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I currently work as an analyst for a CSR research firm and from the companies I screened during my researches; few of them, (the ones that have luxury retailers on our beautiful avenues) have actual, certified tracking processes regarding the origin of diamonds. Among voluntary code for company themselves, I can cite the Jewelers of America, a trade association based in the US, the Council for Responsible Jewelery Practices, or business partnerships such as the World Diamond Council.
Let's say you go and buy a diamond in a random local jeweler (or even well established brand), then I doubt all of diamonds available for purchase will actually be certified regarding where a diamond comes from, which mine etc. because not only they would rather not tell you or first and foremost, they do not know because it is a very sophisticated process to track the origin of a diamond (supply chain).
Moreover, beyond tackling human rights; work conditions should be also be monitored and this apply to every companies. By this I mean kids working in mines, or work conditions such as forced labor. This is not only important for the Diamond industry, which was highly criticized and publicized internationally, but also regarding how garment, food, and barely all other products are produced. We can broaden this issue to every multinational company which practices are more or less “good” ethically.
Coming back to the Diamond industry, let's state it simply, customers do not know exactly what kind of products they buy and they often would rather know nothing about it.
The Kimberley process is a code for states, assuming every state is able to stringently track the origin of diamonds. There are some good examples of implementation of this code nationally such as the Canadian diamond code of conduct in Canada.
Being an enlightened consumer is clearly a difficult endeavor. However an enlightened demand could radically change corporate behavior.
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GSimon
I am Simon Gargonne working for an CSR research firm in Toronto, Canada. I worked on a methodology based on the UN Global Compact to assess company performance in this area. I am also a previous staff at TakingITGlobal and still volunteering for the tremendous organization.
I am originally from France!
Cheers,
Simon
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