Stop saying recycled gold is the ethical alternative!

As a matter of fact, it is not. Indeed, the gold has already been mined originally but we don’t know how, by whom, and where! Did it support wars, money laundering or bribery? And how were the miners treated? During the extraction, did the miners use dangerous chemicals such as mercury and cyanide? And how do they live? In poverty? What about the children? Do they also work in the mines?

And when recycled, does anyone take care of the people who smelt this gold? Are they paid well? Do they use chemicals? Where is it melted?

We have so many questions about the supposedly ethical “recycled gold”!

We see that the term “recycled gold” is used a lot by unscrupulous brands to promote so-called ethical ways to create jewelry. It is a way to greenwash their image by giving false information and creating confusion among people that are concerned about environmental issues. Even journalists use this term to promote ethical jewelry. But all of this is a lie. Recycled gold is not ethical and does not contribute to a cleaner environment. Why is that?

First of all, using recycled gold (gold that has already been mined and used for a product and then melted) doesn’t give any traceability. In fact, we don’t know anything about it. Just that it has already been used at least once. But what about the miners’ conditions in the first place? Did they use chemicals and polluted the environment? What were the impacts when this gold was mined? You certainly do not want a piece of jewelry of gold that has previously been used in a problematic way.

Secondly, the confusion created gives a false feeling of doing a responsible purchase. Indeed, the customers think that because “recycled” is a positive word, it is always a good choice. In this case it is not. Recycled gold could have been used for financing wars and conflicts and is lacking in transparency. Even journalists use this term to promote jewelers who use recycled gold, giving false information. This doesn’t help people to be less confused. 

A Serious Alternative: Fairtrade Gold

Some organizations have decided to set up secured channels in order to ensure traceability and sustainability, both social and environmental. But what is it exactly? And why is it better than recycled gold?

By buying gold from these channels, you are assured that your gold comes from respectable mines that you can trace. Dangerous chemicals are not used in those mines and the miners are treated well. No children are included in the mining process and the miners are paid with a surplus to help them to develop their community. The entity that set up this production, makes sure that the community is thriving and listens to their problems. They also audit every link in the supply chain and are independent as they do not have any personal interests in gold or in the jewelry business. As the governments do not set up any solution to the numerous problems with gold, fairtrade gold is an alternative by proposing one who’s fair and who does not contribute to the wars and corruption and money laundering.

Conclusion

Make sure to buy only Fairtrade gold from your local retailer; by doing so you will be certain to have a guaranteed traceability, from the miner to the customer. Fairtrade gold secured channels make gold more ethical by assuring that the people involved in the mining process are treated in a good way. In fact, they also organize meetings with the miners’ spokespersons to find solutions to their problems. 

This Fairtrade gold is well-known by the jewelers; how come do they not use it? Of course they must pay more to give more money to the miners, but aren’t they concerned about their  lives? If a small jewelry brand as AGUAdeORO can make the choice of using Fairtrade gold, the bigger brands can do it as well. They just don’t want to, because it is cheaper not to do so. By using fairtrade Gold, we are assured that our jewelry is 100% ethical and does not participate in problematic issues. Better: by doing so, we provide concrete solutions to the problems linked to gold extraction. 

Make sure to only buy jewelry from brands that use Fairtrade gold, who can provide the traceability of every material used in their jewelry. Transparency is the key when a brand wants to offer an ethical alternative, especially in the jewelry sector. Being aware of the possibilities and making the choice to choose traceable gold is now crucial.

AGUAdeORO is a jewelry store founded in 2009 and based in Geneva and Zurich, offering its customers the opportunity to buy ethical jewelry made in Switzerland. Our aim is to offer jewelry that combines sustainable development and elegance.

(Photo credit: Pixabay, Enlightening_Images)