CIBJO, World Jewellery Confederation President Gaetano Cavalieri urges members across the industry to join WJI 2030 and support its programme to advance standards in society and the environment.

Why has CIBJO joined WJI 2030?

GAETANO CAVALIERI: CIBJO has been formally committed to the Sustainable Development Goals since they were declared by the United Nations in 2015, and indeed the Millennium Development Goals that preceded them. We have worked for the achievement of the UN development programme and promoted its objectives within the industry since 2006, when we became the jewellery industry’s representative in the UN’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), where we have special consultative status. And we joined the UN Global Compact.

This aspirational responsibility, which is to say that as members of the industry we not only have an obligation to do no harm, but to have a positive societal and environmental impact as well, made the decision to join WJI 2030 a very easy one. Simply stated, we share a common vision.

Why is this Initiative important?

GAETANO CAVALIERI: It is not sufficient to profess that you believe in an ethical jewellery and watch trade. You need to show that you live and act by those principles, and today that also includes proactively having positive impact. WJI 2030 promotes this, and will help us establish our credentials not only in the marketplace, where consumers are considerably more likely to demand that the products they buy have societal value and are sustainable, but just as important among our millions of stakeholders in the countries and regions where we source our raw materials. 

Do you recommend that other groups in the jewellery and gemstone industry join WJI 2030? What types of entities should join and why is it important that they do so?GAETANO CAVALIERI: Absolutely. We recommend that all entities in the industry consider joining the effort. WJI 2030 should not be considered a restricted domain for large brands, but rather a mark of honour that all members of our industry should strive for.