Our Approach to Responsible Jewelry

The jewelry industry faces significant environmental and social challenges. Many companies are now working on more sustainable solutions throughout their supply chains.

At Maren Jewellery, we are also committed to integrating sustainability aspects into our actions as comprehensively as possible. Because it is no secret how problematic the extraction and trade of precious metals such as gold and silver or diamonds are. Environmental organizations have been pointing out the ecological and social consequences of gold mining for years. (10) As a result, both social and environmental sustainability can fall by the wayside in conventional jewelry labels and their jewelry designs, and raw material extraction has far-reaching consequences for people and nature.

At Maren Jewellery, we want to do things differently. Because we put an incredible amount of passion, love, and attention to detail into jewelry design and craftsmanship that we believe it deserves conscious and responsible consideration throughout the entire value chain. After all, for many people, jewelry is a lifelong companion with great emotional value.

That is why one thing was clear to us from the very beginning: at Maren Jewellery, jewelry design and sustainability must go hand in hand. We want to consider sustainability aspects across as many areas of our value chain as possible, because we love nature in all its facets. That is why we want to create sustainable jewelry pieces whose aesthetic standards are combined with a responsible use of resources. That sounds incredibly beautiful and promising at first, but what does it actually mean in concrete terms? You can read here how we have defined our approach and put it into practice day by day as a sustainable jewelry label.

As a jewelry label focused on responsible materials, transparent supply chains, and social responsibility, our values come first. To make these values tangible and clearly defined both for us and for you as a consumer, we launched our We Mind Initiative alongside the founding of Maren Jewellery.

Sustainable, Responsible and Mindful represent the three core values of our sustainability initiative. Each core value is in turn divided into five additional requirements that we have set for ourselves in our jewelry design and business practices. Under Sustainable we bring together the standards for our materials and their reusability. Responsible summarizes our personal standards for our production and our partners. And under Mindful we understand the mindful treatment of ourselves, nature, and other living beings.

Here you can find the details on all the content and components of our WeMind Initiative.

Our WeMind Initiative is registered as a project of the United Nations Fashion and Lifestyle Network on the United Nations SDG Actions Platform. It is guided by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and our commitment to promoting sustainability throughout the entire value chain. (12)

Our vision is to make a positive contribution to a more responsible jewelry industry. To move a small step closer to this goal every day, we have consciously joined forces with other partners who care deeply about sustainable jewelry design. We believe that the more people come together around a shared set of values, the more we can achieve as a group.

We are incredibly proud to be the first German jewelry label to be part of  the B Corp movement . B Corp is a globally recognized award and certification for companies that operate sustainably, mindfully, and responsibly. The certification assesses companies in the areas of corporate governance, environment, employees, customers, and social impact, and is awarded by the independent organization B Lab. (1)

The requirements align 1 to 1 with the values of Maren Jewellery, and we are absolutely delighted that our efforts and business concept have withstood B Lab’s rigorous assessment. The certification confirms that Maren Jewellery meets the requirements of the B Corp standard.

If you are interested in more details, you will find them  in our journal article about B Corp certification .

We are also certified by the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC). The RJC defines international standards for responsible business practices throughout the jewelry and watch supply chain. (7)

In addition, we were awarded the highest rating, “Great,” by the independent sustainability platform GOOD ON YOU . The rating takes into account areas including the environment, social responsibility, and corporate governance, and is one of the best-known sustainability ratings for fashion and lifestyle brands.

Business activity causes CO₂, and naturally this also applies to the production of jewelry. Nevertheless, there are enormous differences. According to the Maren Jewellery Sustainability Report 2025, the production of a Maren Jewellery piece causes an average of 0.4 kg CO₂. We transparently publish the full calculation methodology as well as the underlying assumptions in our Sustainability Report. Comparable conventional pieces of jewelry cause an average of 29.27 kg CO₂ per piece. That corresponds to around 73 times less CO₂ than conventional jewelry. The calculations are based on the material and production data published in the Sustainability Report as well as on scientific benchmark values for conventional jewelry materials. (4)(9)(11)

Most CO₂ emissions are generated during raw material extraction. Studies show that material extraction accounts for the largest share of emissions in jewelry production. (9) That is why we use recycled gold from our supplier C.Hafner, whose gold refining process is certified as CO₂-neutral according to supplier information, as well as lab-grown diamonds with a lower carbon footprint than many conventionally mined diamonds. (4)(11)

We are already taking action on other levers as well. These include, for example, the use of green electricity, avoiding air travel, and keeping transport routes as short as possible.

This means our CO₂ footprint is already significantly lower than that of many conventional pieces of jewelry. What we are currently still unable to avoid, we also try to offset. That is why we work with Chooose, a platform for certified climate protection projects. With every piece of jewelry sold, we support projects amounting to 100 kg CO₂. According to the Maren Jewellery Sustainability Report 2025, our company caused a total of 1.04 tonnes of CO₂ in 2024 and supported climate protection projects totaling 23.6 tonnes of CO₂.

For us, sustainable jewelry design means that our products are part of a circular economy and that we actively strengthen it. This is an economic model. The aim of the circular economy is to keep products and materials in use for as long as possible and to reduce resource consumption and waste. (2)

As a sustainable jewelry label, we therefore use only recycled precious metals and lab-grown diamonds, use recyclable packaging, produce only to order, and ensure that all Maren Jewellery pieces can be melted down again and turned into new jewelry. Implementing a circular economy continues to pose challenges for the jewelry industry.

