Dirty Gold

Environmental Issues

    The detriments of gold mining are multifactoral as pollutants contaminate the environment through many vectors - by air, solid waste, water and destruction of ecosystems.  During the smeltering process when gold is melted and purified, poisonous gases and dangerous substances like lead are released into the air at an alarming rate.  This results in smog, acid rain and lead poisoning, which further damage the environment and health of the community.  Unsanitary mining practices magnify the environmental threats of gold mining as waste products are not properly disposed.  Solid waste is piled into toxic heaps or dumped into rivers, lakes and oceans.  Dumping such poisonous substances as cyanide and mercury contaminate drinking water, poison fish and deplete resources from the aquatic environments.  Additionally, a majority of mining areas overlap with conservation areas and threatened protected lands.

Community Issues

    Contrary to reports, gold mining does not benefit local people. It bolsters the income of international investors and governments, but the profits do not reach the public.  In fact, researchers have found that nations who are dependent on producing one resource, like gold, have the slowest per capita growth and highest poverty rates.  Even more significant is the negative effect that a mining boom has on local communities.  As gold mining begins in one area there is a quick influx of people, which leads to urbanization.  For many communities in mining areas this means displacement of families, change in political stability as well as a loss of local jobs in agriculture.  For women, most of the jobs they can keep are in agriculture not mining, so some of their autonomy is taken away as the gold mining industry invades, further perpetuating female hardship.

Scope

    In the gold mining industry 99% of the solid product mined is waste.  Producing one gold ring creates 20 tons of solid waste.  Furthermore, only 1% of the world's workforce are miners, but disproportionate 5% of on-the-job fatalities occur within this profession.  That is at least 15,000 mining related deaths per year.  The negative impacts of gold mining on the environment and humans are astonishing.  Even more troubling is the fact that of the reported 2,500 tons of gold mined annually, 80% is used in the jewelry industry.  However, there is enough unused mined gold that can be recycled to satisfy the demands of the gold jewelry industry for the next 50 years.  Gold mining has ravaged communities and ecosystems worldwide, but recycling gold is a simple solution to this unfortunate problem.

No Dirty Gold Campaign

    The No Dirty Gold Campaign strives to educate retailers and consumers about the social and environmental injustice of the gold mining industry.  It is also working to reform the gold mining industry by improving working conditions, tracking gold sales to verify sources and decreasing mining waste.  The specific standards of the No Dirty Gold Campaign are written in the Golden Rules, which various mining companies and jewelers have pledged to follow.  Seven of the top ten jewelry retailers in the United States are partners in the No Dirty Gold Campaign to guarantee ethical and environmentally-friendly gold mining practices.

Prospects of Clean Gold

   Gold jewelry sold in the companies dedicated to the No Dirty Gold Campaign is held to the highest standard and mined in the most environmentally sustainable manner.  Other international agencies like the World Gold Council, International Labor Organization and Global Witness are working to improve mining practices, track the money flow in the gold mining business and eventually make the gold mining industry a respectable one.  These efforts are important to protecting the environment and improving the standard of living in communities worldwide.  Although not widespread, recycling gold is the only way to ensure environmentally-friendly and ethically produced gold jewelry.  Gold can be recycled with no loss in quality and no cost to society.  Various local and online jewelers do sell recycled and clean jewelry and this will be a growing trend in the future.  These responsible jewelers have been selected to partner with SHARED in the " Shop for SHARED " program.  If you choose to make a purchase at these businesses, please bring a copy of the " Shop for SHARED " coupon to the store.