Sustainability Investments
Sustainability requires giving back to help the environment and those in need. For companies pursuing Sustainability Rated Diamond certification, this means not only investing to improve their own operations and supply chains, but also investing in projects that help the poorest communities, improve working conditions, tackle resource depletion and local pollution, and protect climate and the environment. Sustainability Rated Diamond producers engage in sustainability investments as part of their certification obligations. All certifications include contributions to artisanal and small-scale miners (ASM) and mining communities.
Other Key Pillars of Sustainability Rated Diamonds
Origin
Traceability
Sustainability Rated Diamonds are tracked through a verified origin traceability process that provides 99.9% accuracy of the origin of each diamond through its entire chain of custody, from producer to point of sale.
Ethical
Stewardship
Each diamond is certified to adhere to twelve core ethical principles aligned to the strictest internationally recognized norms of business integrity.
Climate
Neutrality
Sustainability Rated Diamonds are certified on their journey toward achieving full Climate Neutrality – produced in a manner that mitigates both current annual climate pollutants and past (“legacy”) greenhouse gas emissions still affecting the climate.
Sustainable
Production
Sustainability Rated Diamond producers are committed to the principle of doing no harm to humans or environment, and are actively working to avoid, eliminate or offset any impacts that might be associated with the production process.
Case Study:
The Himalayan Climate and Clean Air Project
This project aims to eliminate soot pollution from 100,000 brick production sites. Soot not only contributes to poor air quality, but is turning the snow black. This is likely accelerating the rate of melting of the snowpack, impacting the ecosystem, watershed stability, and hundreds of millions of people.
Upgrading these highly polluting brick kilns to clean air designs would be a global game changer for climate, and a lifesaver for local populations. Conversion of all 100,000 kilns could reduce climate pollution equal to 10.6 billion metric tons of CO2fe. Completion of this project could therefore represent one of the world’s largest mitigation projects over the next 10 years. Unfortunately, funding for the conversions has been limited given competing demands on government funds such as the Covid-19 pandemic.
Sustainability Rated Diamond certified companies together are committing to jumpstart this effort. Your purchase of a Sustainability Rated Diamond helps this effort. The initiative is in partnership with ICIMOD, a United Nations partner working throughout the Himalayan region