No Dirty Gold Praises, Pillories Jewelers
Mineweb - Johannesburg, South Africa
By: Dorothy Kosich
Posted: '14-FEB-06 00:00' GMT © Mineweb 1997-2004
RENO--(Mineweb.com) Environmental NGOs Monday unveiled their annual St Valentine's Day bashing of the international gold mining industry through the latest version of the "No Dirty Gold" campaign.
This year several top jewelry retailers, including Zale, Helzberg Diamonds, Fortunoff, Cartier, Piaget, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Signet Group (the parent of Sterling and Kay Jewelers) joined Tiffany & Co. on the enviros' "leaders" list, which was published in a advertisement in Monday's New York Times.
Not surprisingly, the discount retailers from which the majority of the American public buys gold, fared much worse in the NGOs' estimation, landing on the "laggards" list. These include average consumer mass-marketers JCPenney, Wal-Mart, grocery king Fred Meyer Jewelers, QVC, Sears/Kmart, and Jostens, which manufactures class rings, as well as the more upper crust Rolex, and the financially struggling Whitehall Jewelers.
The jewelry industry leaders have endorsed human rights, environment, and social justice principles that call for responsible production of gold and precious metals. These include: free, prior, and informed consent from affected communities; respect for workers' rights and labor standards; protecting parks and natural reserves from mining; protecting oceans, rivers, lakes, and streams from mining wastes; and respect for basic human rights outlined in international conventions and law.
In news releases issued Monday, Keith Slack, co-director of the No Dirty Gold campaign and senior policy advisor for Oxfam America, declared, "Despite growing demand from concerned consumers, mining corporations have yet to significantly reduce the harm their operations are inflicting on communities in many parts of the world. When major jewelry retailers demand ethically produced gold for their products, it's time for the mining industry to take note and make changes in their practices."
Carrie Dann of the Western Shoshone Defense Project, a longtime opponent of Placer Dome now Barrick's massive Pipeline Project in Northern Nevada, declared, "For too long, the people who are buying and selling gold have been blind to mining's impacts on the water, the air, the land, and communities like the Western Shoshone. ...But today, some of the leading jewelry retailers are recognizing that they have a responsibility not only to their customers but also to communities affected by gold mining." It is estimated that half of the gold produced internationally between 1995 and 2015 will come from indigenous peoples' lands.
The New York Times ad can be found at NY Times Ad. It depicts a locket containing pictures of a child laborer and a cyanide sign at a mine. It declares that "Gold mining is one of the dirtiest industries in the world--it contaminates drinking water, destroy traditional ways of life, and uproots people from their homes." Neither the World Gold Council or National Mining Associate websites contained responses to Monday's advertisement.
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Special thanks to Carrie Dann for passing this on!
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February 2006 Reports
Last updated on February 15, 2006