Las Vegas, USA – June 09, 2022: Today, the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC), the world’s leading standards setting organisation for the global jewellery and watch industry, launched its Gender Equality Toolkit at JCK for small and medium size enterprises (SMEs). During the launch held at The Plumb Club Pavilion, the RJC also released its 2022 Annual Progress Report.
The launch of the Gender Equality toolkit further strengthens RJC’s commitment to gender equality and offers practical guidance for SMEs to incorporate gender equality at the heart of their business strategy.
The RJC Annual Progress Report outlines the success of the organisation from 1 January to 31 December 2021, and highlights how it has supported its over 1600 members throughout a challenging period for the industry.
John Hall, interim Executive Director of RJC, said, “The principle of gender empowerment is more important than ever, and it’s fantastic to see all the progress made by our members. However, women and girls continue to face discrimination. Industry has a critical role in advancing the rights of women through employment and education especially.”
- The Gender Equality Toolkit – The RJC believes all stakeholders have a shared responsibility to create more empowerment opportunities for women, as gender equality cannot be achieved when women do not have the resources needed to empower themselves. Education is a critical tool needed to embed a culture of fairness and non-discrimination in all organisations; that has prompted RJC to create a first-of-its-kind Gender Equality Toolkit. It provides practical guidance for SMEs to assist them in their journey to incorporate gender equality at the heart of their business strategies. This toolkit is not about reinventing the wheel, but creating an informative, accessible and easy-to-use tool for anyone.
- RJC’s Annual Progress Report – The RJC’s Annual Progress Report is an opportunity for the RJC to share its key achievements — including an increase of 18% in membership, despite the pandemic. It further highlights case studies and activities over the last year with its stakeholders. The report also sheds light on challenges to the jewellery and watch industry, as part of RJC’s commitment to being a transparent and accountable organisation. This year, the RJC is adopting a data-driven approach to its Annual Progress Report — through alignment with Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). Through this approach, RJC can communicate the efforts of the industry in a reliable way.
