Rio Tinto, a founding member of the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC), is working at making all its customers as members of the RJC, and targets to complete the task by 2011, reports say. The mining company’s Antwerp-based diamond sales and marketing department is implementing the process, and once it is complete, Rio Tinto will discontinue its business excellence model (BEM) in the present form.

According to the company, although the BEM experience will be invaluable to its customers, the RJC holds great value as an industry standard, and abiding by it would avoid duplication, and ensure maximum reach for the programme, in turn provide clarity and confidence to consumers and the trade.

Rio Tinto had launched its BEM initiative in India, its main diamond cutting and polishing centre. BEM was launched in 2003, providing local diamond companies with a unique set of tools to manage business risks and improve performance, and practical support to improve workplace practices. The BEM was also an assurance to potential customers or business partners that a company's manufacturing unit was on par with international standards and its diamonds are sourced ethically.