Rio Tinto Pushes Industry to Embrace RJC Certification

Rio Tinto is pressing its customers to become certified members of the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) by 2011, according to an announcement made Tuesday by Rio Tinto’s Antwerp-based sales and marketing organization.

Rio Tinto is a founding member of the RJC. The council was established in 2005 to provide a single industry standard for responsible business practices across the entire diamond and gold jewelry supply chain.

“We believe there is great value in supporting the RJC as the industry standard, in order to avoid duplication, maximize reach for the program, and provide clarity and confidence to consumers and the trade alike,” said Jean-Marc Lieberherr, General Manager of sales and marketing for Rio Tinto’s diamonds business.

The majority of Rio Tinto’s diamonds are cut and polished in India, where Rio Tinto launched its Business Excellence Model (BEM) initiative in 2003. The BEM gives practical support to Indian companies in improving their workplace practices and provides assurance to potential customers or business partners that the manufacturing unit met appropriate international standards and that its diamonds had been ethically sourced.

As the RJC Code of Practices becomes widely implement, Rio Tinto states that the BEM will be discontinued.

“In the seven years since the BEM was launched, the importance of this type of governance for the global jewelry supply chain has been widely acknowledged. The BEM has effectively paved the way for the introduction of the RJC. We look forward to working closely with our customers to take the next steps towards full RJC certification,” Lieberherr said.