For you and for us, we decided to create a sustainability report. In it, we publish, among other things, fully transparent key figures on emissions, materials, supply chains, production sites, and our sustainability goals.

The report helps us gain a precise picture of our status quo and define future goals clearly. Our report gives you detailed insight into our values, goals, and results.

With 3% of our annual profit, we support the Earthbeat Foundation. With the Earthbeat Foundation, we have found another important partner in the effort to bring more sustainability to the jewelry industry. The Earthbeat Foundation is committed to a more responsible approach to gold and greater transparency along the supply chain. (8)

Even though we have used only recycled gold from the very beginning, supporting the initiative and helping drive change forward is a cause close to our hearts.

The fact that we are very careful when choosing our materials and that all our decisions are made consciously is probably evident from the previous text. In the following, we would like to show you exactly which materials we use to ensure that sustainability and jewelry design are compatible.

For our gold jewelry we use only recycled gold from urban mining. Hardly any raw material can be recycled as effectively as gold: it can be melted down again and again without any loss of quality and permanently kept in the material cycle. (3) There is no loss when remelting the precious metal. By recycling gold that already exists — urban mining — no additional raw materials are extracted, and resources are kept in circulation. From our perspective, recycled gold is a particularly resource-friendly alternative to newly mined gold. Studies also show that recycled gold can cause significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to newly mined gold. (4)(11) Here you can find more details about our urban mining gold extraction process.

Sustainable jewelry design also means responsibility when it comes to diamonds: the production of our jewelry must not come at the expense of our planet. However, a conflict-free origin of diamonds is often difficult to trace and verify. International guidelines therefore recommend comprehensive due diligence throughout mineral supply chains. (6) In addition to ecological aspects, this is one of the main reasons why we, as a sustainable jewelry label, chose lab-grown diamonds from the very beginning. In terms of appearance and uniqueness, synthetic diamonds are in no way different from natural diamonds and, in our view, offer a more traceable alternative to many conventionally mined diamonds. Our suppliers enable traceability of the diamonds back to their origin and work with the SCS-007 Jewelry Sustainability Standard. (5) Learn more about the topic and our suppliers in our Journal article about synthetic diamonds.

Designing the entire design process sustainably is of great importance to us. For us as a jewelry label, sustainable jewelry design therefore does not end with the finished piece of jewelry. The packaging and packaging materials should also meet our high standards. The linen for our Linen Case, the cardboard for our Paper Case, our paper insert, the filling material, the shipping stickers, and even the printing ink on our gift wrap come from sustainable partners who care just as much about our nature as we do. This way, you can be sure that your new piece of jewelry will arrive with as little environmental impact as possible. You can find all of our packaging partners here.

Even if we are proud and convinced that we are already taking some important steps towards the compatibility of sustainability and jewelery design, we are not perfect either. We are far from the end of this exciting and at the same time challenging journey and as a sustainable jewelery label we want to continue to improve, learn and do our part for a more sustainable world.

(1) B Lab, "B Corp Certification" [Online]. Available: https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/certification/. Accessed on 2026.06.19

(2) European Commission, "Circular Economy" [Online]. Available: https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/circular-economy_en. Accessed on 2026.06.19

(3) World Gold Council, "Recycling Gold" [Online]. Available: https://www.gold.org/about-gold/gold-supply/recycling-gold. Accessed on 2026.06.19

(4) Fritz, B.; Aichele, C.; Schmidt, M., "Environmental Impact of High-Value Gold Scrap Recycling", The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 2020. Accessed on 2026.06.19

(5) SCS Global Services, "Certified Sustainability Rated Diamonds" [Online]. Available: https://www.scsglobalservices.com/services/certified-sustainability-rated-diamonds. Accessed on 2026.06.19

(6)OECD, "OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas" [Online]. Available:https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/oecd-due-diligence-guidance-for-responsible-supply-chains-of-minerals-from-conflict-affected-and-high-risk-areas_9789264252479-en.html. Accessed on 2026.06.19

(7) Responsible Jewellery Council, "About the Responsible Jewellery Council" [Online]. Available: https://www.responsiblejewellery.com. Accessed on 2026.06.19

(8) Earthbeat Foundation, "Our Mission" [Online]. Available: https://earthbeat.foundation. Accessed on 2026.06.19

(9) Parnuwat Usapein; Chantra Tongcumpou, "Greenhouse Gas Emission in Jewelry Industry: A Case Study of Silver Flat Ring", 2016. Accessed on 2026.06.19

(10) WWF Deutschland, "Gold - anything but gleaming for the environment" [Online]. Available: https://www.wwf.de/themen-projekte/waelder/mining/gold-mining. Accessed on 2026.06.19

(11) Dr. Philipp Reisert, "What is more sustainable - gold extraction or gold recycling?" [Online]. Available: https://blog.c-hafner.de/oekologischer-fussabdruck-was-ist-nachhaltiger-goldgewinnung-oder-goldrecycling/. Accessed on 2026.06.19

(12)United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, "We Mind Initiative" [Online]. Available:https://sdgs.un.org/partnerships/we-mind-initiative. Accessed on 2026.06.19