ALROSAhas become a certified member of the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) by achieving certification against its Code of Practices through meeting the highest ethical, human rights, social and environmental standards as established by the RJC.

The RJC is an international not-for-profit standards-setting and certification organization established to instill a responsible worldwide supply chain that promotes trust in the global fine jewelry and watch industry. RJC certification provides companies engaged in the diamond, gold and platinum group metals supply chain with the means to demonstrate their commitment to ethical behavior and responsible business practices. A large independent audit company has been engaged to assess ALROSA’s compliance with RJC’s Code of Practices.

It took several months for ALROSA to undergo a comprehensive sustainability audit covering social responsibility, environmental protection, and best ethical principles of business, including fight against corruption, respect for human rights, ensuring decent working conditions. As part of the audit, representatives of the auditing company visited many of ALROSA’s facilities, including its main production sites – Mirny, Aikhal and Udachny Mining and Processing Divisions, and the Company’s subsidiaries – ALROSA-Nyurba, Almazy Anabara and Severalmaz, diamond sorting centers in Mirny and Arkhangelsk.

Following the audit, ALROSA achieved RJC certification for 3 years, the maximum time period granted by the RJC.

Andrew Bone, RJC Executive Director:
“RJC warmly congratulates ALROSA on achieving Certification against 2013 Code of Practices (COP). The provisions under the 2013 COP address important issues for our members and their supply chain. We are delighted to see major diamond business influencers supporting our course for a sustainable and transparent supply chain and responsible sourcing".

Sergey Ivanov, ALROSA President:
“Once again ALROSA proved its compliance with the high standards of responsible business conduct. We are proud that our work has been highly appreciated by independent experts and in accordance with the highest industry standard, and we will continue to make efforts to be one of the leaders in social and environmental responsibility, upholding the trust in the whole of the diamond supply chain. Receiving an RJC Certificate is a positive signal not only for ALROSA, but for the industry as a whole, as it once again proves to consumers that modern diamond mining is a transparent and responsible business that sets best world practices in our great industry and goes well beyond the basic requirements of industry self-regulation”.

ALROSA attaches high value to the issues of corporate social responsibility and sustainable development. In 2016, ALROSA’s social investments, including regional development programs, corporate social programs for the employees and their family members and charity projects exceeded RUB 10 billion, and the costs of environmental activities amounted to RUB 5.5 billion.

ALROSA has been included for the first time in the FTSE4Good international rating, which is an indicator of compliance with internationally recognized standards of corporate social responsibility. The Company also has a BBB rating in the MSCI ESG rating system that assesses environment, social responsibility and corporate governance. Besides, the Company ranks third in the environmental responsibility rating of Russian mining companies, developed on the initiative of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) of Russia and the UNDP / GEF project of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Russia.

ALROSA is a member of RJC since September 2016 and was elected to the Board of directors of the organization in May 2017.

About the RJC
The Responsible Jewellery Council is an international not-for-profit standards and certification organisation. It has more than 1,000 member companies that span the jewellery supply chain from mine to retail. RJC Members commit to and are independently audited against the RJC Code of Practices – an international standard on responsible business practices for diamonds, gold and platinum group metals. The Code of Practices addresses human rights, labour rights, environmental impact, mining practices, product disclosure and many more important topics in the jewellery supply chain. RJC also works with multi-stakeholder initiatives on responsible sourcing and supply chain due diligence. The RJC’s Chain-of-Custody Certification for precious metals supports these initiatives and can be used as a tool to deliver broader Member and stakeholder benefit.

The RJC is a Full Member of the ISEAL Alliance – the global association for sustainability standards. For more information on RJC Members, Certification, and Standards please visit www.responsiblejewellery.com