The Italian Exhibition Group, CIBJO and Club degli Orafi will be hosting a seminar on January 22, 2017 entitled "Defending the Integrity of Jewellery's Supply Chain", at the Fiera di Vicenza exhibition centre alongside the ongoing VicenzaOro January show. The seminar, which will be presented both in English and Italian, will be moderated by Dr. Gaetano Cavalieri, President of CIBJO.

The organisers have said that the seminar will aim to provide a practical roadmap for businesses seeking to meet the challenge of implementing and verifying compliance with codes of ethical practice. It will particularly focus on smaller and medium-sized companies, where the cost and effort of meeting these requirements is restrictive.

The speakers will deal with the practicalities of ensuring the integrity of the jewellery supply chain, from mine to market, covering the subjects of standards and codes of practice, third-party monitoring and auditing, and the certification of compliant companies.

Speakers include leading members of the responsible supply chain service sector, including the Responsible Jewellery Council, a key international standards-setting and certification organisation for the jewellery industry, and UL, one of the world's largest providers of supply chain auditing and monitoring services. A special focus will be supply chain integrity in the precious metals sector.

The panel includes:

• Dr. Gaetano Cavalieri, President of CIBJO
• Matteo Marzotto, Vice Executive President of the Italian Exhibition Group
• Gabriele Aprea, President of Club degli Orafi
• Dr. Wilfried Hoerner, Chairman of the Responsible Jewellery Council and co-CEO at Argor-Heraeus SA, a leading Swiss precious metals refiner
• Andrew Bone, Executive Director of the of the Responsible Jewellery Council
• Francesca Angeloni, Business Development Manager for the Jewelry and Watch Industry in Europe at UL Consumer and Retail Services
• Daphne Guelker, Responsible Sourcing Program Manager at UL Consumer and Retail Services
• Marco Quadri, Director of Industrial Products at Argor-Heraeus SA

Gaetano Cavalieri, CIBJO President: "In the jewellery industry, where we work daily with precious objects, our reputation ultimately is our most valuable asset of all. It is not enough just to do the right thing; you must be seen to be doing the right thing as well - not only to defend your own reputation, but also those of your colleagues up and down the chain of distribution."

Matteo Marzotto, Vice Executive President, IEG said: "The principles of CSR and sustainability in the gold and jewellery industries are constant themes at VICENZAORO, but this January's show is focussing specifically on 'Responsible Gold.'  The goal of the show, and particularly of the responsible-sourcing seminar on January 22, is not simply to play lip-service to the concept, but to provide media, participants and visitors at the show with the knowledge and tools necessary to meet both the industry's and the consumer's expectations."

It will be the latest in a series of educational events organized by CIBJO and the Italian Exhibition Group, which is part of their programme, endorsed by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), to support Corporate Social Responsibility and sustainability in the jewellery sector. As already reported, a few days ago the IEG received formal recognition from the United Nation's Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) for the important work it is doing to promote CSR and sustainability.