Policies & IssuesJul 24, 2023
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Pure Earth Honors Iris Van der Veken
The nonprofit is presenting the 2023 Pure Earth Impact Award to Van der Veken to recognize her environmental advocacy.
Pure Earth will present the 2023 Pure Earth Impact Award to Iris Van der Veken, secretary general of the Watch & Jewellery Initiative 2030, at a ceremony in New York City this fall.
New York—Pure Earth is recognizing industry veteran Iris Van der Veken for her environmental advocacy.
The nonprofit works to address the causes of lead and mercury pollution and exposure.
It has chosen Van der Veken as the recipient of the 2023 Pure Earth Impact Award, which is presented to “outstanding champions in climate protection, human rights and gender.”
She will be honored in a ceremony at the Pure Earth Benefit on Oct. 16 in New York City.
Van der Veken, formerly the head of the Responsible Jewellery Council, is the secretary general of the Watch & Jewellery Initiative (WJI) 2030.
Founded in 2021 by Kering and Cartier, the group focuses on creating a more sustainable watch and jewelry industry.
“Iris has been at the forefront of ESG [environmental, social, and corporate governance] reporting and United Nations Global Compact network for two decades and was the first woman to successfully lead the Responsible Jewellery Council,” said Pure Earth President Richard Fuller.
“Van der Veken can rightly be called a trailblazer, a champion, in the industry. She has started a movement that will save the lives of so many people in the watch and jewelry supply chain.”
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The nonprofit works to address the causes of lead and mercury pollution and exposure.
It has chosen Van der Veken as the recipient of the 2023 Pure Earth Impact Award, which is presented to “outstanding champions in climate protection, human rights and gender.”
She will be honored in a ceremony at the Pure Earth Benefit on Oct. 16 in New York City.
Van der Veken, formerly the head of the Responsible Jewellery Council, is the secretary general of the Watch & Jewellery Initiative (WJI) 2030.
Founded in 2021 by Kering and Cartier, the group focuses on creating a more sustainable watch and jewelry industry.
“Iris has been at the forefront of ESG [environmental, social, and corporate governance] reporting and United Nations Global Compact network for two decades and was the first woman to successfully lead the Responsible Jewellery Council,” said Pure Earth President Richard Fuller.
“Van der Veken can rightly be called a trailblazer, a champion, in the industry. She has started a movement that will save the lives of so many people in the watch and jewelry supply chain.”
The watch and jewelry industries participation in Pure Earth’s cause is vital to eliminating mercury pollution and poisoning, said Pure Earth, noting that much of the mercury in the environment comes from artisanal and small-scale gold mining, which supplies about a quarter of the world's gold.
Mercury contaminates rivers and oceans, as well as fish, which can affect the global food chain, said the organization.
The nonprofit has been working with the jewelry industry to train miners in mercury-free techniques.
“I am deeply honored to receive this Impact award from Pure Earth,” said Van der Veken.
“The jewelry industry is an important part of the climate solution and the work Pure Earth is doing to reduce global mercury emissions by championing responsible, mercury-free gold mining practices, that includes the reforestation of damaged land. We all have a shared responsibility in leaving no one behind.”
Sustainability is a journey, said Van der Veken, and requires corporate leadership advocacy and a level of involvement throughout the supply chain to make a positive impact.
“I would like to dedicate this award to everyone in our industry, from mining to retail, that advances the 2030 agenda forward,” she said.
Previous winners of this award include Beth Gerstein, the co-founder and CEO Brilliant Earth, which is working with the nonprofit to test and establish the first mercury-free gold supply chain from the Peruvian Amazon.
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