It means we really kick the tires when we vet our suppliers. We look for companies, both big and small, who think and operate like we do. This comes down to two broad categories:
1) Certification by one or more of the jewelry and/or manufacturing organizations who set standards, audit, and certify companies for ethical, environmentally conscious & sustainable, socially responsible, conflict-free, fair labor, and human rights-centered business practices (Responsible Jewellery Council, SCS Global Services, and/or Fair Trade Gems). This is often only feasible for the larger, national suppliers we work with.
2) In other cases, this means choosing local or regional options and prioritizing doing business with small family-owned companies where we often work directly with the owners, come to know them on a personal level, and can see with our own eyes that they care about the type of business they run, its impact on the world, and doing right by their employees and customers.
At least 92% of our spending on jewelry materials comes from these two types of companies – 78% from larger certified companies (1) and 14% from smaller, local or family-owned operations. Of the remaining 7.45% of materials spending, a significant chunk is with companies whom we don’t order from often enough (less than $1000 per year) to classify confidently into group (1) or (2), but who may in fact qualify.
We work hard to buy non-jewelry materials (like office supplies, consumables, shipping supplies, etc) first from local or regional suppliers, then from US-based suppliers, and from Amazon only as a last resort. We value people above profits and expect the same from our vendors, suppliers, and partners.
1) Certification by one or more of the jewelry and/or manufacturing organizations who set standards, audit, and certify companies for ethical, environmentally conscious & sustainable, socially responsible, conflict-free, fair labor, and human rights-centered business practices (Responsible Jewellery Council, SCS Global Services, and/or Fair Trade Gems). This is often only feasible for the larger, national suppliers we work with.
2) In other cases, this means choosing local or regional options and prioritizing doing business with small family-owned companies where we often work directly with the owners, come to know them on a personal level, and can see with our own eyes that they care about the type of business they run, its impact on the world, and doing right by their employees and customers.
At least 92% of our spending on jewelry materials comes from these two types of companies – 78% from larger certified companies (1) and 14% from smaller, local or family-owned operations. Of the remaining 7.45% of materials spending, a significant chunk is with companies whom we don’t order from often enough (less than $1000 per year) to classify confidently into group (1) or (2), but who may in fact qualify.
We work hard to buy non-jewelry materials (like office supplies, consumables, shipping supplies, etc) first from local or regional suppliers, then from US-based suppliers, and from Amazon only as a last resort. We value people above profits and expect the same from our vendors, suppliers, and partners.