GENEVA, 31^ST January 2024 – The global ESG coalition for watch and jewellery companies, The Watch & Jewellery Initiative 2030 (WJI 2030), today announced the appointment of Alexander Lacik, CEO of Pandora, to its board of directors.

Alexander Lacik joined Pandora in 2019 and has led the Danish jewellery brand through an impressive financial turnaround while establishing an ambitious sustainability programme. Under his leadership, Pandora has committed to halve carbon emissions across the company’s full value chain by 2030, reach gender parity in leadership positions, and follow circularity principles in design and manufacturing. Pandora, the world’s largest jeweller by volume, is sourcing 100% recycled silver and gold to craft its jewellery and is pioneering the use of lab-grown diamonds.

Iris Van der Veken, the Executive Director & Secretary General of the Watch and Jewellery Initiative 2030 said:

“The WJI is a coalition formed to support the sector in addressing the question of sustainability through multi stakeholder cooperation, measurable actions and partnerships. Alexander Lacik’s extensive experience and commitment to responsible business practices will contribute greatly to this objective. His support will undoubtedly strengthen the industry-wide efforts to create positive change.”

Alexander Lacik said:

“I am honoured to join the Board of the Watch & Jewellery Initiative 2030. The industry has a pivotal role to play in addressing global sustainability challenges, and I am excited to bring our learnings from Pandora and collaborate with industry peers to drive change and innovation.”

The WJI2030 was founded by Cartier and Kering in 2021. The Initiative is guided by the Ten Principles of the United Nations Global Compact and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Today, WJI2030 has more than 50 members that collaborate to achieve sustainable industry development in areas including climate, resource preservation, and inclusiveness.

Before joining Pandora, Alexander Lacik held leadership positions at global consumer goods companies Reckitt Benckiser and Procter & Gamble. He is a Swedish national and based in Copenhagen, Denmark.

For media inquiries, please contact:

emilie.vanlandeghem@wjinitiative2030.org

About the Watch & Jewellery Initiative 2030

Cartier and Kering launched the Watch & Jewellery Initiative 2030  driven by a common conviction that the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and aspirations for a sustainable industry can only be achieved through collaborative initiatives. The global initiative is open to all watch and jewellery players with a national or international footprint. It is committed to a common core of key sustainability goals in three areas: building climate resilience, preserving resources, and fostering inclusiveness. The association is based in Maison de La Paix in Geneva. For more information, visit our website www.wjinitiative2030.org

About Pandora

Pandora is the world’s largest jewellery brand. The company designs, manufactures and markets hand-finished jewellery made from high-quality materials at affordable prices. Pandora jewellery is sold in more than 100 countries through more than 6,500 points of sale, including more than 2,500 concept stores.

Headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, Pandora employs 32,000 people worldwide and crafts its jewellery at two LEED-certified facilities in Thailand. Pandora is committed to leadership in sustainability and will purchase only recycled silver and gold for crafting its jewellery by 2025 and halve greenhouse gas emissions across its value chain by 2030. Pandora is listed on the Nasdaq Copenhagen stock exchange and generated sales of DKK 26.5 billion (EUR 3.6 billion) in 2022.

The Watch & Jewellery Initiative 2030 was delighted to be present in VICENZAORO – ITALIAN EXHIBITION GROUP to connect with the industry and participate in various key conversations and panel discussions.

 

WJI 2030 was pleased to host two panels, in collaboration with CIBJO, on topics close to our heart – Equality for all, and the Nature Journey in the Watch & Jewellery Industry. We thank our panelists for contributing to these discussions and sharing their perspectives and expertise with the industry. Dr Anino Emuwa Mihwa Park Alice Vanni Lisa Koenigsberg Emilie Van Landeghem Matan Tsabari Liesl Truscott Madeline Heun, MBA, Noora Jamsheer Francesca Manfredi Iris Maria Alexis Van der Veken.

 

We warm heartedly thank World Jewellery Confederation – CIBJO, and Gaetano Cavalieri, Board Member of WJI 2030, for his hospitality and leadership, in bringing the industry together.

 

Congratulations to VICENZAORO – ITALIAN EXHIBITION GROUP and Marco Carniello for your 70th Anniversary. Your vision, engagement, and commitment to the trade is inspirational. You have always embedded the topic of sustainability at the core of VicenzaOro.

