VICENZAORO Seminar to Examine Ensuring Integrity of Jewelry Supply Chain

(IDEX Online) – The newly formed Italian Exhibition Group, CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation, and Club degli Orafi will host a seminar during the VICENZAORO January trade show next week on the subject of ethical jewelry supply chain sourcing.

The event will be the latest in a series of educational events organized by CIBJO and the Italian Exhibition Group, which is part of their program, endorsed by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), to support Corporate Social Responsibility and sustainability in the jewelry sector, CIBJO said in a statement.

"The requirement that all jewelry components be shown to have been responsibly and ethically sourced, handled and traded has become a central tenet of the luxury markets in the 21st Century, and it has led to the development of a service sector that provides the means and methods of ensuring the integrity of the supply chain. Compliance with accepted codes of practice is increasingly becoming a condition for doing business with some of the largest companies in the business.

"For many members of the jewelry industry, the process of implementing and verifying compliance with codes of ethical practice can be daunting, and is a source of considerable anxiety. This is particularly the case with smaller and medium-sized companies, where the cost and effort of meeting requirements is perceived to be restrictive."

The seminar aims to address such concerns and to provide a practical roadmap for businesses seeking to meet the challenge. Entitled 'Defending the Integrity of Jewellery's Supply Chain,' the seminar will take place on January 22 at the Fiera di Vicenza exhibition center. It will be presented both in English and Italian, and the moderator will be CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri.

The seminar will deal with the practicalities of ensuring the integrity of the jewelry supply chain, from mine to market, covering the subjects of standards and codes of practice, third-party monitoring and auditing, and the certification of compliant companies. Among the organizations represented will be leading members of the responsible supply chain service sector, including the Responsible Jewellery Council, and UL, one of the world's largest providers of supply chain auditing and monitoring services. A special focus will be supply chain integrity in the precious metals sector.

Seminar speakers and panel members will include:

• Dr. Gaetano Cavalieri, President of CIBJO
• Matteo Marzotto, Vice Executive President of the Italian Exhibition Group
• Gabriele Aprea, President of Club degli Orafi
• Dr. Wilfried Hoerner, Chairman of the Responsible Jewellery Council and co-CEO at Argor-Heraeus SA, a leading Swiss precious metals refiner
• Andrew Bone, Executive Director of the of the Responsible Jewellery Council
• Francesca Angeloni, Business Development Manager for the Jewelry and Watch Industry in Europe at UL Consumer and Retail Services
• Daphne Guelker, Responsible Sourcing Program Manager at UL Consumer and Retail Services
• Marco Quadri, Director of Industrial Products at Argor-Heraeus SA

"In the jewellery industry, where we work daily with precious objects, our reputation ultimately is our most valuable asset of all," said Cavalieri. Indeed, if our reputation is discounted, then so is everything else we do. And in today's business environment, it is not enough just to do the right thing; you must be seen to be doing the right thing as well - not only to defend your own reputation, but also those of your colleagues up and down the chain of distribution. How practically to do that, in a fair and reasonable manner, will be the subject of this extremely important seminar."

Meanwhile, Matteo Marzotto said: "The principles of CSR and sustainability in the gold and jewellery industries are constant themes at VICENZAORO, but this January's show is focussing specifically on 'Responsible Gold.' The goal of the show, and particularly of the responsible-sourcing seminar on January 22, is not simply to play lip-service to the concept, but to provide media, participants and visitors at the show with the knowledge and tools necessary to meet both the industry's and the consumer's expectations. For us at the Italian Exhibition Group, it is most appropriate that just a few days earlier, thanks to CIBJO, we stepped into the new year with formal recognition from the United Nation's Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) for the important work that is being done in this regard for years by our company."