Milan: With two months to go to the opening of the 2015 CIBJO Congress in Salvador, Brazil, on May 4, 2015, the first of the CIBJO commissions’ Special Reports has been released. Prepared by the CIBJO Marketing & Education Commission, headed by Jonathan Kendall, the report urges the jewellery and gemstone industries not to fall behind other business sectors in adopting positive environmental policies.

The upcoming CIBJO Congress in Brazil will be carbon neutral, Mr. Kendall noted, likely making it the first ever major jewellery industry conference or trade show to achieve this status. He also announced the launch in Brazil of the “CIBJO Climate Leadership Awards,” which will focus on recognizing those jewellery and gemstone trade organizations, companies or individuals that show real leadership in response to climate change.

“Research has shown that consumers make choices between product categories, and today the jewellery industry’s competition comes from products such as smart phones, computers, and holidays. All these industries have made significant progress with regards to the environment. We do not wish to see our industry left behind, and on the wrong side of history,” Mr. Kendall writes.