Can competitors become collaborators? Yes, when #sustainability is the collective goal. 

In the latest episode of Deloitte’s Luxury on Air Podcast, WJI 2030 Executive Director Iris Maria Alexis Van der Veken joins Karine Szegedi to discuss the Watch & Jewellery Initiative 2030, the importance of collective action in a multi-stakeholder ecosystem, and the Initiatives core pillars, climate change, preserving resources and fostering inclusiveness. 

Listen now to find out how luxury companies are aligning their behaviors to create a more sustainable future.

#luxuryonair #watches #jewellery #sdgs

—
Hosted by Karine Szegedi and Felicitas Morhart, Luxury On Air is brought to you by Deloitte Switzerland and the The Swiss Center for Luxury Research at HEC Lausanne (UNIL). Karine and Felicitas bring their knowledge of the luxury industry from two very different vantage points – the worlds of consulting and academia – to discuss, analyse and hypothesise such transformational topics affecting the luxury industry

Listen the podcast

Joint Interview on the Human Rights Navigator with Elisa Niemtzow, Vice President, BSR, and, Dr. Nawal Ait-Hocine, CEO, A Positive Impact

Q: What is the Human Rights Navigator?

The Human Rights Navigator, is an open-source toolkit that was designed to provide practical guidance, tools, and insights related to WJI 2030’s strategic objective to respect and promote human rights in our members’ operations and value chains. The Navigator is tailored to companies in the watch & jewelry industry and explains in detail how human rights due diligence (HRDD) should be carried out in this industry. It also explores salient human rights issues, i.e., potential and actual human rights impacts that are a priority for the industry. Moreover, the Navigator aims to build a company’s capacity to conduct human rights due diligence, and to assess, prevent, and mitigate actual and potential human rights impacts in their operations and value chain, providing resources for all maturity levels.

When we developed the Navigator, it was quite important to us to avoid duplication because lots of detailed resources and guidance documents on business and human rights exist. Therefore, the Navigator builds upon existing resources, including the European Union guide to human rights for small and medium-sized enterprises, and aligns with the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct, the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and human rights due diligence requirements outlined in the draft the European Commission’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD).

Q: Why do we need a Navigator for our industry now?

The regulatory landscape and stakeholder expectations are rapidly evolving. In the EU, the trend towards legislating human rights is making human rights a business imperative. For example, the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), which will require companies operating in the EU to report on human rights and environmental due diligence efforts from 2026-2028 onwards, is expected to drive an increase in human rights disclosure and corporate transparency.  At the same time, the rise in human rights related litigation means that companies are becoming increasingly accountable for ensuring – and conducting due diligence to ensure – that human rights are respected in their own operations and value chains, and that they are accurate and forthcoming in reporting on their human rights impacts.

At the same time, we know that our industry is making progress on respecting human rights and conducting HRDD. For example, over 80% of WJI2030 members have begun to conduct HRDD. Yet, many of them face challenges when it comes to acting upon and integrating the findings of HRDD into corporate policies or management systems, or engaging meaningfully with affected stakeholders. Therefore, the Navigator is a response to the external environment but also to the internal and expressed needs of the WJI2030 membership to ensure that our industry respects and promotes human rights, in line with our overarching goal on Pillar 3, which is to foster inclusiveness in the industry.

Q: What topics does the Navigator cover?

The Navigator covers several topics related to conducting HRDD in watch & jewelry value chains. First, it provides an overview of industry human rights salient impacts and the importance of addressing them. It also summarizes the Implications of a changing regulatory landscape for members related to developing strong and future-fit human rights programs. In addition, the Navigator outlines best practices related to carrying out HRDD in watch & jewellery value chains, including access to tools which can be adapted and re-used by companies. The section also includes case studies from WJI2030 member companies such as Kering, Monica Vinader, Pandora, and Rosy Blue. Finally, the Navigator provides answers to most common questions and challenges and includes additional useful resources to progress with the integration of human rights best practices in company activities.

The Human Rights Navigator does not attempt to address all human rights related topics, but is a living document that will be updated and complemented over time.

It is important to mention that the Navigator can benefit companies in the watch & jewellery industry regardless of the maturity of their human rights programs and practices. The Navigator includes guidance for beginners – companies that are just starting on their human rights journey – and intermediate or advance members – those that already have robust HRDD practices in place but would like specific guidance on how to take their programs to the next level to ensure respect for human rights in their operations and value chains.

