Working method

Pursuant to international guidelines and agreements, Dutch companies are obliged to prevent risks within their production chain.

These include agreements such as the UN’s Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, and the ILO’s Core Labour Standards. The OECD Guidelines oblige companies to investigate to what extent they are involved in abuses in the area of human rights, the environment, or animal welfare. This is referred to as due diligence.

The companies that have signed the Responsible Gold Agreement are investigating their production chain. Where does their gold come from? Under what conditions is it mined or recycled? The jewellers and goldsmiths will discuss this with their suppliers.

Production chains often lack transparency. It is not always easy to trace the origin of the gold. The NGOs and trade unions that have signed the Agreement can help to retrieve information. Cooperation pursuant to the Agreement therefore offers added value for companies. Identified abuses are addressed and reported to fellow organisations. Due diligence takes place on an ongoing basis.