GLOSSARY
Definitions for words used within our documents
To download a PDF version of the glossary, click here.
Key: AM = Asessment Manual, COP = Code of Practices, COC = Chain of Custody
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
Y
A
| Word/phrase | Definition | Source of definition | Relevant document |
| A landscape | The visible features of an area of land, including physical elements such as landforms, living elements of flora and fauna, abstract elements such as lighting and weather conditions, and human elements, for example human activity or the built environment. Landscape means different things to different people. For the ecologist it may be the habitat of a certain species. For local households and communities, it may be the local forest, watershed or agricultural setting. For government agencies, it can mean an entire bioregion that crosses political boundaries and encompasses multiple watersheds, towns, villages, highways, flora, fauna, core protected areas, buffers and corridors. | COP | |
| A mining facility, or ‘mine’ | A facility, or operation that extracts RJC scope materials or minerals containing saleable quantities of RJC scope materials, from the earth. | COC | |
| A Protected Area/Protected Area Management Categories (IUCN) | Defined geographical space, recognised, dedicated and managed, through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values. The definition is expanded by six “protected area management categories” (one with a sub-division), summarised below: ia: Strict nature reserve: Strictly protected for biodiversity and also possibly geological/ geomorphological features, where human visitation, use and impacts are controlled and limited to ensure protection of the conservation values ib: Wilderness area: Usually large unmodified or slightly modified areas, retaining their natural character and influence, without permanent or significant human habitation, protected and managed to preserve their natural condition ii: National Park: Large natural or near-natural areas protecting large-scale ecological processes with characteristic species and ecosystems, which also have environmentally and culturally compatible spiritual, scientific, educational, recreational and visitor opportunities iii: Natural monument or feature: Areas set aside to protect a specific natural monument, which can be a landform, sea mount, marine cavern, geological feature such as a cave, or a living feature such as an ancient grove iv: Habitat/species management area: Areas to protect particular species or habitats, where management reflects this priority. Many will need regular, active interventions to meet the needs of particular species or habitats, but this is not a requirement of the category v: Protected landscape or seascape: Where the interaction of people and nature over time has produced a distinct character with significant ecological, biological, cultural and scenic value: and where safeguarding the integrity of this interaction is vital to protecting and sustaining the area and its associated nature conservation and other values |
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) | COP |
| Ability to Influence | A company’s ability to influence ASM will vary, depending on its economic and social context and the extent and nature of its commercial relations with ASM producers. COP auditors will take your ability to influence into account when assessing your best endeavours. | COP | |
| Ability to influence |
The capacity for a member to have an effect on people, organisation or things. (See also Seek to influence). For RJC Members, this may vary depending on the intended positive effect. For example: |
COP | |
| Ability to Influence (business partners) | A company’s ability to influence business partners will vary, depending on its economic and social context and the size and the nature of its relationship with the business at hand. For example, small businesses that represent just a small share of a supplier’s customer base will have less influence over that supplier than other larger customers. But small businesses can sometimes have a large influence, for example when buying from small suppliers. COP auditors will take your ability to influence into account when assessing your best endeavours and your compliance with this provision. | COP | |
| Ability to Influence (informal recyclers) | A company’s ability to influence informal recyclers will vary, depending on its economic and social context and the extent and nature of its commercial relations with recyclers. RJC auditors will take your ability to influence into account when assessing your best endeavours. | COP | |
| Accompanying information (linked to product packaging def) | Material that is separately available or easily detachable such as tags, labels, leaflets or point of sale material. | COC | |
| Accreditation Body | An organisation that accredits Conformity Assessment Bodies to ISO/IEC 17065, and/or other technical equivalent standard accreditation for conducting certification audits, with accreditation activities conducted in accordance with ISO/IEC 17011. | AM | |
| Active communication | Using appropriate methods and frequency for relaying information that enable the receptor to effectively understand and act on the information. | COP | |
| Adverse human rights impact | Any harmful effects on the human rights of workers, communities, consumers or other rights-holders. Adverse potential impacts (also called human rights risks) need to be addressed through prevention or mitigation; actual impacts are those that have already occurred and require remediation. impacts are any harmful effects on the human rights of workers, communities, consumers or other rights-holders. Adverse potential impacts (also called human rights risks) need to be addressed through prevention or mitigation; actual impacts are those that have already occurred and require remediation. | COP | |
