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WASHINGTON, Feb 10 (OneWorld.net) - This Valentine's Day, some 23 percent of Americans who buy gold for their sweet will be purchasing a gift that does not compromise anyone's human rights or harm the environment.

• The Hassai-South gold mine in Sudan is three-quarters of a mile long. © f_bouf 2000 (flickr)EARTHWORKS's "No Dirty Gold" campaign will celebrate its fifth anniversary on Valentine's Day with the announcement of the 50th U.S. jewelry retailer to sign the "Golden Rules" pledge to only sell products sourced responsibly.

• Gold mining operations often pollute water sources and air, producing massive amounts of solid waste, and pose grave risks to workers, explains EARTHWORKS, noting: "Rock falls, tunnel collapses, fires, heat exhaustion, and other dangers claim the lives of over 15,000 miners every year." Miners are also more likely to develop bronchitis, tuberculosis, and lung cancer, and often have much shorter life expectancies than their neighbors who don't work in the mines.

• Mining also has a particularly negative impact on women. No Dirty Gold's Web site reports that mining operations often displace farms and other job sectors that regularly employ women, while failing to create many new employment opportunities for women. "The loss of female income can in turn exacerbate many other social problems common in mining communities," adds the site. "As many mining communities have to deal with increases in alcoholism, prostitution, drugs, and crime, the impact on family life and women is extremely negative." Moreover, the few women who are able to find jobs in mining are restricted to low-level clerical positions and are often subjected to sexual harassment, the campaign notes.

No Dirty Gold celebrates 5th anniversary by signing up 50th jewelry retailer

23% of U.S. jewelry retail market demands cleaner mining practices

From: EARTHWORKS

February 5, 2009

Washington D.C. -- Just days before its 5th anniversary on Valentine's Day, the No Dirty Gold campaign is announcing its 50th signatory to the "Golden Rules" for more responsible sourcing of precious metals.

These retailers, representing some 23% of the US jewelry market, have pledged to source metals that were produced more responsibly, meeting the human rights, social, and environmental criteria of the Golden Rules.

"In 2005, I encountered the No Dirty Gold website and was confronted by the fact that precious metals mining is arguably the most toxic and polluting practice on earth - a fact that I had sensed over the years, but had conveniently been willing to ignore," said Toby Pomeroy, the Oregon-based jewelry designer, adding, "Our job is to take action - and then inspire others to take action."

Jewelry retailers and their customers are concerned about gold mining because it remains one of the dirtiest industries in the world. The production of one gold ring generates on average, 20 tons of mine waste. Gold mining has been linked to violent conflict, has displaced people off their lands and traditional livelihoods, and poisoned waterways with toxic chemicals.

"Precious metals mining causes toxic pollution and is often tied to human rights abuses, which are unacceptable to us and our customers," explained Marc Choyt of Reflective Images, a Santa Fe, New Mexico-based jewelry designer and retailer.

Retailers are also hearing directly from their customers, who don't want their jewelry to come at the cost of human rights or a clean environment. Over 100,000 people have signed on to the No Dirty Gold campaign's consumer pledge, calling on mining companies and jewelry retailers to clean up mining practices and produce gold in more responsible ways.

"Given our desire for transparency and responsibility in sourcing our materials, it was only natural for Boucheron to sign on to the No Dirty Gold campaign," said Jean-Christophe Bédos, President and CEO of high-end French jewelry and watch retailer and manufacturer, Boucheron.

The jewelry sector's increased awareness of mining's impacts has spurred the creation of a multi-stakeholder group of retailers, mining companies, and NGOs called the Initiative for Responsible Mining (IRMA). IRMA will seek to establish best practice standards for mining operations, as well as a system to independently verify compliance with those standards.

"We are delighted that fifty of the world's leading jewelers are seeking alternatives to 'dirty' gold," said Payal Sampat of EARTHWORKS. "Now mining companies must respond to this demand, by ending destructive practices like mining in forests and dumping wastes in lakes and rivers."

The financial sector is also recognizing the risks associated with destructive mining practices. On January 30, Norway's Pension Funds disinvested in the gold mining firm Barrick, citing egregious environmental damage at the company's Porgera gold mining in Papua New Guinea. A number of other mining companies, including Freeport McMoRan and Rio Tinto, have also been dropped from Norway's holdings.

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