A subject high on the agenda of many today is social responsibility. This includes everything from government and politics to industry in general and the public at large. The message to all is "be responsible", and the jewelry industry is no exception. A group of socially responsible jewelers has launched the Council for Responsible Jewelry Practices, whose goal is to develop a Responsible Practices Framework for participating members. For the jewelry industry as a whole there are certain responsibilities that many think should be adopted, the most recognizable being the outlawing of "conflict diamonds", the "no dirty gold" campaign, and treating co-workers fairly and compensating adequately in the developing nations. These global issues are very important and deserve our attention, but company social responsibility should not be limited to global issues alone. Important local issues include making sure your production facility is environmentally friendly by introducing processes such as discharge treatments. Company social responsibility can also include raising money for local charities, hosting blood drives and many more activities, all of which allow even the smallest company to make a difference. This paper will discuss these global and domestic issues and suggest ways in which both large and small companies can become socially responsible.

Author: Stewart Grice