4 Ways Brilliant Earth Takes CSR To A Whole New Level
A quick Google search of “sustainable wedding rings” takes you on a journey through several alleged eco-friendly jewelry companies. While several of these companies show promising signs of truly being eco-friendly, a jewelry (specializing in wedding rings) company called Brilliant Earth — that I wrote about last week — stands out to me for actually meaning it.
With an impressive 780k following on Instagram, it’s clear the brand has established themselves and grown in popularity. A quick brand image analysis showed me they often showcase celebrity client use, adhere to a similar aesthetic look, and post regularly on their Instagram.
So they’ve got the whole marketing thing down and keep their Instagram audience entertained but what about the company’s promise to “build a brighter future in the communities where [they] operate“?
It turns out Brilliant Earth cares about corporate social responsibility and matches their words with action. From their website having a “responsible sourcing” tab front and center on their site, to each online product having a responsible sourcing explanation in the details, the brand does more than just state their message.
They have puts their heart and soul out there trying to prove they are ethically and environmentally friendly. But today, I want to dive into their incredible sustainability report that doesn’t just say their environmental contribution goals, but tells us how they got ish done.
1. The Most Extensive Sustainability Report I’ve Ever Laid Eyes On
Their first-ever 61-page sustainability report, “A Brilliant Future” was released in March 2022. Let me just say — this report is killer. The brand not only made the report graphically interesting for those who may not totally be interested in 61 pages of straight information — but has divided up each section in a way that’s easy to understand.
Using their core principles of Transparency, Sustainability, Compassion and Inclusivity, Brilliant Earth’s 2020-2021 sustainability report breaks down how they upheld each pillar. Brilliant Earth starts their report by explaining a bit about their company and mission for those who may not know them yet. Then, they start breaking it down.
To back up “Transparency” they nail explaining how they use natural sourcing techniques and care about supplier ethics. For “Sustainability” they use both recycled materials and evaluate the use of natural resources to ensure they are not harmful to the environment. They showed “Compassion” through donating to Pure Earth — a nonprofit giving back to mercury-free mining companies. “Inclusivity” was achieved by committing to DEI employment techniques.
Overall, extremely solid proof of acting on their corporate social responsibility. There are several infographics making the information less daunting and showing they care their audience thoroughly understands the report. This report is the first of many and the company said will be done annually.
2. Sourcing Done Right
“[Our suppliers and manufacturers are required to comply with relevant environmental and human rights regulations, and agree to our strict Supplier Code of Conduct].”
Brilliant Earth
Truthfully there are so many different ways they make environmentally ethic sourcing choices but these few really impress me.
The report explains the Beyond Conflict Free Diamonds the company use in their products. These diamonds are selected “for their ethical and environmentally responsible origins.” Using a “Chain of Custody Protocol” they work to make sure the mines they source from practice safe extraction and employment practices.
The report also mentions that they pride themselves in using recycled metals. They do not want to be associated with “dirty gold” practices and have taken legitimate strides toward that goal.
Throughout the entire sustainability section, the company has made it a point to explain the different certifications or groups they align themselves with in order to certify their practices as legitimate. Although I am not familiar with all these kinds of verifications, it’s worth taking a look at and understanding how the certifications and foundations they work through certify their mission even further.
I think the “Sustainability” section is the most relevant to users trying to understand how ethical the brand really is. In my opinion, this section particularly makes it clear that the brand has followed through on their promises. I was able to under the certifications or groups mentioned that the company is approved by and with despite not knowing them.
3. Partnerships That Actually Matter
There are two partnerships out of the many partnerships the brand reported about that stick out to me. The first one is with Moyo Gems.
Brilliant earth lunch to collaboration with milo gems in 2021. What impresses me so much about this is that Moyo Gems works to benefit A female minors to have Safe for mining work conditions.
Moyo Gems help woman in other countries who are experiencing unsafe working conditions but overall the circles back to the idea that certain mining practices are not only unsafe for human beings but ultimately negatively impact the environment.
The second partnership that the company reports on is with Carbonfund.org. What I like about this collaboration is Carbon fun.org has helped the brand not only reduce carbon emissions but consider other ways to be more sustainable to the environment such as with packaging and shipping.
4. How They’ve Reduced Waste
“[Our paper-based shipping boxes were redesigned with 70% recycled content — estimating that we conserved 89.95 tons of CO2 in 2021].”
Brilliant Earth
Through partnerships with companies like Carbonfund.org and others, the company has reduced the waste expected from a business like jewelry.
They have reported about the ways they have reduced the impact of packaging as well as using recycled materials to offset the emissions that come from creating new ones. But looking into the report even further, I found that they “offer employees commuter benefits to encourage the use of traditional public transport, ridesharing, and bike share”.
It’s clear to me that Brilliant Earth wants to be environmentally friendly from top to bottom. In 2021 they were able to reduce emissions through their Fairmined collection which in one way helps the safe handling of mining that works to have a “low environmental impact.” From mining and packaging, to the diamonds themselves, Brilliant Earth has made specific strides toward reducing waste.
Brilliant Earth gets my stamp of approval for their 2020-2021 sustainability report. There was so much information about the varied ways they have acted on being eco-friendly that it’s hard to truly explain how legitimate their corporate social responsibility response is.
Sustainability in this industry is important and can be applied to almost every aspect of the field from decor to wardrobe. Brilliant Earth is one sustainable company utilizing words then actions to certifiably adhere to safe environmental practices.
I’d love to hear what you’re thinking! Let me know your thoughts about the report in the message collum to your right.
Till next time,
Thalia