The Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) is calling for stakeholder feedback on a final draft of the proposed revisions of the RJC Code of Practices (COP) and draft revised Standards Guidance.
The RJC is currently undertaking a formal review of its COP, the standard against which all RJC members, from mine to retail, must achieve certification within two years of joining the RJC.
The COP’s proposed revisions have evolved further since the second comment period for the review, with the RJC’s multi-stakeholder Standards Committee having worked through the feedback and questions previously raised.
A restructure of the COP into a new grouping of the provisions is now proposed. The RJC said this will mostly be in the form of a re-arrangement of existing provisions. New section titles will better communicate the content of the standard and group provisions by themes, such as responsible supply chains and a responsible mining sector.
Major changes proposed at the provision level include requirements that have been aligned to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, new provisions for grading and appraisal, provenance claims, sourcing from conflict-affected areas, and sourcing from artisanal and small-scale mining.
The Standards Guidance chapters have also been significantly revised, aiming to provide more detailed implementation guidance for businesses, including small business and key regions such as India.
The RJC is welcoming the feedback of all stakeholders on the proposed revisions as it works to finalise the COP Review for the final quarter of 2013. The current public comment period will be open until August 2 2013.
In December 2012 a spokesperson for the RJC said of its intentions: “Overall, the objective is to ensure the Code of Practices is still delivering against expectations of responsible practices and taking account of any regulatory changes."
If you wish to access the consultation documents, click here.
