Danish jeweler Pandora said on Tuesday it would move away from mining diamonds in order to market more ethical products, a year after choosing to use only recycled gold and silver by 2025.
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Pandora, which specializes in entry-level jewelry of which it is one of the world's leading producers, will now only use laboratory diamonds, he said in a statement.
These also have the advantage of being less expensive, while having all the characteristics of a natural diamond, underlines the jeweler.
“
Diamonds are not only eternal, but they are for everyone
,” pleaded the boss of the group, Alexander Lacik.
This choice "
is proof of the ambitious program that we are leading to be more sustainable
", underlined the CEO.
Pandora's first collection using lab-grown diamonds, shown on Tuesday, will first launch in the UK before launching globally next year.
Offer more guarantees on respect for human rights
Founded in 1982 in Copenhagen, Pandora has grown into a multinational with more than 27,000 employees, about half of them in Thailand, where its jewelry is produced.
The group sells 250,000 pieces per day, including bracelets.
If diamonds are only present on a small part of Pandora's sales, the choice is part of a trend of jewelers aiming to offer more guarantees to consumers on respect for human rights or the environment.
Read also: Pandora will cut 1,200 jobs in Thailand
Laboratory diamonds escape these criticisms, but they do not only have virtues: their manufacturing process, which requires high temperatures, is energy intensive. According to Pandora, his collection was produced with an average of 60% renewable energy, and that figure is set to reach 100% next year.
