Hoover And Strong Moves To Third Party Certification
Press Release
August 4, 2009 – Emeryville, CA
Scientific Certification Systems (SCS), a globally-recognized independent third-party certifier and sustainability expert, today certified the recycled metal content in jeweler Hoover & Strong’s HARMONY Metals™ line.
Hoover & Strong sources metal from many sources, using reclaimed jewelry as well as silverware, coins, electronics scrap, eyeglass frames, dental scrap and more, says Chet Chaffee, VP Environmental Programs at SCS, citing input sources that were discovered during the SCS audit process. While many jewelers claim to use earth-friendly materials, Hoover & Strong is the first to seek third-party certification of its products recycled metal content.
Third-party certification provides a level of consumer confidence that self-declared claims cannot. SCS recycled content certification requires a desk audit, an on-site audit of production facilities and, in some cases, lab testing. All certifications are assessed through a transparent process and must be renewed annually.
Hoover & Strong is proud to be the first refiner and precious metals manufacturer to become SCS certified with our HARMONY Metals™ brand of mill products, findings, rings, mountings, semi-mounts and finished jewelry, says Torry Hoover, President of Hoover & Strong. This certification not only reflects our use of recycled precious metals in our products, it also shows Hoover & Strongs commitment to environmentally responsible manufacturing.
The precious metals used in the HARMONY product line silver, gold, platinum and palladium are all derived from 100% recycled material. These precious metals are mixed with base metals such as copper and zinc in the alloy-making process. The final HARMONY metal products, as audited and certified by SCS, contain a minimum of 88% recycled content. Pre-consumer inputs come from other jewelry manufacturers shavings and stamp remainders, while post consumer metals come to Hoover & Strong from numerous sources, including those listed above.
Hoover & Strong started business in Buffalo, NY in 1912 as a refiner, taking used light bulbs and recovering platinum from the filaments for recycling back into alloys for both jewelry and industrial use. Since then they have expanded to produce mill products, which are sheet, wire, tube and casting grain, and then findings, which are the components used to make fine jewelry such as settings, ring shanks, etc.
Hoover & Strong is a full circle refiner; they purchase precious metal scrap, process this to recover fine precious metals, recycle these into jewelry alloys for sale to the jewelry industry. Any scrap or surplus alloy generated by the jewelry industry will be purchased by Hoover & Strong to begin the cycle again the circle is complete. Hoover & Strong does this through a zero discharge state of the art refinery plant at their Richmond, VA facility.
