With few weeks to go before the 2025 CIBJO Congress opens in Paris on 27 October, the second pre-congress Special Report has been released. Prepared by the CIBJO Sustainable Development Commission, led by John Mulligan, the report addresses the challenges of creating a unified sustainability framework for a jewellery industry marked by vast geographic, product, and company diversity.

As the global jewellery industry grapples with responsible sourcing, environmental stewardship, stalled socio-economic development, and inequalities of opportunity, the need for a broadly agreed, collaborative approach to sustainability has never been more urgent

He cautioned that fragmentation across geographies and business models, along with politicisation of sustainability issues and short-term thinking, continues to hinder meaningful progress.

To help companies align with international standards, CIBJO announced it will release a series of updated tools free of charge on its website, including:

An updated Responsible Sourcing Blue Book with a revised toolkit aligned with OECD Due Diligence Guidance.

A new Sustainability & ESG Reference Guide covering key aspects of the global agenda as it applies to jewellery.

The ESG Wheel with additional materiality assessment guidance, tailored also for small and medium-sized businesses.

The Commission also introduced a “Sustainability Practice Group,” made up of sustainability experts and advisors from within CIBJO’s membership, to ensure tools remain relevant and effective.