| Advertising | Directly or indirectly promoting the sale or use of a product. | COP | |
| Affected People or Groups | Those impacted, directly or indirectly by the Member’s business operations and include: • Individuals • Local communities • Indigenous Peoples • Rights holders • Stakeholders • Other interested parties. It may also include marginalised and vulnerable (or at risk) groups. |
COP | |
| An emergency | An abnormal occurrence that poses a threat to the safety or health of employees, contractors, visitors, customers or local communities, or that can damage assets or the environment. | COP | |
| An Estate | Refers to assets owned by an individual or a family. | COC | |
| Annual Relevant Sales | Sales that consist of materials currently within scope of the RJC Code of Practices (COP). | Application form | |
| APELL | Awareness and Preparedness for Emergencies at Local Level | Application form | |
| Applicable Law | The relevant international, supranational, national, state and/or local laws where a member operates and for their activities undertaken. | COP | |
| Applicant Company | The company formally applying to join the RJC. | Application form | |
| Applicant Conformity Assessment Body (CAB) | A Conformity Assessment Body applying for RJC Accreditation for the firm and/or individual auditors. | AM | |
| Appraisal report | A report that includes a documented opinion of the monetary value of a jewellery item or gemstone. The opinion is based on many factors, including the identity, composition, qualities, the economic conditions of the trade area where the stone is sold, and, in the case of coloured gemstones, geographical place of origin. | Labs taskforce | COP |
| Appraising | Generation of an opinion of monetary value based on the identity, composition and qualities of a jewellery item or gemstone and a knowledge of the trading area where the stone is being sold. | Labs taskforce | COP |
| Apprentices | Workers who are doing vocational training in the workplace for a fixed period. The fundamental aim of an apprenticeship is to learn a trade or acquire a skill. Apprentices do not participate fully in the production process of the unit because they work under an apprentice’s contract that stipulates this, or because the fact that they are undertaking vocational training impinges significantly on their productivity. | Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Glossary of Statistical Terms (2004) | COP |
| APSCA | Association of Professional Social Compliance Auditors | Accreditation criteria (new) | AM |
| Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) | Formal or informal operations by individuals, groups, families or cooperatives that can involve up to hundreds of thousands of miners. ASM usually uses little capital and a lot of labour and is carried out with minimal or no mechanisation (although it can involve small and fully mechanised operations). The exact definition of ‘artisanal’ and ‘small’ mining may be stated by national legislation and categorised according to, for instance, a mining organisation’s volume of production of ore or mineral, the size of its concession or the level of mechanisation. | OECD, OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas, Third Edition (2016) | COP |
| Associated facilities | Facilities that are not funded as part of the project and that would not have been constructed or expanded if the project did not exist and without which the project would not be viable. Associated facilities may include railways, roads, captive power plants or transmission lines, pipelines, utilities, warehouses, and logistics terminals. | Adapted from IFC performance Standard 1 Assessment and Management of Environmental and Social Risks and Impacts | COP |
| Audit programme manager | Personnel allocated by the CAB who manages the RJC scheme, conducts technical review of audit reports and acts as the main point of contact between the CAB and the RJC. | AM | |
| Audit Team | One or more RJC Accredited Individual Auditors conducting an RJC Audit, supported if needed by one or more Topic Experts. | AM | |
| Audited financial statements | Financial statements that a financial auditor has reviewed and found to be presented fairly and, in all material respects, in line with the applicable financial reporting framework. The financial auditor of these financial statements is required to: • get an understanding of the entity’s internal control and assess fraud risk; • corroborate the disclosures in the financial statements with evidence; and • submit a written opinion on whether the statements are fairly presented and adhere to the applicable financial reporting framework. |
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) | COP |
B
| Word/phrase | Definition | Source of definition | Relevant document |
| Beneficial owner | Person(s) who owns or controls a counterparty and/or the person on whose behalf a transaction is being done. It also incorporates those persons who exercise ultimate effective control over a legal person or arrangement. | Financial Action Task Force (FATF), FATF Guidance on the Risk-Based Approach for Dealers in Precious Metals and Stones (2008) also World Bank, Reference Guide to Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism (2006) | COP |
| Best endeavours | Acting honestly, reasonably and with a positive effort to perform the relevant obligation. | COP | |
| Biodiversity | Biodiversity is the variability among living organisms from all sources including, among others, terrestrial, marine and aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems. Biodiversity encompasses all living things, from human beings to micro-organisms and the habitats in which they live. It also includes the genetic material within individual species. | Biodiversity A to Z | COP |
