Pandora, which produces more jewelry than any other company in the world, will discontinue the use of mined diamonds as part of a broader strategy to eliminate raw materials associated with unethical production methods.
Despite decades of reform, reports of human rights violations at mines and factories continue to taint the global jewelry market. To address such concerns, Tiffany & Co. began providing customers with information about newly sourced, individually registered diamonds last year, which trace a stone’s path all the way back to the mine.
Pandora, based in Copenhagen, announced on Tuesday (May 4) that it will now only use laboratory-created diamonds. The company plans to launch its first collection using lab-created stones in the United Kingdom in 2022, before expanding into other markets.
The decision to avoid mined diamonds comes less than a year after Pandora announced that it would no longer use newly mined gold and silver in its jewelry. As part of a four-year plan to achieve carbon neutrality, its entire production will use only recycled precious metals by 2025.
