Rio Tinto pushing for RJC certification among customers

by eyetee | March 1, 2010 12:00 am

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Rio Tinto is asking its customers to become members of the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) by 2011.

“We believe there is great value in supporting the RJC as the industry standard, in order to avoid duplication, maximize reach for the program, and provide clarity and confidence to consumers and the trade alike,” said Jean-Marc Lieberherr, general manager of sales and marketing for Rio Tinto’s diamonds business.

The mining company is a founding member of the RJC, a certification scheme that uses third-party auditors to verify members’ conformance to its code of practices (COP) across the diamond and gold jewellery supply chain. The COP covers business, human rights, environmental and management criteria.

In 2003, Rio Tinto launched its business excellence model (BEM) in India, where most of its diamonds are cut and polished. The model provides Indian diamond companies with tools to manage business risks and improve performance. The BEM also works to improve confidence among potential customers and business partners by meeting international standards and the ethical sourcing of diamonds.

BEM will be discontinued once RJC’s code of practices is adopted.

“In the seven years since the BEM was launched, the importance of this type of governance for the global jewellery supply chain has been widely acknowledged,” Lieberherr said. “The BEM has effectively paved the way for the introduction of the RJC. We look forward to working closely with our customers to take the next steps towards full RJC certification.”

Source URL: https://www.jewellerybusiness.com/news/rio-tinto-pushing-for-rjc-certification-among-customers/

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