| Bonded labour | Labour that happens when a worker pledges their labour (or that of their family members) as security to repay a loan or wage advance from an employer or labour recruiter, where the terms of repayment are not clear and the loan provider does not intend to ever declare the loan repaid. Bonded labour can trap workers in debt to a particular employer for years, sometimes even passing from generation to generation. Also known as debt bondage. See Forced labour definition. | COP | |
| Bribery | Offering, promising, giving, accepting or soliciting of an advantage as an inducement for an action which is illegal, unethical or a breach of trust. Inducements can take the form of gifts, loans, fees, rewards or other advantages (taxes, services, donations, favours etc.). | Adapted from Transparency International Anti-Corruption Glossary | COP |
| Bullion | Bullion is gold, silver or PGM in the form of coins, ingots or bars. | COC | |
| Bullion banks | Bullion banks work as a wholesale suppliers, dealing in large quantities of refined gold or silver. | COC | |
| Business confidentiality | The process and act of keeping certain member-related confidential information private and away from public knowledge. Confidential information may includes any nonpublic information that could be harmful to a company or give competitors an advantage. • For COP 7.2: Business confidentiality and other competitive or security concerns means, without prejudice to subsequent evolving interpretation: price information; supplier identities and relationships (however the identity of the refiner and the local exporter located in red flag locations should always be disclosed except in cases of disengagement); transportation routes; and the identity of information sources and whistle-blowers located in conflict-affected and high-risk areas, where revealing the identity of such sources would threaten their safety. All information will be disclosed to any institutionalised mechanism, regional or global, once in place with the mandate to collect and process information on minerals from conflict-affected and high-risk areas. • For COP 14: Business confidentiality cannot be used by members as an excuse to not disclose information and evidence about claims that is not harmful to a company or give competitors an advantage. | OECD gold supplement | COP |
| Business partner | An organisation, business or other type of entity with which an RJC member has a direct business relationship. This relationship can involve a contractual agreement to buy or sell any product or service related to the materials in scope of the COP. Business partners include all contractors, agents, customers, suppliers, local and international intermediaries or traders, and joint venture partners. They also include service providers such as security services and recruitment agencies, or any other third parties subject to your due diligence through COP requirements or applicable law. Business partners do not include end consumers buying products for personal use. See definition of a Significant Business Partner. | COP | |
| Business relationship | Broadly encompasses relationships with business partners, entities in its value chain and any other state or non-state entity directly linked to its business operations, products or services. This includes entities in its supply chains beyond the first tier and both direct and indirect business relationships. | COP |
C
| Word/phrase | Definition | Source of definition | Relevant document |
| CAB Audit Support Personnel | Non-auditing personnel affiliated to an RJC Accredited CAB, such as the RJC audit programme manager, managing audit engagements, RJC contact, liaison, or other administrative activities to support RJC Audits. | AM | |
| Calibration (of personnel) | The process of ensuring a person’s perception or actual performance corresponds with the expected performance. For auditors and other personnel such as RJC assurance personnel, this involves the exchange knowledge and learning from each other to achieve more consistent interpretation of the RJC standards. | AM | |
| Certification scope | Refers to the extent of a member’s business (process(es), service(s), or product(s) to which the relevant RJC standard(s) apply and for which the certification is granted based on compliance evaluation. See RJC Audit and RJC Certification definitions. | ||
| Certified member | A member of the RJC who has been audited and certified against an RJC Standard(s). At a minimum, a member must be certified against the RJC COP standard and the RJC LGMS Standard (if relevant). | COC, COP | |
| Child | Anyone under the age of 18, as defined by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. | ILO, C182—Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (1999) | COP |
| Child labour | Work done by children that deprives them of their childhood, potential and dignity, and that is harmful to their social, physical and mental development. In particular, it refers to work that: • is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful to children; • deprives them of the opportunity to attend school; • obliges them to leave school prematurely; or • requires them to attempt to combine school attendance with excessively long and heavy work. | ILO, What Is Child Labour | COP |
| Circular economy | A system that is restorative or regenerative by intention and design. It replaces the end-of-life concept with restoration, shifts towards the use of renewable energy, eliminates the use of toxic chemicals, which impair reuse and return to the biosphere, and aims for the elimination of waste through the superior design of materials, products, systems and business models. | World Economic Forum | COP |
