The Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) announced yesterday that it has expanded  its material scope to include silver.

“As the leading standards setting and certification organisation for the fine jewellery and watch supply chain, this expansion adds another key sector to the RJC’s remit, helping the Council to widen its authority and reputation across the industry,” the RJC said when making the announcement.

For several years now, the RJC has worked with the precious metal – gold and platinum, in particular -- and diamond supply chains, addressing various issues related to them; and worked with leading companies of  those sectors. In many respects, the silver supply chain is a fitting addition to the organisation’s portfolio.

 Andrew Bone, Executive Director of the RJC, said, “It is a natural progression for the RJC to include the silver sector, furthering our goal to become a fully integrated jewellery supply chain initiative. The expansion allows us to use the expertise we have gathered through our longstanding work across other precious metal supply chains and will help us better support a sustainable and ethical silver industry”. 

Chairman of the RJC’s Board of Directors, Wilfried Hoerner added: “By extending the material scope for RJC certification, more businesses in the jewellery supply chain will now be able to confidently demonstrate their commitment to responsible business practices through certification against the RJC standards. We are really pleased to be able to welcome the silver supply chain to our growing community of confidence.” 

The organisation said information relevant to the silver supply chain will now be included in its Code of Practices (COP) standard, which defines “responsible ethical, human rights, social, and environmental practices” for businesses operating in the diamond, gold and/or platinum group metals, coloured gemstones and now silver.  “The full integration of silver into the COP is expected to be completed by the end of 2018,” RJC said.

RJC certification is a mark of a company’s commitment to the highest standards in ethical and sustainable practices; and as such offers companies a competitive edge, the RJC believes.