Gem-A To Unveil New CSR Course at London Show

(IDEX Online) – The Gemmological Association of Great Britain (Gem-A) is inviting attendees of this year’s International Jewellery London (IJL) to an event to celebrate the upcoming launch of its new Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) course for jewelry professionals.

Developed in conjunction with Branded Trust and CIBJO’s educational charity, the World Jewellery Confederation Education Foundation (WJCEF), Gem-A said the course aims to provide the industry with an essential foundation for CSR which can be incorporated into any size business, no matter where it is located in the jewelry supply chain.

The online course provides a series of lectures delivered by experts in all the relevant areas, and supplemented with readings, tests and a written essay, and provides a unique perspective on how to tackle issues of CSR in the jewelry industry.

Gem-A has been working with CIBJO, WJCEF and Branded Trust over the last year to help the jewelry industry realize the growing importance of CSR as an essential aspect of professional accreditation and how it is becoming increasingly clear that customers now expect jewelry professionals to be able to advise on non-technical issues such as the origins, or social and environmental impact of their jewelry purchase.

The course aims to assist jewelers in this process by giving a structured outline of the benefits of CSR and how a range of businesses can use different tools and techniques to assist in implementing a CSR program, building trust, and improving overall business performance.

Gem-A’s Ethics Manager, Vivien Johnston said: “Working alongside Branded Trust we have come up with a number of superb modules that give straight-forward, practical, and actionable advice for the jewelry professional to increase their company’s ethical value. For anyone serious about tracking the impact of their business practices and improving the areas, environments and communities they do business in, Gem-A and Branded Trust’s new CSR course can give real measurable advice on how to start becoming a more socially responsible company.”

Meanwhile, Gem-A CEO James Riley said that Gem-A aimed to be at the forefront of how CSR is introduced and measured within the jewelry. “For the last few years ‘Ethics’, and ideas about being ‘Ethical’, ‘Green’, or ‘Socially Responsible’ have been bandied around the jewelry industry. We think it’s great that the conversation about issues surrounding CSR and how we, as an industry, tackle them, has begun. However, problems remain with the industry being able to validate these claims with real practical measures for educating and tracking company policy and its impacts. Gem-A and Branded Trust hope to change this with an industry-wide push for the validation and accreditation of those committed to a socially responsible supply chain through a series of initiatives, starting with this new CSR-focused professional qualification.”

Attendees of the August 31-September 2 IJL show will be given a preview of the new course and the Branded Trust system at Gem-A stand J31 from 12.30pm on August31. Early adopters can register their interest and make sure they’re the first students to officially enroll on the course, for a one-off fee of £595.

Gem-A will also be offering visitors to the stand a chance to evaluate the updated Diamond Diploma course notes that will be available to member graduates of the Diamond Diploma and to any new students starting their diploma in September. Both of these new products will also be available at Gem-A’s booth (3M046) at the Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair, from 17 - 21 September.