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:
- Implement a decarbonisation strategy and net zero roadmap.
- Nominate employees to participate in Diversity in Retail’s leadership programmes to support career progression.
- Launch a human rights due diligence programme with an external expert across our internal business and across our supply chain.
- 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.
- Lead change in the jewellery industry by delivering agenda-setting goals aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Last month Watch & Jewellery Initiative 2030 was invited to speak and present its work in an inspiring discussion on the future of luxury at the Business Fashion Environment Summit, hosted by Vogue. Congratulations to Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Vogue for hosting such an inspiring event.
Iris Van der Veken, Executive Director and Secretary General of WJI 2030 spoke on the panel alongside industry leaders, including Fernanda Hernandez, Head of Sustainability at Luisaviaroma, and Claire Bals, Co-Founder at Gezeiten, about the future of luxury, growing consumer expectations, and the shifts made in the watch and jewellery industry to enhance sustainability and transparency.
Iris Van der Veken touches upon what luxury means to her, “There has been a clear evolution on what people define as luxury. We think of art, beauty and craftsmanship. We expect high quality. However, consumers now expect that there is a brand promise behind this beauty. People and planet matters. The conscious consumer is now starting to ask more critical questions.”
The concept of luxury has seen an evolution in recent times, understandably so because of the rapidly changing pace of societal values across generations, technology disruptions and the challenges we face collectively. In the past, the word luxury meant:
– Timeless and aspirational
– Lasting value and quality
– Beauty and Craftsmanship
– Elegance and beauty
– The highest status and great in-store experiences
Luxury today is increasingly focused on stories and experiences surrounding the products, how they inspire us and to what extent they align with the values we hold dear. Consumers are changing, retail is changing and the very definition of what luxury means is changing for a lot of consumers.
To appeal to Millennials and Gen Z – who are predicted to make up for 70% of the luxury market by 2025 – luxury brands need to shift their mindset, towards sustainability.
A brand must articulate its core values clearly. It has to be honest to build a lasting relationship. Fostering a sense of belonging. The new standard of luxury doesn’t treat people and the planet like inexhaustible resources.
Even though the core pillars of luxury – beauty, comfort, and elegance – are still very much intact, there is a new set of lifestyle goals and aspirations at play which is causing a revaluing of priorities. True luxury cannot exist without embracing real ecological principles and the consumers of today seem to echo this.
What do you believe is the concept of new luxury? Watch the panel discussion here – 60) Business Fashion Environment Summit 2023: Inkluzywność w modzie – YouTube
“DE&I initiatives help companies to attract and retain talent, foster innovation, access a diverse customer base, and improve decision-making and performance. They also demonstrates their commitment to a more just and equitable world.”
Dr. Anino Emuwa, award-winning global expert and public speaker on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and WJI 2030 Board Member
What are the biggest opportunities in the jewellery industry for DE&I?
The watch and jewellery sectors provide big and compelling opportunities for D, E & I that exist across customer acquisition, talent, and leadership. Embracing D, E & I in conjunction with sustainability empowers companies to respond to the demands of the evolving consumer landscape, with a key focus on the influential youth demographic. To cater to an increasingly diverse customer base requires creativity which can be stimulated by attracting designers and marketing teams from underrepresented groups. Cultural influences and the emergence of gender-fluid jewellery signify important shifts in the industry. Vital to success is talent acquisition and retention, achieved through cultivating an inclusive environment that fosters a sense of belonging to stimulate innovation and boost productivity. Research underscores the advantage of diverse and inclusive leadership teams, for better decision-making, risk management, and improved performance.
What are your objectives for making D, E & I a priority in the upcoming year for WJI 2030?
WJI 2030 has started on excellent footing with rapid growth in membership with companies that are engaged and demonstrate commitment to the Initiative’s core pillars. It is critically important to build on this momentum and we have started to develop the D, E & I roadmap. As a first step, we have launched a survey to take stock of the D, E & I status of each member organisation, recognising that companies will be at different stages in the journey and therefore the plans and goals will have different timelines. A task force which includes representatives from member organisations will be launched , and together with external consultants, a D, E & I toolkit is being developed and will be tested before rolling out to members.
What is one step jewellery & watch companies can take now?
Integrating D, E & I objectives into strategic plans by top leadership is crucial. By translating these objectives into KPIs for executives, companies can drive tangible progress making this approach the most effective way to build an inclusive organisation.
Watch & Jewellery Initiative 2030, represented by Executive Director and Secretary General, Iris Van der Veken, participated in an enlightening discussion with CIBJO President, Gaetano Cavalieri at VicenzaOro in September. The event provided a dynamic platform for industry leaders to share knowledge and collaborate towards a sustainable future for the watch and jewellery sector.
Ms. Van der Veken expressed her appreciation for the warm welcome and meaningful discussions held with Dr. Cavalieri and the World Jewellery Confederation – CIBJO. These engagements underscored the importance of collective action on the 2030 agenda, a vital framework for addressing humanity’s highest aspirations.