| Claims | A statement, symbol or graphic that declares one or more aspects of a Members product, process, service or organisation in relation to the RJC Standards. Claims include statements that are made from business to business, or business to the public or end consumer about: – RJC membership – RJC certification – Provenance claims about or products containing RJC scope materials or products containing RJC scope materials – Product claims or marketing claims – Sustainability claims about the member or their products and services in relation to the scope of the RIC standards . | ISO 17033:2019 | COP |
| Client agreement | Service and conditions between a business issuing grading, research, analysis or appraisal reports, including a gemmological laboratory and a client that sets out the obligations, undertakings and duties of the business or laboratory, the relationship of the business or laboratory to the seller of a product that is the subject of the agreement, as well as any limitations on the liability of the issuer of the report in connection with the information provided in the report. | Labs taskforce | COP |
| Closure | The process undertaken when the operational stage of a mine or a mineral processing operation is ending or has ended, and the final decommissioning and rehabilitation is underway. | COP | |
| COC certification stamp | Markings—through words or symbols—applied to a product to show it is made of COC material. | COC | |
| COC materials | Material (gold, silver or PGM) with an eligible material declaration from a COC certified entity that is transferred in accordance with the RJC COC Standard. COC material may be mined, recycled, or legacied. (See Eligible material). | COC | |
| COC RJC Scope Materials | Materials covered under the scope of the COC standard, this includes gold, silver and platinum group metals (PGM). Also see COC material definition. | COC | |
| COC transfer document | A COC transfer document is issued by a COC certified entity in accordance with the RJC COC Standard, and includes all the information required to pass COC material on to another entity. This confirms the material included in the shipment has entered the chain of custody and is traceable to an eligible material declaration but does not imply any product conformity or product certification. The term transfer document encompasses both the physical document and any digital record of the required data that accompanies the transfer of material. | COC | |
| Collective bargaining | The process of negotiation between organisations of workers and their employers (or a single employer). It involves joint decision-making and so is distinct from other forms of governance such as government regulation, individual contracts or the unilateral decisions of employers. | Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI), Freedom of Association in Company Supply Chains: A Practical Guide (2013) | COP |
| Collective bargaining agreement | A legally enforceable, written contract between a company’s management and its employees, represented by a trade union or equivalent. Collective bargaining agreements must comply with applicable law. Some of the subjects of collective bargaining, as identified by the International Labour Organization (ILO) include wages, benefits and allowances, working time, annual leave, selection criteria in case of redundancy, the coverage of collective agreement and granting of trade union facilities. | COP | |
| Collective dismissals | Multiple dismissals that are a result of an economic, technical, or organisational reason; or other reasons that are not related to performance or other personal reasons. | IRMA RMS | COP |
| Coloured gemstone | A coloured gemstone forms in nature. Each variety has unique chemical, optical and physical properties. | COP | |
| Coloured gemstone analysis report | A report identifying the species and variety of a coloured gemstone. The analysis states whether the stone is natural or synthetic and provides other data to describe its shape, cut, weight, measurements, colour, transparency and major characteristics. It can also include the geographical place of origin. | Labs taskforce | COP |
| Community | A group of people that share the same geographical space or have a common interest that brings them together. Community members generally share some beliefs and values. For the purposes of this guidance, a community is any group of people that may experience positive or negative effects from an RJC member’s operations. | Adapted from ICMM community toolkit (2012) | COP |
| Community development | A way of working, underpinned by a commitment to equity, social justice, participation and empowerment, that enables people to identify common concerns and that supports them in taking action related to them. | Adapted from ICMM community toolkit (2012) | COP |
| Company | Any business entity officially registered by a “recognised government” which may be a sole trader, a partnership, a private company limited by shares [LTD], a private unlimited company [UNLTD], a limited liability partnership [LLP], a public limited company [PLC], a private company limited by guarantee or a community interest company. It includes both for-profit and not-for-profit business entities. Depending on jurisdiction, this will include LLCs, S-corps, C-corps, non-profit corporations, sole proprietorships or their equivalent. | Application Form | |
| Competent professional | A member of staff or external consultant with relevant education, knowledge, proven experience, necessary skills and training to carry out the required work. Competent professionals would be expected to follow scientifically robust methodologies that would withstand scrutiny by other professionals. Other equivalent terms used may include: competent person, qualified person, qualified professional. For independent reviews competent professionals must not be in-house staff. | COP | |
| Compliance | A state of being in accordance with established guidelines, specifications or legislation. | COP | |
