Fair trade gold: fair prices, greener gold

A new initiative has been announced that will allow gold miners in developing counties to sell their gold under a new fair trade labeling system. A partnership between the International Fair Trade Labeling Organizations (FLO) and the Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM) is making the initiative possible. Additionally, consumers can now choose to buy fair trade gold in the same way that they can buy fair trade olive oil, avocados, tea or coffee. This is an important option for consumers to consider because, although most of the world's gold is mined by large companies, about 15% is mined by artisanal miners using basic equipment and tools to extract the precious metal.

Many artisanal miners come from impoverished areas where miners' income is the engine of the economy. There are many communities like this around the world. In fact, the livelihoods of around 100 million people depend almost exclusively on the ability of small miners to make a sale from their mining efforts. In the past, it has been unfortunate that these artisanal miners have not been given a fair price for their gold. Without access to global markets, many gold miners have no choice but to sell to intermediaries at incredibly unfair prices. However, the new initiative will put an end to this and guarantee fair trade gold prices for these impoverished people.

Artisanal miners who are positively influenced by fair trade gold have more problems on their hands than just the price at which they can sell their gold. They are often exposed to toxic substances, particularly mercury, when they try to isolate the gold they extract from other minerals. This causes long-term damage to the miners themselves, as well as to their environment and other members of the community. Furthermore, since many of these small miners are located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo 到會外賣, issues like war are a serious problem. More than five million lives have been lost due to civil wars.

Therefore, another important facet of the fair trade gold initiative is that the gold eligible to receive fair trade certification must have been obtained in the least environmentally damaging way possible without causing or promoting violence. In fact, miners who avoid harmful chemicals in their mining processes will receive a "green bonus". The Fair Trade logo, recognized by 70% of UK consumers, will provide you with a reliable benchmark in the confusing jewelery industry.