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CRJP prepares to implement Code of Practices

June 18, 2007

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London—The Council for Responsible Jewellery Practices (CRJP) held its annual general meeting and stakeholder meeting last month, marking a clearer map of the CRJP Code of Practices, which will begin implementation next year.

CRJP, which currently has 70 members, promotes responsible ethical, social and environmental practices throughout the diamond and gold jewelry supply chains. The session held May 14 in London was attended by nearly 20 organizations, including non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and diamond and gold industry representatives.

Michael Rae, CEO of the group, led both the annual meeting and stakeholder sessions, with input from CRJP Chairman Matthew Runci, committee chairs and other staff.

Member firms have pledged to hire independent, third-party monitoring firms to examine a variety of ethical, social and environmental practices and to assess if companies meet the Code of Practices, which was approved last year.

CRJP Standards Committee Chairman James Evans Lombe explained the complexity of the council's goals. Because of the far-reaching initiatives, he said, the monitoring would be introduced in phases. He said this ensures members fully understand their responsibilities and have sufficient time to self- assess their practices, as well as hire independent monitors.

Program Director Santiago Porto said the current plan for implementation emphasizes continued improvement.

"As long as our members are getting better year on year, we will accept their phased approach to changing practices," he said in a statement.

That said, Rae noted that CRJP will develop methods to identify and deal with members who ultimately do not make progress. He said CRJP will create a transparent and credible committee to evaluate and, if necessary, take action against member companies that fail to meet standards.

Each member firm must map its supply chain, self-assess its facilities and share that assessment with both an independent monitor and CRJP. The organization will provide guidelines to facilitate the process: what a member needs to know about each specific section of the Code of Practices, what steps the member must take to be in compliance, and how to evaluate company performance against the code's standards.

Once the self-assessment is complete, members will hire independent monitors who will review member reports, identify facilities to visit, conduct inspections, identify good practices and offer corrective action where needed, and prepare summary reports for members to be filed with the CRJP secretariat.

CRJP will begin to pilot some of its self-assessment tools and systems this summer and into the fall, with a volunteer group of members representing all levels of the supply chain. The goal is for members to begin self-assessments by January 2008.

Addressing stakeholder concerns, CRJP said it has consulted one-on-one with NGOs on various aspects of the system. It pledged to hold a meeting to consider more formalized NGO involvement.

Stakeholders also suggested outside certification of monitors by organizations independent of CRJP, to assure consumers the system is credible.

Concerning artisanal, small-scale miners, Rae said CRJP is actively involved in the Diamond Development Initiative to improve conditions for artisanal diamond diggers, and has a founding role in the Madison Dialogue, a multi-stakeholder group seeking to encourage the sourcing of gold, diamonds and other minerals from responsible artisan and small-scale producers.

For more information, visit ResponsibleJewellery.com.
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