| Composite coloured gemstone | A gemstone created by bonding or blending together two or more different materials. The components may be natural, synthetic or artificial. Composite gemstones can be made by fusing two or more parts together in parallel planes, or by using chemical leeching to remove extraneous materials, followed by immersion in some type of glass or filler to fill in the cracks. | COP | |
| Conflict diamonds | Rough diamonds used by rebel movements or their allies to finance conflict aimed at undermining legitimate governments, as described by the UN Security Council (UNSC) and as recognised by the UN General Assembly (through resolution A/RES/55/56). | The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme www.kimberleyprocess.com | COP |
| Conflict of interest | A circumstance in which a person or entity assumes a duty or has an obligation to more than one person or organisation, and therefore may not be able to act in the interests of either in an independent and neutral fashion. Conflicts of interest must be disclosed to the parties affected, and once disclosure is made, can be waived by the affected parties or be the basis of declining to go on with the transaction. | Labs taskforce | COP |
| Conflict-affected and high-risk areas (CAHRAs) | Areas identified by the presence of armed conflict, widespread violence (including violence generated by criminal networks) or other risks of serious and widespread harm to people. Armed conflict may take a variety of forms, such as conflict of international or non-international character, which may involve two or more states, or may consist of wars of liberation or insurgencies, civil wars, etc. High-risk areas may include areas of political instability or repression, institutional weakness, insecurity, collapse of civil infrastructure and widespread violence. Such areas are often characterised by widespread human rights abuses and violations of national or international law. A CAHRA can be a region, a country, an area within a country or an area that crosses one or more national boundaries. Operations are not necessarily complicit in conflict if they are located in a CAHRA. | OECD, OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas, Third Edition (2016) | COP |
| Conflict-free material | Conflict-free material is material that is confirmed through due diligence investigation not to have caused adverse impacts related to CAHRAs. This includes serious abuses related to human rights, conflict and labour; direct or indirect support to non-state armed groups or public and private security forces illegally controlling mines; or bribery and fraudulent misrepresentation of the origin of precious metals. | COC | |
| Conformity Assessment Body (CAB) | An independent third-party conformity assessment body who is accredited to ISO 17021 by an Accreditation. | AM | |
| Conservation values | Ecological, biological, geomorphological, geological, cultural, spiritual, scenic or amenity values, features, processes or attributes that are being conserved. | COP | |
| Consultancy | Participation in designing, implementing, operating or maintaining management systems, products or services as they relate to a Member’s RJC Certification Scope. | AM | |
| Consumer | An individual member of the general public, purchasing or using goods, property or services, for private purposes. An end-user of the finished product or organisation that purchases the finished product for the purpose of selling it to an end user without processing the product. Consumer is used in the Business-to-Consumer context. For COC eligible recycled materials, the term post-consumer is used in a broader context to include any end user of the material. See post-consumer definition. | Adapted from ISO 22458:2022 | COP, COC |
| Control (by a Member) | 1. Direct or indirect majority ownership or Control (alone or pursuant to an agreement with other entities) of 50% or more of the voting rights (or equivalent) of the Controlled business or facility or operation; and/or 2. Direct or indirect (including pursuant to an agreement with other entities) power to remove, nominate or appoint at least half of the members of the Board of the directors or management (or equivalent of the Controlled business or facility or operation); and/or 3. Day-to-day executive management of the Controlled Business or facility or operation such as by setting workplace standards and enforcing their application; or 4. Any legally recognised concept of ‘Control’ analogous to those described in (1) to (2) above in a relevant jurisdiction. Although the above defines ‘Control’ in a corporate context, the same principles will apply by analogy to other organisational arrangements, including franchisees, licensees and Control by an individual or a family, where applicable. | adapted UK Gov | COP |
| COP RJC Scope Materials | Materials covered under the scope of the COP standard, and includes diamonds, coloured gemstones (emeralds, Rubies, Sapphires), gold, silver and platinum group metals (PGM). | AM | |
| Corruption | The abuse of entrusted power for private gain. Corruption can be classified as grand, petty and political, depending on the amounts of money lost and the sector where it occurs. (Adapted from Transparency International, The Anti-Corruption Plain Language Guide, 2009) Corruption includes practices such as Bribery, Facilitation Payments, fraud, Extortion, collusion, and money laundering. Corruption can also include the offer or receipt of gifts, loans, fees, rewards, or other advantages as an inducement to do something that is dishonest, illegal, or represents a breach of trust. It can also include practices such as embezzlement, trading in influence, abuse of function, illicit enrichment, concealment, and obstructing justice. | Adapted from GRI 205: Anti-corruption 2016, p10 and (Adapted from Transparency International, The Anti-Corruption Plain Language Guide, 2009) | COP |
