The Board of Directors of CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation has approved the first edition of the Responsible Sourcing Book, which provides a framework and guidance for due diligence related to the responsible sourcing of gemstones and precious metals in the jewellery sector, the organisation said in a statement.

The Book recommends guidelines and procedures by which participants in the jewellery supply chain may undertake supply-chain due diligence to support responsible sourcing, CIBJO said. It clarified, however, that the Book is not a definitive code of practice in and of itself and cannot be described or interpreted as a compliance mechanism or chain of custody.

The guidelines are referenced with OECD’s Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas, and insist on compliance with the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme and the World Diamond Council's System of Warranties for diamonds, and support the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

CIBJO recommends that all participants in the industry have a responsible sourcing policy in place, and undertake due diligence on their supply chains to the best of their ability, to identify, assess and mitigate any identifiable risks in the jewellery supply chain related to human rights, labour practices, money laundering, financing of conflict and corruption.

The Book also calls for precious metals and gem materials and products to be correctly represented and disclosed through their supply chains in accordance with the CIBJO Retailers' Reference Guide or the relevant CIBJO Blue Books, and recommends that grading reports and other types of product-verification be provided as well.

The latest in CIBJO's Blue Book series of definitive industry guides for standards and nomenclature, it is the product of a year-long project, which included the creation of the CIBJO Responsible Sourcing Commission and a policy document that was presented at the 2018 CIBJO Congress in Bogotá in November. Before its release, it was subject to a rigorous internal and external review process that included experts both from the jewellery sector and the international community.

Emphasising that all participants in the jewellery business have a duty to conduct supply-chain due diligence to the best of their ability, Gaetano Cavalieri, President of CIBJO said, "While we support the principle of having responsible practices being verified and certified by standards and certification bodies which are referred to in the CIBJO guidance, we also recognise that, at any particular point in time, not every company has the capacity to do so.”

He further added that while the book provides an “essential structure for supply-chain due diligence in the jewellery business”, and is based on accepted practice and standards in the international community, "how individual companies choose to apply the standards and guidelines provided is up to them. Like all CIBJO Blue Books, it is a living document, which will be reviewed on a continuing basis, and amended and updated when necessary."

The CIBJO Responsible Sourcing Blue Book can be downloaded free of charge from the CIBJO website.