Q: What are the key objectives of the Navigator and how do companies benefit from using it?

The Navigator aligns with several of WJI’s objectives. First, it creates a common understanding of the evolving regulatory landscape and stakeholder expectations when it comes to HRDD. Second, the Navigator is a crucial resource to help build WJI2030 member capacity to conduct HRDD to assess, prevent, and mitigate actual and potential human rights impacts in their operations and value chain, regardless of the maturity of their human rights programs. As a result, the Navigator helps businesses ensure respect for human rights in line with internationally recognized human rights standards such as the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights or the OECD Guidelines and contributes to the resilience and wellbeing of rightsholders in the watch & jewelry industry.

Q: How does the Navigator align with upcoming mandatory human rights legislation?

The WJI Navigator is a practical tool providing business with guidance in undertaking human rights due diligence, as mandated by due diligence core obligations of existing and upcoming mandatory human rights legislation. It follows the UNGPs and OECD best practice and standards, which policymakers such as the EU Commission note as the northern star for companies in adopting a human-rights based due diligence approach. In fact, mandatory due diligence regulations, both in force and anticipated, make explicit references to such standards as guidance to follow to respond to the laws. However, it is critical to note that the Navigator does not constitute and cannot be relied upon as legal advice of any sort and does not represent an exhaustive review of legal or regulatory compliance. Finally, it also primarily focuses on human rights due diligence in line with the WJI2030 Pillar 3, and does not include guidance on environmental due diligence, which will be required under the CSDDD. Future iterations of the toolkit might cover an additional component on environmental risk-based due diligence in line with OECD guidance.

In the meantime, we welcome feedback, comments and questions on the Navigator and its content from WJI members and other industry stakeholders, as we continue to accelerate progress on this topic.

WJI 2030 is pleased to share the launch of the Human Rights Navigator Tool, developed in partnership with BSR, and A Positive Impact Sarl. The Human Rights Navigator provides practical guidance, tools, and insights to help beginning and advanced companies strengthen their human rights due diligence, aligned with the evolving regulatory framework.

The regulatory landscape and stakeholder expectations are rapidly evolving. In the EU, the trend towards legislating human rights is making human rights a business imperative. For example, the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), which will require companies operating in the EU to report on human rights and environmental due diligence efforts from 2026-2028 onwards, is expected to drive an increase in human rights disclosure and corporate transparency.

At the same time, the rise in human rights related litigation means that companies are becoming increasingly accountable for ensuring – and conducting due diligence to ensure – that human rights are respected in their own operations and value chains, and that they are accurate and forthcoming in reporting on their human rights impacts.

The Navigator is a response to the external environment but also to the internal and expressed needs of the WJI2030 membership to ensure that our industry respects and promotes human rights, in line with our overarching goal on Pillar 3. 

Access the Human Rights Navigator here

A LETTER TO THE INDUSTRY

Dear Members, Partners and Supporters of WJI 2030,

The holiday season is upon us, with millions of consumers going to shop for jewelry and watches in high street stores or online. Many of them will be asking themselves where the beautiful gifts they buy are coming from, what conditions they were mined under, and whether they are responsibly sourced. 

These are valid questions. Human Rights Watch research has documented serious human rights abuses in the context of small-scale and large-scale gold and diamond mining, for example child labor, environmental harm, and security forces that use unnecessary or excessive force. 

To prevent sourcing from contexts where abuses occur, companies need to have traceable, transparent supply chains that are regularly checked for human rights risks. Supply chains should be traceable back to the mine of origin to ensure companies know the conditions under which the minerals were mined. Supply chains should be transparent and disclosed to the public because this allows consumers as well as affected communities in mining areas and civil society groups to reach out to companies at any point in the supply chain when they identify abuses. And supply chains should be checked by experts for human rights and environmental risks, including through mine site visits – desk reviews are simply not enough to detect abuses.  

50 companies have joined WJI 2030 to ensure that actions have a positive impact on planet and people. We appeal to you to make bold steps towards responsible business practices this holiday season. 