| Counterparty | Any supplier or customer of gold, silver, PGM, diamonds, coloured gemstones or jewellery products containing these materials with whom you do business. | Financial Action Task Force (FATF), FATF Guidance on the Risk-Based Approach for Dealers in Precious Metals and Stones (2008) | COP |
| CQI | Chartered Quality Institute | AM | |
| Critical cultural heritage | Consists of: (i) the internationally recognized heritage of communities who use, or have used within living memory the cultural heritage for long-standing cultural purposes, (ii) legally protected cultural heritage areas, including those proposed by host governments for such designation; or (iii) natural areas with cultural and/or spiritual value such as sacred groves, sacred bodies of water and waterways, sacred trees, and sacred rocks. | Adapted from IFC. 2012. Performance Standard 7. Para. 16; and Performance Standard 8, Para. 13 | COP |
| Critical habitats | Areas with high biodiversity value, including habitats of significant importance to critically endangered or endangered species or endemic or restricted-range species, as well as habitats supporting globally significant concentrations of migratory or congregatory species, highly threatened or unique ecosystems and areas associated with key evolutionary processes. | IFC, Performance Standard 6: Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Management of Living Natural Resources (2012) | COP |
| Cultural heritage | Refers to (i) tangible forms of cultural heritage, such as tangible moveable or immovable objects, property, sites, structures, or groups of structures, having archaeological (prehistoric), paleontological, historical, cultural, artistic, and religious values; (ii) unique natural features or tangible objects that embody cultural values, such as sacred groves, rocks, lakes, and waterfalls; and (iii) certain instances of intangible forms of culture that are proposed to be used for commercial purposes, such as cultural knowledge, innovations, and practices of communities embodying traditional lifestyles. | IFC’s Cultural Heritage Performance Standard. | COP |
| Customer | A person or an organisation that buys goods or services. Customer is used in the Business-to-Business context | COC | |
| Cyanide | For the purposes of the COP includes cyanide ion and hydrogen cyanide, as well as salts and complexes of cyanide with a variety of metals in solids and solutions. | International Cyanide Management Code | COP |
D
| Word/phrase | Definition | Source of definition | Relevant document |
| Debt bondage | See Bonded labour. | COP | |
| Deductions | The financial amount withheld from an employee’s earnings. Common legally required deductions include taxes, health care and social insurance. Deductions may also include lawful garnishments, where employers are required to deduct funds from employees’ wages, for example as a result of a court order to pay off a debt. | COP | |
| Diamond | A precious stone consisting of a clear and colourless crystalline form of pure carbon, the hardest naturally occurring substance. A diamond is a mineral that has been formed completely by nature without human interference during its formation. | COP | |
| Diamond grading | An activity to classify a diamond’s characteristics, in terms of cut, colour, clarity and carat weight or other unique characteristics. Diamond grading can be carried out in independent laboratories or in-house. While a diamond can be weighed accurately and given an exact carat value (for example, 1.17cts), the cut, colour and clarity of a diamond are classified and can be reported within a range. For example, an E colour diamond is one that is better than F but worse than D; similarly, a VS1 clarity is better than VS2 but worse than VVS2. Standards and methodologies for diamond grading, and information contained in grading reports or certificates, vary depending on the laboratory. | Labs taskforce | COP |
| Diamond grading report | A grading report is a report on the grading of a diamond’s physical characteristics (including treatments to alter the appearance of the diamond) expressed using the laboratory’s grading system, usually in terms of cut, colour, clarity, and carat weight. If an opinion on monetary value is included in a diamond grading report, it is also considered to be an appraisal report. | Labs taskforce | COP |
| Diamond grading system | A procedural mechanism and process for the performance, conduct, execution and declaration of assigned quality designations, or grades pertaining to a product examined by a gemmological laboratory. A grading system is communicated as a relative scale based on the evaluation of gemmological quality via the comparison of similar, or like properties across the range for a given material. The grading system should be disclosed and explained on the report or on a readily available resource like a webpage if there is limited room on the report. | Labs taskforce | COP |
| Diamond simulant | A product that imitates the appearance of a diamond but does not have the same physical and chemical properties. | COP | |
| Disciplinary procedure | A set way for dealing with disciplinary issues. They make sure that a company’s standards of conduct and performance at work are followed. They also provide a fair and humane method of dealing with workers who fail to meet these standards. | COP | |
| Disclaimer of Liability | A clause in a report or client agreement that limits the responsibility for opinions rendered by the issuer. Such disclaimers can also specify limitations of damages the issuer will be obligated to provide in the case of a dispute. | Labs taskforce | COP |
| Disclosures | In the context of gemmological reports, disclosures are information included in a grading report made in an easily accessible and conspicuous manner to explain in plain language all treatments, and the conditions under which products examined were evaluated, the purpose for which the report has been generated, the limits on the liability of the issuer of the report, and any other relevant information (including information regarding potential or actual conflict of interest (or lack thereof). | Labs taskforce | COP |
