Responsible Jewellery Council Passes 500 Member Mark
July 31, 14
(IDEX Online News) – The Responsible Jewellery Council, in its ninth year, reached a milestone this month with over 500 members, 363 of which are certified against the RJC Code of Practices (COP).
During the first six months of 2014, RJC saw a strong growth in membership applications to reach 511 members. Jewelry manufacturers and/or wholesaler’s saw the most significant uptake over the last two quarters with a net 18 percent growth.
“An increase of 9.2 percent in membership in the first two quarters of 2014 shows the growing commitment to ethical, responsible business practices in the jewelry industry,” said Interim CEO Catherine Sproule.
“Businesses operating across the industry are keen to learn more about supply chain issues and demonstrate to their stakeholders how they act diligently. The tangible value of RJC’s standards and member support and the credibility it provides to businesses of all sizes in the jewelry supply chain is attested to in RJC’s continued growth since its inception in 2005.”
RJC Members’ have more than 5,900 facilities covered by certification in more than 53 countries. In 2013, annual global jewelry sales to retail consumers were estimated at $200 billion, the RJC said.
“With Annual Relevant Sales (ARS) of RJC’s commercial members amounting to $52.1 billion (which includes combined intra-supply chain sales) and $11.8 billion in retail sales, RJC Certification is connecting with a growing segment of retail jewelry sales.”
RJC Commercial Member companies and valued trade associations from around the world represent the diamond, gold and platinum metals jewelry supply chain.
After completion of a rigorous self-assessment process, all RJC Commercial Members commit to an independent third party audit to verify their conformance with RJC’s COP.