In particular, we urge you to map your supply chains back to mines of origin, and where you can, share information about the whole supply chain with customers. We also urge you to (literally) go the extra mile by organizing visits of human rights and environmental experts to riskier mines from which your company sources, and publishing the findings—even if they aren’t 100 percent positive. In addition, your company should use credible, effective grievance mechanisms and thorough third-party audits by experts to assess risks. And if your company has caused or contributed to harm, your company should help provide remedy for the harm done.

With regards to climate change, we urge you to measure your total carbon footprint of direct and indirect emissions and to set targets for reducing emissions to align with the goal of the Paris Agreement to hold the increase in the global average temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Your company should publish these targets and disclose information on its progress towards meeting these targets. Offsetting should only be considered for residual emissions after reduction goals have been met, and companies should conduct human rights and environmental due diligence on offsetting projects before carbon credits are purchased.

Taking these steps would set a positive example for the whole industry and help advance best practice. It would also prepare your company for the requirements of the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, which the European Union will likely adopt in the coming months. 

Sincerely,

Juliane Kippenberg,
Children’s Rights Associate Director,
Human Rights Watch 

Exactly 75 years ago, on 10th December 1948, a declaration was adopted by the UN General Assembly in the Palais de Chaillot in Paris. The “Universal Declaration of Human Rights” was ground-breaking and unprecedented in its universalist language. Today, as we celebrate the 75th anniversary of this milestone as Human Rights Day, we owe so much to what happened on that day.

The declaration itself was the culmination of a series of well-known historical events and the hard work and struggle of countless unsung women and men. Today, we know that this fight continues. We have come a long way, but to fully realise the ideals set forth on that historic day, we still have a ways to go.

At WJI 2030 we are grateful and proud to be a part of this global pledge and to be able to partner with similarly committed industry leaders. 

One of these key partners, a world-renowned organisation working on advocacy and research in human rights, the Human Rights Watch, joins us in this edition of the newsletter with a message that I hope will resonate with you. 

As the year draws to a close, and we reflect on the achievements, the learnings and the as yet unfinished goals, I am proud to showcase one of the accomplishments that we are all immensely proud of – the Human Rights Navigator. 

The Navigator is a pioneering toolkit that provides practical guidance, tools, and insights related to WJI 2030’s strategic objective to respect and promote human rights in member operations and value chains. It is tailored to companies in the watch & jewelry industry and explains in detail how human rights due diligence (HRDD) should be carried out. It also explores salient human rights issues, i.e., potential and actual human rights impacts that are a priority for the industry.

We present an interview with Nawal Ait-Hocine (Managing Director of Transparence SA, Board Member of Fondation Suisse Déminage) and Elisa Niemtzow (Vice President at BSR and Head of Responsible Luxury Initiative) who will discuss how the Navigator can help companies get a head start in and accelerate their progress on the Human Rights agenda.

Lastly, I would like to acknowledge the saddening impact of the various conflicts that we are witnessing right now. I sincerely hope that there will be a cessation of hostilities soon. A world where empathy and hope are stronger forces than the impulse to violence is the world that most of us want to live in. Our work in promoting and protecting Human Rights and this planet depends on this belief. 

Wishing you and yours all the peace, love and joy that this time of the year brings and best wishes for a healthy and happy 2024!

Iris Van der Veken
Executive Director & Secretary General
Watch & Jewellery Initiative 2030

In a recent trip to Norfolk, our Executive Director Iris Van der Veken visited WJI 2030 member Monica Vinader, to have inspiring conversations on their journeys, progress made and challenges overcome, and the legacies Monica Vinader want to leave behind. 

Tell us a bit about the mission of Monica Vinader? What have been the key milestones in your journey of growth?

At Monica Vinader we consider it our responsibility to go above and beyond, leading meaningful change in the jewellery industry and inspiring other brands to follow suit. We continuously update our sustainability roadmap to reflect this, making it more ambitious to proactively address climate change, transparency, equality, inclusivity and community outreach.

We’re always working towards our next milestone, but it’s important to celebrate how far we’ve come. We’re proud to be one of the first brands taking part in a gender-focused pilot programme with the United Nations Women’s Empowerment Principles. We’ve also published an initial gender pay gap report, and promise enhanced maternity and adoption policies, as well as paid leave during menopause and fertility treatment.

Circularity also remains a key focus for us, ensuring we’re minimising waste and maximising use. We’re proud of our well-developed quality control checks to ensure product longevity, as well as our 5-year warranty, lifetime repairs service, new jewellery care kit and recycling scheme.