| Discrimination | Where people are treated differently, or given unequal opportunities, because of their race, ethnicity, caste, national origin, religion, disability, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation, union membership, political affiliation, marital or pregnancy status, physical appearance, HIV status, age or any other personal characteristic. Discrimination can be direct or indirect, and it does not have to be intentional. Practices that appear neutral but result in unequal treatment of people with certain characteristics are considered indirect discrimination. Harassment (behaviour that creates an intimidating, hostile or humiliating working environment) is also considered discrimination when it is based on discriminatory grounds. | Better Work, Guidance Sheet 2: Discrimination (2009) | COP |
| Due diligence | Due diligence is an on-going, proactive and reactive process through which companies can ensure that they respect human rights and do not contribute to conflict. Due diligence can also help companies ensure they observe international law and comply with domestic law. | OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas | COP |
E
| Word/phrase | Definition | Source of definition | Relevant document |
| Ecosystem services | The benefits people get from ecosystems. They include provisioning services, such as food and water; regulating services, such as regulation of floods, drought, land degradation, and disease; supporting services, such as soil formation and nutrient cycling; and cultural services, such as recreational, spiritual, religious and other non-material benefits. | Biodiversity A to Z | COP |
| Effective waste management | A commitment to minimise waste, supported by suitable measures for handling, storing, transporting and disposing of different wastes. | COP | |
| Eligible Legacied (grandfathered) material | Refined gold/PGM with a verifiable date of production prior to 1 January 2012. Refined silver with a verifiable date of production prior to 1 January 2018. (Also known as eligible grandfathered material) | COC | |
| Eligible material | Gold, silver or PGM that meets the COC eligibility criteria. | COC | |
| Eligible material declaration | Declarations that show the recipient that the material in question meets the eligibility criteria of the RJC COC Standard. They initiate a COC and are made in a COC transfer document. | COC | |
| Eligible mined material | Conflict-free material produced through responsible mining practices, as defined in the COC Standard. | COC | |
| Employee | An employee is an individual who has entered into, or works under, a contract of employment, service or apprenticeship. This includes permanent, temporary, full-time, part-time, casual, homework and seasonal employees at any level. Under the COP, employees include both directly employed workers and indirectly employed workers who regularly work at members’ sites: • Directly employed workers have employment contracts with the RJC member. The RJC member is responsible for paying taxes and social security contributions, and the contractual relationship is subject to national legislation. • Indirectly employed workers have employment contracts with a third party, such as a labour agent, labour provider or a subcontractor. Examples include subcontracted personnel such as security guards, housekeeping and canteen staff, as well as temporary or seasonal workers. |
COP | |
| Employment relationships | The legal link between employers and employees that exist when a person performs work or provides services under certain conditions in return for remuneration. | COP | |
| Enhanced Know Your Counterparty (KYC) | A more comprehensive analysis of the counterparty beyond the usual KYC to obtain information about the counterparty to achieve a higher level of confidence. See Know Your Counterparty (KYC) definition. | COC, COP | |
| Entity | A business or similar which operates one or more facilities where there is ownership or control of that entity by the member. • For the COC Standard, an entity is that part of the member’s business responsible for implementing the COC Stadards. • For certification, an entity can constitute part or whole of the member. |
Application form, AM, COC | |
| Environment | The environment is the surroundings in which a company’s facility operates, including air, water, land, natural resources, flora, fauna, habitats, ecosystems, biodiversity, humans (including human artefacts, culturally significant sites and social aspects) and their interrelationships. The environment in this context extends from within a company’s area of operation to the global system. | US Environmental Protection Agency Region 7, Safety, Health, and Environmental Management System Terms and Definitions (2016) | COP |
| Environmental management | Environmental management is the process of regulating and administering environment-related risks and issues. It may involve directly managing the environment itself, but is more often about controlling the organisation’s activities, products and services that interact with the natural environment to minimise adverse impacts and, where possible, have a positive impact. | COP | |
| ESIA | Environmental and social impact assessment | COP | |
| Expropriation | Expropriation is the action by the state or an authority of taking property from its owner for public use or benefit. | COP |
F
| Word/phrase | Definition | Source of definition | Relevant document |
| Facilitation Payment | A small bribe, also called a ‘facilitating’, ‘speed’ or ‘grease’ payment; made to secure or expedite the performance of a routine or necessary action to which the payer has legal or other entitlement. | Adapted from Transparency International Anti-Corruption Glossary | COP |
