At Jewellery Wanderlust, we use Fairmined gold as one of the precious metals in our jewellery.
What is Fairmined Certification?
Fairmined gold is a certification initiative developed by the Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM), a non-profit organisation that supports artisanal and small-scale miners, primarily in Latin America.
Fairmined gold offers 100% traceability, meaning that the origin of the gold can be traced back to the mine where it was extracted. The certification also ensures that mining practices respect the environment and the dignity of workers, while contributing to the well-being of communities surrounding the mines.
Beyond fundamental requirements—such as knowing where the gold was mined, ensuring that no child labour was involved in its extraction, and confirming that it is not linked to armed conflict—Fairmined Gold also ensures that:
* Gold is purchased at a fair price
* Miners receive an additional premium
* Workers’ welfare and well-being are protected
* Gender equality is promoted
* Environmental conservation and the protection of water resources around mining areas are taken into consideration
* Hazardous chemicals are either avoided or used under strict and responsible conditions
Who Are Artisanal and Small-Scale Miners?
Fairmined gold is designed to support artisanal and small-scale miners. But who exactly are these miners, and why is it important to protect their rights and livelihoods?
There is no single universally agreed definition of “artisanal and small-scale miners.” Broadly speaking, the term refers to miners who work with limited equipment and rely heavily on manual labour, in contrast to large mining corporations that carry out mining operations on an industrial scale using heavy machinery.
Artisanal and small-scale miners are estimated to account for around 90% of the world’s mining workforce, approximately 30% of whom are women.
Artisanal and small-scale mining also plays a vital role as a source of livelihood for local communities. Many gemstone and mineral deposits are concentrated in developing countries across Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia. Many of these countries face challenges such as poverty, high unemployment, conflict, authoritarian governance and corruption, leaving communities in politically and economically unstable circumstances.
With few alternative sources of employment available, many people turn to mining to make a living. As a result, countless miners work without adequate equipment or sufficient safety protection.
Mining is inherently dangerous work. Miners routinely face the risk of landslides, falls and mine collapses. At the same time, exploitation of workers—including violence, abuse and unfairly low prices for the minerals they produce—remains a serious problem.
Environmental impacts are another major concern. Unplanned and poorly managed mining can damage surrounding ecosystems, while chemicals such as mercury used during processing can contaminate local water sources.
A New Standard
Fairmined gold is an initiative that seeks to break away from harmful practices within the mining industry and address the challenges faced by artisanal and small-scale miners—a group that represents the majority of the global mining workforce, yet whose circumstances have often been overlooked.
By actively choosing Fairmined gold, we can help move the mining industry away from outdated and exploitative practices and towards a fairer, more positive standard.
In the past, the issue of “conflict diamonds”—diamonds used to finance armed conflict—became a major international concern. In response, the Kimberley Process was established as an international framework to prevent conflict diamonds from entering the global market. Today, conflict diamonds are estimated to account for less than 0.1% of diamonds in circulation.
We believe that if Fairmined gold becomes more widely adopted around the world, it can similarly send a clear message against the problems that persist today—from the unfair treatment of miners to environmental destruction caused by irresponsible mining.
Rather than simply aiming for a standard of “not contributing to conflict,” Fairmined gold represents the possibility of establishing a higher standard—one that actively supports miners, their communities and the environment.
At Jewellery Wanderlust, Fairmined gold is currently used in our bridal jewellery and selected pieces. We plan to expand its use across more of our collections in the future.
【Reference】
Artisanal miners: A hidden but critical force in the global economy | Pact (pactworld.org)