: it applies to jewellery too.
We know that in fashion trends come and go, with some lasting years and others disappearing in just a few short weeks.
Sadly, these short-lived trends often see the fashion-conscious jumping on them and buying cheap, low-quality items that they can wear once or twice before throwing them away without a second thought.
When it comes to jewellery, these pieces are usually made from a non-biodegradable combination of gold and plastic, which releases dangerous toxins into the air and water once it reaches landfill.
Types of sustainable jewellery
Handmade jewellery
Whilst all jewellery has usually been made by someone's hands, when we refer to handmade jewellery we usually mean that it was made in-house, or by a traceable local maker. That means that we know exactly who made it, and the environmental practices that were used in the process.
Locally-made jewellery also has a much smaller carbon footprint, as it hasn't been shipped from a far-off country.
Plus, handmade jewellery is made on a much smaller scale to mass-market alternatives, meaning much less energy is needed to power the manufacturing process. Think quality over quantity: a smaller amount of pieces are produced to a much higher standard than anything you'd find from a fast fashion brand.
Recycled or redesigned jewellery
The most sustainable materials we can use are ones that already exist, which is why repurposing elements of old jewellery into new pieces is up there as one of the more environmentally-friendly choices you can make for your diamond rings, earrings and other jewellery pieces.
Recycled jewellery uses materials that have already lived one life, meaning that no new precious metals, diamonds or other gemstones need to be mined or made in order to create it.
Getting an existing ring or other jewellery piece redesigned can be a lovely way to breathe new life into a special item that perhaps holds sentimental value, but is no longer wearable in its current form.
Fairtrade jewellery
Another more sustainable option when it comes to your next jewellery purchase is fairtrade jewellery.
Fairtrade certified gold comes from mines which have met the Fairtrade Gold Standard.
This means that the small-scale miners involved receive a fair deal for the work they do, and are supported by the Fairtrade Foundation to improve the lives for themselves and their communities. Plus, it raises concerns around and looks after the environment.
Why sustainable jewellery is the best choice
For anyone concerned by the ethics and sustainability issues that are rife in the fashion industry, shopping sustainable for your jewellery too is simply the only choice. We encourage you to think about your jewellery when you're considering what sustainable fashion choices to make for your wardrobe.
When it comes to making ethical jewellery choices, whether you're looking for a sustainable ring, or other diamond jewellery, consider choosing secondhand, Fairtrade, handmade or recycled.
At Wild Fawn, we make sustainable jewellery using eco-friendly methods, recycled metal and plastic-free packaging. All of our jewellery is handmade in London using recycled metals and ethical processes.
Browse Wild Fawn's wide range of sustainable gold and silver jewellery or browse our commitments to sustainability and ethics to find out more.
