Responsible Sourcing

When it comes to the origins of our creations, we aim to be as transparent as possible and to ensure that our high-quality materials are responsibly sourced.

RECYCLED STEEL

By the end of 2023, Chopard will use Lucent Steel™ for the production of all its steel watches – including bracelets and cases.

This announcement builds on the existing Lucent Steel™ – which was launched in 2019 with the iconic Alpine Eagle watch, and made of 70% recycled steel – marking a key next step in a multi-year project towards more responsible steel:

By the end of 2023, all Chopard steel watches, including bracelets and cases, will include 80% recycled steel.
By 2028 this figure will rise to a minimum of 90%.
Chopard has underlined this commitment by becoming the first luxury Maison to join the Climate Group’s SteelZero initiative to work with the industry to speed up the transition to a net zero steel.

This initiative will allow Chopard to significantly reduce its CO2 emissions related to steel, according to key figures from the ISSF (International Stainless Steel Forum). Shifting from standard 50% recycled steel content to 80% will cut emissions linked to production by 30%. At 90% recycled steel this figure increases to 40%.

Chopard Lucent Steel™

Chopard’s quest for sustainability is in no way detrimental to the exceptional quality or properties of the materials composing its timepieces. Chopard Lucent Steel™ is made using high-quality industrial scraps from Swiss watchmakers, along with high-grade steel from the medical, aerospace and automotive industries.

Ethical Gold

Gold is the raw material most widely used in our production. It is due to this that we devoted particular attention to ensuring that one of the biggest milestones of our Journey to Sustainable Luxury would be the sourcing of responsibly mined gold for our entire watch and jewellery production.

This objective has been successfully met since July 2018 when Chopard began using 100% Ethically produced gold - verified as having met international best practice environmental and social standards - in its workshops.

More specifically, our Ethical Gold is sourced through two transparent and traceable schemes:

Artisanal freshly mined gold produced in a responsible manner
Chain of Custody Gold from RJC-Certified refineries

Hundreds of responsibly-sourced gold nibs in two coppery scoops, with two gold bars between them.

Responsible Artisanal Mined Gold

Rjc-Certified Refineries

Responsible Artisanal Mined Gold

Artisanal and small-scale mining involves millions of men and women worldwide, working on an individual basis, in family groups or cooperatives, using relatively simple methods of exploration, extraction and processing. Responsibly extracted gold from artisanal and small-scale mines is essential to our sourcing strategy, as it allows us to have full traceability from mine to market, while contributing to a positive socio-economic and environmental impact.

Rjc-Certified Refineries

As early as 1978, we were one of the first manufacturers to equip ourselves with our own foundry. Thanks to this independent approach, we are not only able to guarantee the origin of the gold we use in our production, but are above all able to directly resmelt gold scraps and production waste in order to recycle our unused material. Encouraged by this approach to recycling our gold scraps, we created our second Ethical Gold supply chain by purchasing gold through RJC Chain of Custody (CoC)-certified refineries. The RJC CoC Standard sets out requirements for the identification and tracking of ‘Eligible Material’, such as recycled gold screened and confirmed as originating from eligible recyclable sources.

Diamonds

The diamond sector has undergone significant transformations over the past 15 years. Today, the Kimberley Process has been successful in virtually eliminating conflict diamonds from the market. It now embodies the most successful international consensus agreement in terms of regulating diamond mining. In the same vein, the Responsible Jewellery Council has provided effective standards and codes of practice for the industry to self-regulate.

At Chopard, we support and follow the principles for transparency stipulated by the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme and the World Diamond Council System of Warranties. We have also put in place a self-regulation initiative for all diamond suppliers, requiring them to refrain from buying or selling conflict diamonds, diamonds from suspect or unknown sources, as well as diamonds from countries and regions that have not implemented the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme. Stones not complying with this scheme are immediately refused.

Coloured Gemstones

Unlike diamonds, coloured stones were not subject to any international regulations to guarantee their traceability and mining conditions. Since 2019, the Responsible Jewellery Council has included coloured gemstones in its certification scope.

At Chopard we continually strive to increase the overall sustainability performance of our collections while working closely with our sourcing partners to ensure the greatest possible transparency with regard to the provenance of coloured gemstones. Well aware of the numerous challenges associated with the responsible sourcing of coloured gemstones, we joined the Coloured Gemstones Working Group (CGWG) in 2019, a unique alliance between the world's leading luxury jewellery brands and gemstone mining companies that intends to improve and make corporate sustainability accessible to all in the gemstone industry. The main goal is to provide relevant and appropriate educational, training and management resources as well as expert support to enable any business in the coloured gemstone supply chain to demonstrate its commitment to sustainable development and participate in a responsible and transparent industry.