Last week, as the 79th General Assembly of the United Nations gathered to tackle global challenges in New York, Lester Friedlander, Founder & CEO of Clover II, was honored to join leaders from across the fine jewelry and watch industries who convened at the Watch & Jewellery (WJI) Initiative 2030 Leadership Summit.

WJI’s summit’s theme: “Forward Faster – Why Collective Action Matters.”

Hosted in partnership with the Belgian Mission to the United Nations, UN Women, and the UN Global Compact, this summit focused on accelerating progress toward gender equality, sustainability, and ethical practices within the fine jewelry industry.

For Clover, central to these discussions was the global gold jewelry supply chain, a vital part of the industry where collective action can drive transformative change.

The gold jewelry industry represents one of the most complex supply chains in the world. From mining in resource-rich countries to refining, manufacturing, and retail, the industry encompasses a range of stakeholders and integrated processes. However, the supply chain has historically faced significant challenges, including:

• Environmental damage
• Human rights abuses
• Gender inequality
• Lack of transparency and traceability in sourcing practices

The WJI 2030 Leadership Summit addressed these issues head-on, emphasizing the need for collective action to create a more ethical and equitable supply chain.

“Why Collective Action Matter” in the Gold Supply Chain

This year’s summit highlighted the importance of collaboration across industries, governments, and international organizations.

When it comes to the gold jewelry supply chain, such collective efforts are essential to address systemic problems and drive positive change.

Here’s how collective action can directly impact the gold supply chain:

• Tackling Ethical Sourcing Challenges

One of the biggest challenges in the gold supply chain is gaining transparency in ethical sourcing. Collective action involving governments, NGOs, and private sector companies is essential to not only ensure gold is sourced from responsible, conflict-free regions, but also the need for joint efforts to implement robust certification systems (like those promoted by the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC).

• Advancing Gender Equality in Mining Communities

Gold mining, particularly in artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM), is a male-dominated field where women often face discrimination and exclusion from leadership roles and decision-making processes.

The partnership with UN Women at the summit underscored the importance of empowering women in mining communities. In fact, the majority of the WJI 2030 members – including Cartier, Chanel, Gucci, and the International Gemological Institute – adopted the Women’s Empowerment Principles as emerging gender equality practices.

Collective action in this area can uplift women miners and ensure that they benefit from gold mining activities.

• Sustainability and Environmental Responsibility

The gold mining process can produce significant environmental impacts. The summit’s discussions on sustainability, aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), highlighted the role of the jewelry industry in reducing its environmental footprint.

By collectively investing in sustainable mining practices – such as reduced reliance on harmful chemicals like mercury and supporting the use of recycled gold – the industry can mitigate its environmental impact.

Cross-industry partnerships can push for wider adoption of these practices and increase accountability.

• Public-Private Partnerships to Drive Accountability

The UN Global Compact played a key role in emphasizing the importance of public-private partnerships to address the challenges in the gold supply chain.

Governments can implement policies and regulations that promote ethical practices, while private companies must ensure compliance with these standards throughout their operations. By working together, both public and private sectors can create a gold supply chain that is more transparent, ethical, and sustainable.

• Increasing Transparency and Traceability

A major theme of the summit was the need for greater traceability in the global gold supply chain. Collective action from industry stakeholders – including mining companies, refineries, manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers – is necessary to implement systems that track gold from mine to market.

This transparency will not only boost consumer confidence but also ensure compliance with international ethical standards.

Clover’s Culture of Sustainability & WJI 2030

As an RJC member, we at Clover embrace the initiatives of the WJI 2030 mission and its values.

We believe that sustainability is not about just an exercise in “checking the boxes,” but striving for excellence by integrating sustainable values into the core of our identity, operations, and decision-making processes.

To learn about Clover’s Culture of Sustainability and how the alignment of broader social values and market trends lead to increased loyalty, trust, and long-term business for our retail partners, reach out to us and schedule a chat.