For our community, we’re excited to announce new partnerships, including our work experience programme with Oasis Academy, and new staff volunteering opportunities with The Felix Project, Hackney City Farm, Norfolk Hospice and Transforming Local Communities.

Why did you join WJI 2030? How does this initiative contribute to your strategy acceleration?

The Watch & Jewellery Initiative strives to unite the industry, fostering collective and collaborative efforts to deliver impact along the entire value-chain. Monica Vinader strongly supports the sentiment that in order to deliver on the 2030 agenda, we must act together.

Being a member of WJI 2030 provides access to a multi-stakeholder community focused on accelerating positive impact towards the 2030 agenda. Members have an opportunity and a direct leadership role in shaping the future of the global watch & jewellery industry through their actions and collaboration with other members, suppliers  and industry at large.

You are leading the way on Women Empowerment. You are a signatory of the WEPs, and you recently took part in the pilot with WJI 2030 and UN Women on gender responsive procurement? Can you share a bit of your learnings?

In 2023, UN Women introduced the WEPs Gender-Responsive Procurement Assessment Tool to help companies gauge their progress on GRP policies and practices. To test this Tool, UN Women partnered with the Watch & Jewellery Initiative 2030 to launch a pilot programme that evaluates gender-responsive procurement in the jewellery industry.

As a member of the Watch and Jewellery Initiative 2030, we were invited to take part in a pilot programme with the United Nations Women’s Empowerment Principles, which aims to improve gender-responsive procurement throughout the industry value-chain.

Some of the key learnings for Monica Vinader included: the need to collect more data around our gender responsive procurement and year spend on women and minority owned businesses; Investing a specific proportion of our supplier budget into women-owned businesses; Creating a company-wide designated procurement policy.

The coloured gemstones industry needs to push more transparency on origin, how are you engaging on this topic?

At Monica Vinader, it’s important to know exactly where our jewellery comes from so that we can manage and improve the social and environmental impact of every level of our supply chain.

Our industry-leading transparency initiative lets you trace the origin of our jewellery from conception to completion. In October 2022, we launched Product Passport with 50 styles, partnering with Ennovie – the world’s first net-zero jewellery manufacturer to implement blockchain traceability. Since then, we’re proud to have onboarded another manufacturer, sharing this innovative technology. We’ll be releasing more traceable styles in the near future, with the long-term goal of tracing every one of our products

Whilst working towards new milestones, we also want to share the progress they have made, with increased gemstone traceability by 30%, resulting in 51% gemstone traceability in total, and an expanding Product Passport traceability initiative, onboarding another long-term manufacturing partner.

Congratulations on the creation of Monica’s Meadow – a 7 hectare arable field being converted into a diverse, species rich wildflower meadow. A process that will take 5 years. Why did you initiate this and what is your dream in what you can achieve with this project?

This April, we marked the first anniversary of our collaboration with leading environmentalist Jake Fiennes on a biodiversity project to preserve a 7 hectare site next to our Holkham Head Office.

Named ‘Monica’s Meadow’, our five-year project employs science-based, traceable metrics that will have positive benefits, including improving air, water and soil quality, sequestering carbon and improving the biodiversity of the land.

We initiated this project because as a company we wanted to lead with action and demonstrate that you can make a difference right on your doorstep. We want the meadow to set an example to educate our customers, staff, other brands and our local community to start their own projects and regenerate local landscapes.

So far, we have completed initial land assessments, including soil and air quality, current biodiversity levels and species, created a pond to further increase biodiversity, and planted bespoke seed mix and we are excited to see the growth as this project evolves.

What is next on your agenda?

At Monica Vinader we are very proud of the various milestones we have achieved, however “we mustn’t get complacent. There’s more to be done and the road ahead is long but exciting.”

A few things we are currently working on and in the pipeline:

1. Implement a decarbonisation strategy and net zero roadmap.
2. Nominate employees to participate in Diversity in Retail’s leadership programmes to support career progression.
3. Launch a human rights due diligence programme with an external expert across our internal business and across our supply chain.
4. Continue to roll out our Product Passport traceability initiative, adding 50 new styles per year., targeting 75% of our collection to be fully traceable by 2025.     
5. Lead change in the jewellery industry by delivering agenda-setting goals aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.