While recognising these collaborative strides, Ms. Van der Veken emphasized the collective responsibility to ensure the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). “Halfway to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development deadline, we must acknowledge that we are leaving more than half the world behind,” she noted. The SDG Progress Report shows that just 12 percent of the Sustainable Development Goal targets are on track, while the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, climate crises, and inequalities loom large.
As an industry of beauty and emotions, the Watch & Jewellery Initiative 2030 recognises its unique opportunity and responsibility to lead the way towards human dignity for all. It remains committed to harnessing these insights and partnerships forged at VicenzaOro to drive sustainable change within the industry.
In the decade of action, jewelry sector leaders are encouraged to prioritize fair markets, transparency, and engagement with the artisanal gemstone supply chain for impactful change. Monica Stephenson shares about her work in sourcing communities and advocates for living wages in ASM.
Monica Stephenson is the founder of ANZA Gems and co-founder of the Moyo Gems Project, with a mission to improve the lives of artisanal gemstone miners. She encourages communities in East Africa to retain more value from their resources by facetting gems locally, designing jewellery, and fully participating in the global gemstone trade.
Since its beginning eight years ago, 10% of sales from ANZA Gems has been reinvested into education and community development, addressing knowledge gaps and providing global market access to East African gem communities. Monica’s work with communities strives to reduce poverty, improve access to quality education, decent work, and economic growth, but her main motivation and primary driver is SDG 5: gender equality. It’s integrated daily into her business, from employing and mentoring women on her team to looking for women-led organizations and firms to partner with. Passionate about facilitating positive changes in the jewellery sector, Monica is involved in many initiatives, including co-founding the Moyo Gems project
What is Moyo Gems? What are the main activities and objectives?
Moyo Gems is a collaboration to bring traceable—and beautiful!—gems from artisanal women miners (and their male allies) in East Africa to the international market. We built a successful collaboration with two other international gem dealers Nineteen48 and Maison Piat, along with NGOs Pact, the Tanzania Women Miners Association (TAWOMA), and the Association for Women in Energy and Extractives in Kenya (AWEIK).
The aim of Moyo Gems goes far beyond purchasing gemstones, to increasing the access of miners to gemstone education, occupational health and safety training, and facilitating formalization through local governments’ mining licenses. Moyo co-created Market Days with women miners bringing the market to their remote villages which allows women to negotiate directly. Miners reported that they receive three to ten times the amount for their gems through Moyo Market Days as opposed to local brokers. This model is changing the living wage and status quo for the hundreds of miners involved in Moyo.
The UN defined this decade as the decade of action, where does the jewellery sector need to act now?
Access to FAIR markets for the artisanal miners supplying our raw materials is the number one priority for the jewellery sector. Also critical is giving miners more direct feedback on the amount they are receiving for their minerals. Miners are open to responsible practices once they aren’t in survival mode and have some financial security. Using technology with interesting models benefiting the original producer and increasing transparency and traceability of the material to the market can change the industry’s narrative.
You recently attended the Roundtable hosted at the UN General Assembly by the Belgian Mission to the UN, UN Women, and Watch & Jewellery Initiative 2030 in collaboration with the UN Global Compact. What left the greatest impression?
Attending the UN event on Gender Responsive Procurement was eye-opening on a number of points, including how far we have to go to reach gender equality, and how progress on SDG 5 is inextricably linked to progress on many other SDGs. The impact the jewelry industry can have on gender equality is profound if we can engage, especially at the artisanal supply level.
What steps can leaders of the sector implement now concerning the coloured gemstone supply chain?
Engaging with the artisanal gemstone supply chain is the most impactful thing that leaders can do! 80% of coloured gemstones come from artisanal sources. Dismissing these communities will not overcome our current challenges. The responsibility to make this journey more beneficial and transparent is on us!
In Photo: Monica Stephenson sorting garnets with miners at a women’s cooperative mine in Tanga, Tanzania, courtesy of ANZA Gems.
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, WJI 2030 and UN Women partnered to launch a pilot programme focused on evaluating gender responsive procurement in the jewellery industry.
Nine members of WJI 2030 took part in this global initiative, marking the first-ever endeavour to apply the tool within an industry-specific context, and aiming to assess and enhance gender equality practices within the jewellery sector. Companies participating in the pilot included Cartier, Dimexon, Gucci, Italpreziosi, Julie Sandlau Vietnam, Monica Vinader, Rosy Blue, Rubel & Menasché and Swarovski.
As the first phase of the pilot project on gender-responsive procurement concluded, pilot companies demonstrated real commitment to gender equality, speaking volumes about companies’ dedication to fostering positive change for gender equality in the workplace, marketplace and community. However, the pilot also brought to light common challenges evidencing the need to move faster to create gender equality now more than ever.
Together in Partnership with UN Women, WJI 2030 has launched its first Case Study on Gender Responsive Procurement in the watch and Jewellery industry, exploring the topic of gender responsive procurement, sharing the process and methodology of the pilot, highlighting the key findings and learnings, and sharing recommendations, actions and resources to enable companies to get started and accelerate action.
