SA gets sustainability boost from jewellery sector

Sustainable development has been put squarely on the jewellery industry's agenda with the news that the World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO) may be this week launching a new set of projects in South Africa.

They will aim at lifting communities out of poverty through the revenues that can be gained from mining raw materials such as gold and exporting them to jewellery makers around the world.

South Africa is the biggest producer of gold in the world so the government has called for the jewellery industry to give something back to the communities which provide it with precious metals.

Buyelwa Sonjica, the minister for minerals and energy, said: "Dedicated initiatives are a concerted effort by industry players and government to investigate opportunities in the downstream and sidestream beneficiation in the country."

She added the South African government would soon be finalising the baseline beneficiation levels so that industry players would benefit from the progression towards South Africa being given more input into secondary production as well as the mining of raw materials.

This move will keep more of the money made from being blessed with gold in the country which will strengthen South Africa's economy and provide greater prosperity for its people.