Helen Dobson: An Overview of Fair Trade Jewellery
Introduction:
Helen is studying jewellery and silversmithing at Birmingham City University in Birmingham, England. This is a presentation that was given as part of her course work.
~ Marc Choyt, Publisher, Fairjewelry.org.
An Overview of Fair Trade Jewellery
Preface – The main aim of my presentation is to discuss Fair Trade in order to ascertain what we as up and coming jewellery designer/manufacturer’s can do to encourage the development of Fair Trade jewellery and to ascertain whether Fair Trade jewellery will ever be available at a price that the mass market can afford.
Overview of Fair Trade – In brief; Fair Trade is relatively new. It was started by a Christian cooperative including Oxfam, Ten Thousand Villages and SERRV International in the 1940’s with the intention of helping people in war torn areas set up a sustainable way of helping themselves.
Fair Trade is a “grass-roots” project. It is unknown how many people are involved in Fair Trade but there are producers in Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Pacific Rim and it is believed that in 2008 over 7.5 million people were benefiting from Fair Trade.
The main Fair Trade principles are giving small producers and cooperatives access to markets when this would not normally be available. Aside from illustrating the benefits of working in cooperative groups the effect of Fair Trade is that more money reaches the producer. Fair pricing ensures producers stop living day to day and are able to work for the future. This leads to an improvement in living conditions, health and education within a community. Fair Trade also helps raise consumer awareness of the products they are purchasing and the actual environmental and monetary costs of these products. This is in the hope that consumers make a more informed decision about products and advocate Fair Trade’s other aims.
Fair Trade started with coffee, bananas and fresh foods. Textiles and handicrafts are considered Fair Trade but, as of yet, jewellery isn’t. Each producer and trader must reach certain standards to be classed as Fair Trade. These include fair wages, the option to join unions, no forced labour or child labour, safe working environments and health and safety requirements.
As Fair Trade expands, monitoring bodies have been set up. Fairtrade Labelling Organisation was established in 1997 to promote and market the Fair Trade logo. It also certifies and inspects current and prospective producers. The World Fair Trade Organisation was set up in 1989 as an association of many producers, importers, retailers and Fair Trade support organisations. It works to build and maintain relationships between the different sectors relevant to successful trade. The Network of European Worldshops, European Fair Trade Association and Fair Trade Federation are all bodies in various countries which were set up to help promote distribution within countries.
Arguments for Fair Trade – Arguments for Fair Trade are many and millions of people already support it. Fair Trade aims to give a fair price to producers. Price competition causes prices to fluctuate daily, Fair Trade ensures that people at grass-roots level are still receiving a fair wage. Producers who are Fair Trade certified must adhere to strict environmental and human rights guidelines. This has helped reduce the amount of child labour and unsafe working practices. The workers ability to join unions and cooperatives, gives increased job security.
Aid or handouts are not being given. People are given the chance to help and work for themselves and to achieve the pride that goes with that.
Social premiums mean some of the money earned goes into community projects rather than straight into the pockets of individuals. This leads to a decrease in mortality levels and increase in education which has a massive knock on effect in third world countries. Future generations can expect a better standard of living.
Potential buyers offer loans so that cooperatives can set themselves up with raw materials and tools. These are paid back, long term from the profits made and it is ensured that interest rates are avoided.
Fair Trade producers work in safer conditions including using safe machinery with full training. Certain harmful chemicals are banned and age limits are implemented to ensure that children or the vulnerable are not forced to work.
Traditional artisan or handicraft products are popular products. Fair Trade helps communities to use their traditional techniques to help communities retain their cultural identity and history, something which is, sadly, dying out in so many places due to the demand for new products. This can help build confidence.
Arguments against Fair Trade – It is at this point that I begin to sound like an advert for Fair Trade so I think it is important to look at some of the many criticisms of the movement.
Fair Trade producers do not receive the full amount for their products. Constant competition means that prices are kept artificially low and it is only ever the people at the grass-roots level who feel this.
Over £1.8 billion was spent on Fair Trade products last year and there is more demand for them than ever before. Unfortunately this leads to products being over-produced. The resulting surplus goes to waste and world prices plummet. Price fluctuations do not affect Fair Trade producers to such an extent but other producers are affected and the impact can be disastrous.
Fair Trade excludes individual producers or farmers. This means that individuals either have to give up their farms, land which may have been in their families or tribes for generations, or risk being unable to sell their produce as Fair Trade swamps the market. It should be noted that in certain areas tribal or family systems may exclude producers from joining with others. They must choose between their families and beliefs or their livelihood.
There are many other projects throughout the developing world. Many of these projects benefit people more than Fair Trade can but, unfortunately, due to the size and marketing of Fair Trade many of these other ethical approaches are unable to continue.
The Free Trade market sets its prices by quality so if your product is not up to scratch then you are paid less for it. As consumers looking for top quality in our own purchases this seems fair. Fair Trade sets a standard price for an item, so quality levels are not as high. Fair Trade products of differing quality can be mixed together, again, lowering the overall quality.
Fair Trade Jewellery: Gems – There is no definitive list of what constitutes Fair Trade jewellery. The problem with certifying jewellery comes from the number of processes involved. Raw materials have to be sourced and mined ethically and in an ecologically sound way, these materials must then be cleaned and processed before being combined into the finished article all under the standards of Fair Trade. This would be easy if one person were completing all these tasks but that is not the way of the jewellery industry. Until each separate part of the industry becomes sanctioned under Fair Trade, there is no way of knowing whether one specific piece is truly Fair Trade.