The joint pilot with UN Women marks the initial step in constructing a robust framework of tools and resources, poised to empower companies across the jewellery sector.
Our vision is expansive, inviting all like-minded entities to join hands in this transformative journey. WJI 2030, UN Women and the pilot participants are exploring a second pilot phase to involve their suppliers, and to co-design GRP tools and resources to continue to strengthen gender equality in global supply chains.
As we are heading towards the end of the year, we want to share our third newsletter with you.
We aim to inspire you and share some leadership perspectives on the topics that matter.
We thank many of our key contributors, Dr. Anino Emuwa on Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, Monica Vinader on the responsibility to go above and beyond in sustainability action, Dr. Helen Crowley for insights on how nature and biodiversity are the foundations of our economy, and Monica Stephenson for empowering ASM through gender equality and education.
The time we have to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is half over. There are seven years left for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. So how far have we got in implementing the 17 goals we set ourselves eight years ago?
Reflecting on our presence at the UN General Assembly in September, we were all informed how far behind we are. 85% of SDG indicators are off track.
We must now more than ever work together as an industry, we need to speed up the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. At the heart of the 2030 Agenda are five critical dimensions: people, prosperity, planet, partnership and peace, also known as the 5Ps. Traditionally, viewed through the lens of three core elements: social inclusion, economic growth, and environmental protection, the concept of sustainable development has taken on a richer stronger meaning with the adoption of the 2030 Agenda by adding two critical components: partnership and peace. Sustainability sits at the core of these five dimensions.
Yet today we are facing devastating situations of conflict around the world, new heights of global heating, ecological degradation and many setbacks in shaping a more equitable, inclusive society. Mother nature is in deep trouble.
At WJI 2030 we are committed to be accountable and do our best as a coalition to accelerate our 3 pillars in the area of climate action, preserving resources and inclusiveness. We continue to work hard on progress and will update you on regular basis.
As a final note, it is easy to be discouraged in these challenging times. We are at a moment in time when the world is gripped pain and conflict. And we are seeing the brutal realities of war and division – in Israel, Palestine, Ukraine, and so many other places globally. In being constantly inundated with 24/7 images of human suffering, it isn’t always easy to go through the world with an open heart, with empathy and with hope.
But this is exactly the time when we must stand together – in unity and in hope. And work together to translate that hope into concrete action, so our children and grandchildren can inherit a world that is just, a world that is healthy and a world that respects human rights and that is filled with compassion and dignity for all.
Warm regards,
Iris Van der Veken
Executive Director & Secretary General
Watch & Jewellery Initiative 2030
In Photo: WJI 2030 Members Gather at the Gucci Archives in Florence, Italy for a Panel on Climate, Circularity, and Inclusiveness on Nov. 8, 2023
Last week the Watch & Jewellery Initiative 2030 was invited to speak and present its work in an inspiring discussion on the future of luxury at the Business Fashion Environment Summit, hosted by Vogue. Congratulations to Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Vogue for hosting such an inspiring event.
Iris Van der Veken, Executive Director and Secretary General of WJI 2030 spoke on the panel alongside industry leaders, including Fernanda Hernandez, Head of Sustainability at Luisaviaroma, and Claire Bals, Co-Founder at Gezeiten, about the future of luxury, growing consumer expectations, and the shifts made in the watch and jewellery industry to enhance sustainability and transparency.
Iris Van der Veken touches upon what luxury means to her, “There has been a clear evolution on what people define as luxury. We think of art, beauty and craftsmanship. We expect high quality. However, consumers now expect that there is a brand promise behind this beauty. People and planet matters. The conscious consumer is now starting to ask more critical questions.”
The concept of luxury has seen an evolution in recent times, understandably so because of the rapidly changing pace of societal values across generations, technology disruptions and the challenges we face collectively. In the past, the word luxury meant:
– Timeless and aspirational
– Lasting value and quality
– Beauty and Craftsmanship
– Elegance and beauty
– The highest status and great in-store experiences
Luxury today is increasingly focused on stories and experiences surrounding the products, how they inspire us and to what extent they align with the values we hold dear. Consumers are changing, retail is changing and the very definition of what luxury means is changing for a lot of consumers.
To appeal to Millennials and Gen Z – who are predicted to make up for 70% of the luxury market by 2025 – luxury brands need to shift their mindset, towards sustainability.
A brand must articulate its core values clearly. It has to be honest to build a lasting relationship. Fostering a sense of belonging. The new standard of luxury doesn’t treat people and the planet like inexhaustible resources.
Even though the core pillars of luxury – beauty, comfort, and elegance – are still very much intact, there is a new set of lifestyle goals and aspirations at play which is causing a revaluing of priorities. True luxury cannot exist without embracing real ecological principles and the consumers of today seem to echo this.
What do you believe is the concept of new luxury?
Watch the panel discussion here – (60) Business Fashion Environment Summit 2023: Inkluzywność w modzie – YouTube