Chopard commits to 100 per cent ethical gold in its jewellery and watches

Muscat: As a family-run business, sustainability has always been a core value for independent watch and jewellery maker Chopard and its announcement to use 100 per cent ethical gold in its jewellery and watches sees the culmination of a vision started more than 30 years ago.
The brand announced that it would buy all its gold from responsible sources starting July 2018. Chopard Co-Presidents Caroline and Karl-Friedrich Scheufele made the landmark commitment to a packed audience Baselworld Watch and Jewellery Fair 2018. Long-term supporters and friends of Chopard: Colin and Livia Firth, Julianne Moore, models and activists Arizona Muse and Noella Coursaris and Chinese singer Roy Wang were all present to champion the cause.
Chopard’s vision is to increase, as much as it possibly can, the proportion of artisanal gold the Maison buys as it becomes more available on the market. Today Chopard is the largest buyer of Fairmined gold.
Speaking at the event, Karl Friedrich Scheufele, Co-President of Chopard said, “It is a bold commitment, but one that we must pursue if we are to make a difference to the lives of people who make our business possible. We have been able to achieve this because more than 30 years ago, we developed a vertically integrated in-house production, and invested in mastering all crafts internally, from creating a rare in-house gold foundry to the skills of high jewellery artisans and expert watchmakers.”
Continuing the conversation, Caroline Scheufele, Co-President and Creative Director of Chopard said, “True luxury comes only when you know the handprint of your supply chain and I am very proud of our gold sourcing programme. as creative director of the brand, I am so proud to share the stories behind each beautiful piece to our customers and know they will wear these stories with pride.”
Chopard defines ‘ethical gold’ as gold acquired from responsible sources, verified as having met international best practice environmental and social standards.
The gold will be responsibly sourced from one of two traceable routes that include artisanal freshly mined gold from small-scale mines participating in the Swiss Better Gold Association (SBGA), Fairmined and Fairtrade schemes and the RJC Chain of Custody gold, through Chopard’s partnership with RJC-certified refineries.
Speaking about this pioneering development in sustainable luxury, Nailesh Khimji, director, Khimji Ramdas Group, said, “Chopard has been for long recognised as a symbol of prestige, luxury, and innovation across the globe. This commitment to ethical and artisanal gold will not only boost sustainable luxury but will also make a difference to the people at the beginning of the supply chain - people who are often forgotten. At a time when so many of our commodities are virtual, a watch or piece of jewellery remains tangible. We believe that this bold commitment will take them to newer heights and we congratulate Chopard on achieving this milestone.”
As part of Chopard’s commitment to ethical gold, the new High Jewellery Green Carpet Collection pieces presented at Baselworld are exclusively made from Fairmined gold, as well as the High Horlogery L.U.C Full Strike watch and the Happy Palm watch.