Alrosa Quits RJC due to "Unprecedented Realities"
April 04, 22
(IDEX Online) - Alrosa has quit the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC).
The move came days after the RJC's own executive director resigned in frustration that the miner - a third owned by the Russian government - had been allowed to remain as a member.
Alrosa stood down as vice chair of the London-based watchdog shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February, but did not suspend its membership.
The RJC's executive director Iris Van der Veken (pictured) quit last Tuesday. The next day, Danish jeweler Pandora and Richemont, the Swiss-based company that owns Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Jaeger-leCoultre and Piaget, both quit in protest.
The RJC said in a statement that its board "understands and respects Alrosa's decision to suspend its membership and thanks them for their commitment over the last five years".
The RJC board launched an "arm's length, independent, third-party legal assessment of Alrosa's status as an RJC member" as soon as the war began, but had not yet concluded the process.
Alrosa confirmed it had suspended its membership of the RJC, citing "the current unprecedented realities".