Page 16 - Bullion World Volume 5 Issue 07 July 2025

Bullion World | Volume 5 | Issue 07 | July 2025

5. What measurable social or 8. How can socially responsible
environmental benefits have you investors or impact-driven funds
witnessed in responsible ASM participate in Fairever’s mission?
communities? “Socially responsible investors can join our mission

“Where a mine adopts certification, the first visible simply by buying Fairtrade-certified gold bars through
change is the elimination of mercury in processing, our online shop. Each bar comes with full chain-of-
which protects workers and rivers downstream. custody documentation and a Fairtrade premium that
Income rises about 15-plus percent because of the flows straight back to the miners’ cooperative, so your
premium and better market access, and communities capital supports safer, fairer production from day one.
often invest that money in clean water or schooling. For larger allocations we can arrange bulk orders or
You can feel the pride when miners say, ‘My children secure storage, but the easiest first step is a click in
will not have to leave the valley to find safe work.’” the webshop.”

6. Can you share a specific success 9. What advice would you give
story of certification transforming a jewellery brands transitioning to

community? ethically sourced gold?
“In Íquira, Colombia, the cooperative used its “Begin by blending in just a small percentage of
Fairmined premiums to go mercury-free, build a small Fairtrade-certified gold-say 5 - 10 %-into your existing
health clinic, and train a mine rescue brigade. That supply chain. You don’t have to launch a stand-alone
progress won global recognition when Íquira gold ‘ethical’ collection or overhaul your entire sourcing
was chosen for the Cannes Palme d’Or and the Nobel model on day one; every incremental gram already
Peace Prize medals-a powerful signal that small-scale channels a premium back to mining communities and
miners can compete on quality and ethics.” signals intent to your stakeholders. Once the metal is
alloyed, it works exactly like any other gold, so there’s
7. What are the biggest challenges no operational hurdle in the workshop. Track how that
first tranche performs, share the story with staff and
in scaling up ethical gold sourcing customers, and then ratchet the share upward over
today? time. Ethical sourcing is a step-by-step journey, not a
“Three obstacles loom largest. First, price: certified purity test, and progress beats perfection.”
ethical gold carries a visible premium-every extra
dollar funds safer mining practices and community 10. What’s next for Fairever in
projects-but many buyers still fixate on the spot price expanding its reach, partnerships,
alone. Second, awareness:outside a small circle
of specialists, few people realise that child labour, or product lines?
mercury pollution and conflict finance are woven into “We’re about to launch a ‘Dual-Impact Gold’ line that
conventional supply. Without that understanding, the couples recycled gold from audited, RJC-certified
premium feels optional rather than necessary. Third, recyclers with Fairmined Gold Credits and Responsible
the ‘recycled-gold myth’: brands sometimes claim that Gold Credits. The metal you hold is recycled, so it
re-melting old jewellery is a complete sustainability slots straight into existing casting workflows with no
answer, so they feel no urgency to support responsible costly segregation; meanwhile the credits channel a
new production. Recycled feedstock is valuable, fixed premium to artisanal and small-scale miners for
but it doesn’t touch the 100 million people whose every gram we sell. In other words, you source what’s
livelihoods depend on artisanal and small-scale mining readily available, keep traceability costs low, and still
today. Overcoming those three misconceptions-price drive real improvements at the mine site-safer working
sensitivity, ignorance of the problems, and the easy conditions, mercury-free processing and community
recycled-gold excuse-is the real work of scaling ethical projects. This two-in-one model lets us scale quickly
sourcing.” across Europe and India without waiting for large
volumes of fully traceable primary gold, and it gives
brands an easy on-ramp to measurable impact from
day one.”
For more details visit: www.fairever.gold

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