Recycled silver is estimated to generate at least 66 per cent less carbon emissions than mined silver, while recycled gold is estimated to generate 99 per cent less carbon emissions than mined gold. At present, the metals are chiefly recycled from jewellery and electronics.
Pandora – reportedly the world’s largest jewellery producer by volume – uses 340 tonnes of silver and 300kg of gold per year, accounting for 75 per cent of its total metal use.
Other metals are not included in its recycling target.
In 2018, Pandora assessed that 100 per cent of the gold and 88 per cent of the silver used at its Thai factories “originated from recycled sources”.
However, the new target will also incorporate external suppliers which manufacture chains, clasps, and other components; the Financial Times reports that, when taking into account its full supply chain, 71 per cent of the total gold and silver used by Pandora is recycled.
Alexander Lacik, CEO Pandora Jewelry, said, “We have to reach deeper into our own supply chain. They have some way to go. It will cut back on CO2 and reduce pollution. It is hopefully a call to action for our partners and other people.”
Lacik said recycled silver would be more challenging to source than recycled gold due to lower demand, and that consumers would need to be educated that there is no reduction in quality from the recycling process.
“We do this because it is the right thing to do. It will be better for the climate and for the environment, and it will make our jewellery more sustainable,” Lacik added.
When Pandora’s carbon neutral target was first announced in January 2020, the company noted that more than 90 per cent of its total greenhouse gas emissions occurred “outside the company’s own operations”, with “most emissions stem[ming] from the procurement of raw materials”.
At the time, Mads Twomey-Madsen, vice-president for sustainability at Pandora Jewelry, said the company would work with suppliers to “find the right scalable opportunities to reduce the carbon footprint”.
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