The 2019 CIBJO Congress is scheduled to be held in Manama, Bahrain, on November 18, 2019. In a run-up to the event, the organisation has released the second of the CIBJO commissions' Special Reports – this one on responsible sourcing.

The CIBJO Responsible Sourcing Commission, headed by Philip Olden, prepared the report which provides an overview of the first Responsible Sourcing Blue Book – approved in January of this year – which “defines a universally agreed-to set of recommended responsible sourcing principles, which can be applied by all members of the greater jewellery industry”, the organisation stated.

“CIBJO has steadfastly stated that no ethical member or company in the jewellery business should be denied the opportunity to participate because, at any particular point in time, it lacks the financial capacity to meet the demands of a compliance system,” wrote Olden. “At the same time, CIBJO does not accept the contention that a company with limited financial resources should be exempt from conducting any form of responsible sourcing due diligence.”

He added: “The Responsible Sourcing Blue Book indicates what initial steps can be taken at minimal expense and effort, and proposes a programme of continual improvement, which companies can apply at their own pace.”

The system suggested is based on the OECD’s Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas.

Apart from this, the special report also outlines a programme that CIBJO’ Responsible Sourcing Commission has initiated with the Coloured Gemstone Working Group, facilitated by The Dragonfly Initiative, involving the creation of an online toolkit that will provide supporting documentation to help companies address the Responsible Sourcing Blue Book guidance. This will be presented at the upcoming CIBJO Congress in Bahrain, and subsequently will be made available to the industry at no cost.

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