Voting Is Open for the Fairmined 100 Challenge’s Best Collection
The winners, picked by a group of judges and voted as the public’s favorite, will be announced in a webinar on Oct. 11.
The Alliance for Responsible Mining’s Fairmined initiative launched the project last year, inviting brands involved in the gold industry to “strengthen their commitment to sustainability” by using Fairmined metals.
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.
The goal of the challenge was 100 Fairmined collections by this Aug. 31, which was not only reached but surpassed—there are 127 collections from 97 brands.
For 47 of those brands, it was their first collection using Fairmined metals.
“This commemoration of creativity and commitment to supporting the positive transformation of the artisanal and small-scale mining communities brought together Fairmined licensed brands, authorized suppliers, certified mining organizations, retailers, promoters, and allies to achieve and exceed the initial goal to launch 100 collections,” said Laura Galvis, market development specialist at ARM.
The collections were presented together for the first time on Sept. 16 in a digital catalog.
An all-female panel of judges will select the best collections among seven categories: Solid Gold, Silver, Gold Plated, Diamonds, Colored Gemstones, Groundbreaking Innovation, and Sustainability Story.
Organizers have also added another category—the Public’s Favorite—and have opened the voting to everyone to pick theirs. Full collections information and voting can all be found online.
The judges’ selections and the winner of the public vote will be unveiled during a webinar hosted by ARM on Oct. 11.
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