UNCERTAINTY RULES

The lack of clear guidelines in the sustainability conversation hurts brands and consumers. Fortunately, there is a standard that could work, and it already exists…

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The inspiration for this rather conspicuous and hefty section is the WWF Watch and Jewellery Report 2018. It has been long enough since the original publication of the data and recommendations that the shock value has passed, but the import has not. Indeed, the intention of pursuing the stories in this section was to examine, with a degree of uncertainty, the claims in the report, and the implications for watchmaking. First a word about that uncertainty and our interpretation of the WWF report’s (see Part 1) findings. Transparency is the central problem hobbling the report’s conclusions, and casting aspersions on the watch and jewellery trade. The report itself mentions that a lack of transparency in the supply chains of watch and jewellery firms is hurting the trade’s sustainability credentials. This is a longstanding problem, and we agree that the industry has to get ahead of it. We will have more to say about this in a moment.

Unfortunately, a lot has happened since 2018, which will now be known to us as the Before Times. The epoch-defining COVID-19 pandemic will shape generations to come, and potentially shift the course of current ones in unexpected ways. Those who doubt it need only look to past global disruptions and take no comfort from what they find there. Sustainability is no exception, but it will take some years to examine the impact of a crisis that has not yet passed - you will be reading this issue at least a month after it was written but we are confident that COVID-19 will remain a clear and present danger.