It seems that steps are being taken toward Fair Trade within the jewellery industry but it is going to take time and a lot of money. However, it seems that there is definitely a market for it and consumers are keen.
Many of the biggest players within the industry are starting to investigate the possibility of fully Fair Trade gems. There are many up and coming initiatives such as the Diamond Development Initiative and the Kimberley Process for diamonds which I will discuss later which are receiving the backing of key players such as De Beers.
The plan to incorporate jewellery into the Fair Trade movement was further encouraged by the release of the Blood Diamond film in 2006 after which numerous companies wished to distance themselves from the issues raised. Many gave backing to stop the trade in Blood or Conflict Diamonds.
Fair Trade Jewellery: Metals – Mining is one of the biggest industries in the world and gold is one of the most sought after commodities in the world. Despite this, the total amount of gold that has ever been mined is tiny.
There are two main ways of mining; open cast mining removes rock from the ground at sites believed to contain the desired metal. The largest open cast mine in the world is the Bingham Canyon mine in Utah, USA. It is 1 mile deep and 2.5 miles wide and is so big it can be seen from space. The toll on the landscapes and habitats of some areas is incomprehensible.
Despite being less destructive, it is estimated artisanal mining employs 13 million people.
Both types of mining are harmful. Aside from accidents, the most harmful side effects come from the chemicals used. Mercury is heated with suspected gold ore. Gold is attracted to mercury. This then evaporates leaving behind it pure gold. To humans and the environment mercury is extremely toxic. It can impair brain function, cause miscarriages and birth defects and lead to memory loss and a reduced ability to coordinate.
Cyanide is sprayed onto huge mountains of ore thought to contain gold. The cyanide works its way through the waste, bonding with the gold and then this combined solution can be chemically separated. A drop of cyanide the size of a grain of rice is deadly to humans and yet in this process it ends up sinking in to the earth and polluting the ground and nearby water supplies.
Lead and arsenic poisoning in humans can lead to a wide range of physiological disorders including skin spots. Please understand that the effects and pollutants that I am mentioning here are miniscule.
The “All that glitters” Discussion – Back in December the school hosted a talk as part of the Brilliantly Birmingham events. I attended the discussion on Fair Trade which took place between Lucy Siegle, Sharon Walker and Stephen Webster, all three of whom are renowned in their fields of work.
Some of the most interesting parts of the discussion were related to the Responsible Jewellery Council Standards. This is because 1 of the 14 organisations which help set up the council was Newmont Mining – which is the largest mining company in the world and is responsible for masses of habitat destruction and pollution. The standards include Business Ethics; such as not taking bribes or being involved with corruption or terrorism, Human Rights and Social Performance and the Environmental Impact such as reducing carbon footprints. These standards are to be undertaken by anyone wishing to be a member and are intended to apply to all parts of the mining and processing of metals and gems.
The Kimberley Process is an independent body set up by numerous governments, industry companies and community initiatives and is supported by the UN, to ensure that rough diamonds are not sold to fund conflicts or political activism. A stone which is certified under the Kimberley Process can be considered conflict free, and has helped increase the annual revenues of poor countries which in turn increases the country’s development potential.
Despite all of these positive things there is, however, still a long way to go. Last year the worldwide jewellery industry was worth more than $60 billion. Compared to this the Fair Trade sector of the jewellery industry only accounted for $30,000.
Human Rights Issues – I would now like to talk about human rights and ecological issues. Due to time constraints, I can only cover a limited number of these. Please understand that for every point I mention there are many more.
Despite there being legal rights for indigenous communities there are very few occurrences of these people being consulted prior to their lands being used and them being moved, often by force. The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was established to ensure that communities gave “free, prior and informed consent” to any development of their land. Unfortunately this is too late for thousands of peoples.
Numerous cases of human rights violations have been reported in communities surrounding mines. It has been reported that mines have paid money to the police and security forces to ensure that local people do not cause trouble. In many cases this has led to rape, torture, killings and detention. Whereas you would expect a new mine to bring plenty of work with it, many will only employ skilled labour, thus bringing workers into the area. At the same time they destroy the livelihoods of the existing communities meaning that they are even less able to make money.
Ecological Issues – When you know statistics such as the amount of waste it takes to produce one piece of jewellery you have to start asking yourself whether it is worth it. Aside from the aesthetic impact on landscapes, mining can cause many habitats to be destroyed. Acid Mine Drainage, whereby waste toxic metals are released in to water sources such as rivers or oceans can cause extensive damage to underwater eco-systems and underground water levels have been recorded near mines to be as acidic as 10,000 times the level of battery acid. The effect on livestock and people in the surrounding areas is not yet fully known.
Others types of pollutants include carbon monoxide being released into the air by smelters and acid rain.
Industry Objectives – Before drawing any conclusions I would like to talk quickly about what the industry can do to bring jewellery closer to being recognised as Fair Trade.
Consumer Objectives – As consumers and jewellery designers/manufacturers, there is also a lot that we can do. Many of these are small steps which can easily be taken.
Conclusion – So to sum up, we have looked very quickly at a small part of the ecological, environmental and human price of jewellery. Hopefully this presentation will have supplied you with a few ideas of how we can all be more aware of our surroundings and what we can do in our personal and professional lives to impact less on our world.
Personally, I think that there is a lot of work which needs doing in order to make jewellery worth the price it costs and I think that we are all in a perfect place to help this along the way.
However, I would like to know that whether from all you have seen do you think jewellery, which is basically a mainly fashion commodity, is worth the impact it leaves? And will we ever be able to produce Fair Trade jewellery at a price that is open to the mass market?
