Ensuring integrity of jewellery supply chain to be discussed at VICENZAORO January trade show

The Italian Exhibition Group, CIBJO and Club degli Orafi will host a seminar during the VICENZAORO January trade show at Fiera di Vicenza, centered on ethical jewelry supply chain sourcing. The seminar entitled “Defending the Integrity of Jewellery’s Supply Chain,” is being held on January 22, 2017, in Room Tiziano B (Hall 7.1) of the Fiera di Vicenza exhibition centre.

According to CIBJO, the requirement that all jewellery 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 jewellery 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. To address such concerns and to provide a practical roadmap for businesses seeking to meet the challenge, is what the seminar will address.

The seminar will be the latest in a series of educational events organized by CIBJO and the Italian Exhibition Group, which is part of their programme, endorsed by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), to support Corporate Social Responsibility and sustainability in the jewellery sector. It will deal with the practicalities of ensuring the integrity of the jewellery 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.

Gaetano Cavalieri, CIBJO President said, “In the jewellery industry, where we work daily with precious objects, our reputation ultimately is our most valuable asset of all. 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.”

The seminar will be presented both in English and Italian, with the moderator being Dr. Gaetano Cavalieri, President of CIBJO and will feature a blue-panel ribbon of speakers. Among the organisations 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.

Matteo Marzotto, Vice Executive President 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 pay 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”.