Tiffany ranks last for ethical practices among jewellers, study finds

The Good Shopping Guide has published its rankings on 18 jewellery brands, in which Tiffany and Co. secured the lowest points for its ethical practices.

The Good Shopping Guide is an independent research organisation which has been researching and publishing ethical scores on many of the “world’s biggest brands” since 2001, with over 65 sectors and industries assessed.

In this particular research, each brand was given a score of 100 based on an assessment of the companies’ practices towards the environment, animals and people.

The 18 brands featured ranged from luxury brands like Cartier, Goldsmiths, Tiffany and Co. to smaller brands such as Claires.

Tiffany and Co. received the worst overall score of 33, followed by Claire’s and Michael Kors with scores of 35 and 40, respectively.

The research also shed light on the most ethical and sustainable jewellery brands. The Good Shopping Guide’s accredited companies Ingle and Rhode and Ethica Diamonds amongthe top spots in the rankings, both achieving top scores of 100 and 96 respectively.

This is chiefly due to the brands’ use of Fairtrade certified gold and ethically sourced, conflict-free diamonds in their products.

The Good Shopping Guide has granted Ethical Accreditation to both Ingle and Rhode and Ethica Diamonds, attesting to their excellent ethical standards.

Other scores include Trendhim (88), Pandora (85), Monica Vinader (77), Goldsmiths (73), Swarovski (69), Thomas Sabo (62) and Cartier (54)

With growing consumer concern about the human rights impact of their purchases, the firm said its research aims to expose the truth behind the world’s leading brands.

Jacob Chase, ethical accreditation leader at The Good Shopping Guide, said: “Consumers should be aware of ethical practices right across a company’s value chain – especially if it is incorporating high-value commodities or conflict minerals into its products, as seen in the jewellery sector. The UK ethical market is now worth over £120bn, so it’s important that our rankings cut through the greenwashing.”