ARM Challenges Jewelry Designers to Launch Fairmined Gold Collections

Envigado, Colombia—The Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM) has issued a challenge for jewelry designers and others using gold.

The organization’s Fairmined initiative has launched the “Fairmined 100” challenge, inviting brands involved in the gold industry to “strengthen their commitment to sustainability” by using Fairmined metals.

The goal is to reach 100 Fairmined collections of jewelry, gold coins, and financial products by Aug. 31, 2022.

Fairmined is an assurance label that certifies gold from small-scale mining organizations that prioritize responsible practices.

To be Fairmined certified, ASM organizations must comply with environmental requirements that eliminate mercury and other chemicals from their mining operations or reduce its usage to a bare minimum that won’t lead to pollution of water sources.

Fairmined certification also allows the miners to give back to the communities through infrastructure, gender equity projects, healthcare, and child and youth programs, and a guaranteed minimum price for their gold, ARM said.

To participate in the challenge, it’s required to be a Fairmined-licensed brand.

All brand participants also should source from authorized suppliers through the Fairmined labeled sourcing model.

More information on both of those requirements as well as other terms and conditions to participate in the challenge can be found online. 

Benefits for those who decide to make collections with Fairmined gold include traceability and a story of origin, ARM said. 

Additionally, they support the formalization of environmentally conscious production while also guaranteeing fair wages and conditions for workers. 

As for the challenge, all participants will receive marketing materials, including a digital badge that identifies the brand as a “Proud participant of the #Fairmined100Challenge,” which can be used for digital marketing. 

Brands will also be able to submit the collection story for marketing content and will be mentioned on the Fairmined initiative’s social media channels as well as in the Fairmined 100 digital catalogue by ARM. 

Additionally, participating brands with more than one collection and/or collections with more than five pieces will receive a badge for being a top-tier participant, describing the extent of their involvement.

The brand or brands with the collection(s) with the greatest weight of Fairmined metals sourced by the deadline next August will also be highlighted and featured on the challenge’s closing video. This is meant to emphasize that every gram counts when it comes to making positive impact and to help obtain a bigger premium for the certified mining organizations, a spokesperson at ARM said. 

Meanwhile, a panel of judges assembled by ARM will also choose the best collections by category at the end of the challenge. More information about that is to come.