Case StudyThe Coloured Gemstones Working Group

Uniting the Luxury Industry Around Shared Commitments… and a Digital Platform

The gemstone and jewellery industry plays a vital economic role for millions of people around the world. It is a diverse and vibrant industry comprising companies of all types, size, and shape. Each company plays a fundamental role in transforming precious stones and minerals into unique jewellery pieces we love. Yet, more can be done to ensure that the industry protects the livelihoods of all who work in it, and depend on it, as well as the environment.

TDi Sustainability’s initiatives – in collaboration with some of the world’s best-known brands – seek to bring about positive and permanent change in the industry, improving practices along the entire value chain and transforming the lives of millions.

Since 2015, we have managed the Coloured Gemstones Working Group (CGWG), a joint initiative by Chopard, Gemfields, Kering, LVMH, the Muzo Companies, Richemont, Swarovski, and Tiffany & Co. with the goal to catalyse positive change in the gemstones and jewellery industry. The CGWG was formed to better understand the risks and opportunities for positive impact in the sourcing and production of coloured gemstones. In collaboration with the members of the CGWG, we developed – and continue to improve – robust and practical learning and guidance resources and due diligence and capacity building tools, for the continuous improvement of businesses of all sizes and at all tiers in the gemstone supply chain.

After five years of collaboration, the CGWG is launching this year the Gemstones and Jewellery Community Platform, a digital platform developed to help businesses in the gemstones and jewellery supply chains be more sustainable, and make responsible sourcing part of the way they work. The Platform provides all members of the gemstone and jewellery industry with free learning resources (including webinars, quizzes, readings, and guidance documents), capacity building tools (including sample policies and procedures and online tools), and self- assessment and verification tools, to help businesses be more responsible in all that they do, including the sourcing of coloured gemstones.