Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) Code of Practices

Customers expect their jewelry to be made responsibly, as well as respect human rights and the planet. The RJC’s COP is a vital standard for the jewelry supply chain, addressing many issues like business ethics, human rights and social and environmental performance. Using the COP Certification Methodology, you can indicate your commitment to responsible business practices.

As an RJC-accredited audit company, we can help you to support integrity and transparency in your jewelry supply chain, from responsible mining through to retail.

The RJC provides support on the process through standards guidance, an assessment manual, walkthroughs, toolkits and training to aid implementation and audits.

The standard covers:

• General business requirements specific to the industry
• Responsible supply chains
• Human and labor rights, and working conditions
• Health, safety and the environment
• Gold, diamond, colored gemstones, silver and platinum group metal products
• Responsible mining

Why choose an RJC audit from SGS?

The RJC audit will verify your organization’s conformance with their COP on:

• Business ethics
• Human rights and social performance
• Environmental performance
• Management systems

Upon completion of an audit from SGS, which follows the RJC COP, an official audit report and recommendation are submitted to the RJC. The RJC then issues a certificate, based on the outcome outlined in the audit report. This will reinforce your commitment to responsible business throughout your supply chain.

Certification outlines responsible business practices that can be communicated to suppliers, customers and other stakeholders.

COP certification is mandatory for all RJC Commercial Members within two years of joining.

RJC audits from an accredited body

As an RJC-accredited auditor and world-leading certification, inspection, testing and verification company, we offer in-depth expertise in RJC requirements.

With over 100 years of experience in auditing and verification, we offer unrivaled expertise in reviewing sustainability issues in the diamond and jewelry industry at all levels.

Our auditors know the legal framework, understand the common issues and industry practices, and have seen successful implementation of solutions to meet legal and code requirements. Our auditors are based in over 60 countries, with experience across the whole supply chain, from mines to retail.