Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC), the leading sustainability standard-setting organisation for the global jewellery and watch supply chain, has joined the UN Global Compact SDG Ambition platform. The platform aims to scale business impact by accelerating the integration of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by UNGC’s participating companies. It enables companies to move beyond incremental progress and step-up transformative change – unlocking business value, building business resilience, and enabling long-term growth.

As a member of SDG Ambition, RJC will lead its 1,400 member companies globally, to strategically prioritise actions to accelerate the jewellery industry’s contribution to the 2030 Agenda, set targets aligned with absolute benchmarks that today may seem aspirational but are critical to spearhead the transformation of economies and societies, and hardwire SDG-related business goals and outcomes into core processes and management of business. In doing so, also deliver a positive impact on the livelihoods and communities in which RJC member companies operate.

With this, the RJC further deepens its commitment to the SDGs.

Sanda Ojiambo, the CEO & Executive Director of the UNGC said: “By engaging hundreds of companies across the world, this initiative is mobilising a truly global movement of responsible enterprises. This will accelerate progress towards embedding sustainability into business strategies and operations—which will benefit society as well as business.”

The RJC has been a participant in the UNGC since 2009. The Ten Principles spanning human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption are integrated into the RJC’s Code of Practices.

David Bouffard, RJC Chairman, said, “RJC is leading sustainability standards in the jewellery industry and it makes sense that we would launch an SDG taskforce to drive sustainability action. We welcome this partnership with the UN Global Compact.

“Since its inception, the RJC has taken a leading role on sustainable development in the global jewellery supply chain. We believe in a model of shared values and we see the principles of the UN Global Compact and the SDGs as the foundation for shaping a better world.”