NEWS

Jewellery requires an intensive use of raw materials that, in some cases, may affect directly the sustainability of our natural environment. Thus, the extraction of precious metals may damage the environment, but the manufacture of the items of jewellery may also do this, and the corresponding resulting waste. Faced with a context of climate emergency, there is an increasingly larger number of agents involved in jewellery work  that are committed to applying responsible practices to jewellery  that can promote its sustainability to the utmost.

In this article, from Majoral we take a brief look at the actions of sustainability and respect for the environment that we are undertaking to ensure responsible jewellery and with a commitment to the natural environment.

Aligning jewellery with sustainability means not turning a blind eye to the social and natural setting that surrounds us. In this sense, the main conflict we find we find between jewellery and the environment is in the process of extraction of precious materials. And among them, the extraction of gold is the one that has produced a greater environmental impact. The need to add a solution of zinc to separate the gold from the rock represents risks of contamination of the mines and subterranean water. In this sense, the Fairmined certification issued by the Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM) guarantees the minimum and controlled use of chemical products for the extraction of gold and establishes mechanisms for protecting the subterranean water of the mines.

From Majoral we have joined with the group of jewellery companies that use the Fairmined gold to make the jewellery. And since 2013 we have been the official distributors of the brand. Given that the environmental impact is not only down to the extraction of metals, also since 2020 at Majoral we have been committed to acquiring stones from artisan mines and with the guarantee of traceability, as is the case of the Sapphire Ethical Symbol collection. This collection comprises a selection of rings with untreated natural-colour sapphires and certified by Wennik-Lefèvre. Acquiring precious metals or stones from artisan mines that offer guarantees regarding traceabilty, is not only possible, but is in fact essential to ensure a future where jewellery and sustainability are not antonymous.

However, guaranteeing the traceability of the raw materials is not enough to ensure that jewellery can make its modest contribution to the sustainability of our planet. As in any other productive sector, jewellery needs suppliers. And supplies that undertake their economic activity. In this sense, it is extremely important to ensure that the energy consumed by the company is renewable. This is why at Majoral we are committed to having energy suppliers that guarantee the production of clean energy. Waste production is another key factor in ensuring the minimum impact possible of our activity on the environment.

On an annual basis, Majoral correctly recycles the waste produced through the SDR Sistema Documental de Residuos company. Also, since 2016 we have made the corresponding formal mandatory declarations regarding packing and packaging for jewellery products.

Another aspect that at Majoral we consider indispensable for ensuring our activity has a positive influence on the environment involves caring for our more immediate surroundings. The Mediterranean essence of Majoral has led us to take part in the defence of one of the most polluted seas in the world. According to the Aquae Foundation, the Mediterranean Sea concentrates between 20% and 54% of the planet’s micro-plastic particles. This fact obliges all the players, both public and private, to join forces to protect the Mediterranean. For this reason, the Mar Blava Alliance was founded, of which Majoral is a member. The platform adheres more than 120 entities that make every effort to detain any oil-bearing project in the sea. The platform also works in promoting less contaminating navigation in the Levantine- Balearic region.

The climate emergency obliges us to make a commitment to sustainability, from the world of jewellery as well. The planet Earth is not disposable, and the future lies in our hands alone. Any responsible and sustainable action, however insignificant it may seem, is a step nearer to living in harmony with the environment and managing to undertake our social and economic activities with full respect for the natural world.