Fairtrade Intl. Publishes New Gold, Precious Metals Standards

“It’s exciting that - for the first time - alloyed and fabricated gold will become more widely available and cost effective for licensees to buy. More availability means more sales of Fairtrade gold for miners, helping change lives.  We are proud that Fairtrade is at the forefront of the responsible mining and jewelry movement and aims to address deeply embedded, long-term issues in the artisanal and small-scale gold mining.  Only by working together will we be able to see the true value of gold, transform the livelihoods of communities that have been negatively affected by the injustices currently at work in the gold supply chain," he said.
Worldwide, 100 million artisanal and small scale miners work in harsh and dangerous conditions, caught in a vicious circle of exploitation, illegality and poverty in unfair supply chains.  It is often the poorest of the poor with no other options who turn to mining. Yet if managed responsibly, artisanal and small scale mining can provide a great opportunity for poverty reduction and sustainable development for millions of people.
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