| Facility | A facility is a site or premises that is: • Owned by a member or under a member’s control; and • Actively contributes to the precious metals, diamonds and coloured gemstones jewellery and watch supply chain. |
Application form | |
| Financing of terrorism | Any kind of financial support to those who attempt to encourage, plan or engage in terrorism. The meaning of terrorism is not universally accepted due to significant political, religious and national implications that differ from country to country. | COP | |
| Financing of terrorism | Any kind of financial support to those who encourage, plan or engage in terrorism. | AM | |
| Finished jewellery products | Finished jewellery products include any jewellery that is in its final form and sold to consumers for use. They include, but are not limited to, bracelets, rings, necklaces, earrings and watches, and they can be made of many components. | COC | |
| Fit for work | Being physically, mentally, and emotionally able to perform job duties safely and competently, and in a manner that does not compromise or threaten the safety of themselves or others. | COP | |
| Forced eviction | The permanent or temporary removal against their will of individuals, families and/or communities from the homes and/or land which they occupy, without the provision of, and access to, appropriate forms of legal or other protection. | United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. 1997. Basic Principles and Guidelines on Development-Based Evictions and Displacement. | COP |
| Forced labour | Forced labour includes any work or service that is exacted from someone under the menace of a penalty, and which the person has not voluntarily agreed to do. There are four key types of forced labour: • Bonded labour, also known as debt bondage, happens when a worker pledges their labour (or that of their family members) as security to repay a loan or wage advance from an employer or labour recruiter, where the terms of repayment are not clear and the loan provider does not intend to ever declare the loan repaid. Bonded labour can trap workers in debt to an employer for years, sometimes even passing from generation to generation. • Indentured labour happens when a third party, often a parent or guardian, offers a worker in exchange for money. Indentured labourers are forced to work for either a fixed time, or until the proprietors decide they have received fair value. • Human trafficking involves recruiting, harbouring or transporting people into a situation of exploitation using violence, coercion or deception and forced to work against their will. People can be trafficked for many reasons, including forced labour. • Prison labour is involuntary work done by prisoners who have not been convicted in a court of law and whose work is not supervised by a public authority. It also includes involuntary work done by a prisoner for the benefit of a private undertaking. |
International Labour Organization (ILO), C029—Forced Labour Convention (1930) | COP |
| Free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) | There is no universally accepted definition of free, prior and informed consent (FPIC). Within the COP, FPIC refers to a set of mutual engagement processes between RJC members and indigenous peoples that are culturally appropriate, are established through good faith negotiation and go beyond consultation to include clear agreement by affected indigenous peoples. FPIC does not necessarily require unanimity and may be achieved even when individuals or groups within the community explicitly disagree. Through these processes, indigenous peoples are: • able to freely make decisions without coercion, intimidation or manipulation; • given enough time to be involved in project decision-making before key decisions are made and impacts occur; and • fully informed about the project and its potential impacts and benefits. |
COP | |
| Freedom of association | The right of all workers and employers without exception to establish and join organisations of their own choosing without prior authorisation and without interference from government or from one another. | Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI), Freedom of Association in Company Supply Chains: A Practical Guide (2013) | COP |
G
| Word/phrase | Definition | Relevant document |
| Gemmological report | A published account of the observations, analysis, measurements, research, evaluation, or other information (including treatments to alter the appearance of the gemstone) pertaining to the gemstones, diamonds, jewellery or other items observed for the purpose of communicating expert and independent opinion, data, or analysis. The report includes appropriate and necessary disclosures and disclaimers. | COP |
| Gender-based violence and harassment | Violence and harassment directed at persons because of their sex or gender, or affecting persons of a particular sex or gender disproportionately, and includes sexual harassment. ( ILO 190(b)). | COP |
| Geographic scope (by country) | Country or countries in which an RJC Accredited CAB and/or ASI Accredited | AM |
| Geographical place of origin report | A report that contains an opinion on the geographical origin (for example, country or region) of coloured gemstone(s). | COP |
| GISTM | Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management | COP |
| Gold | A rare yellow metallic element with the chemical symbol Au and the atomic number 79. | COP, COC |
| Good faith negotiation | A documented process (and resulting outcomes) of negotiation, in which all parties: • are willing to engage in the process and can meet at reasonable times and frequency; • use mutually acceptable procedures for negotiation; • know enough about the situation for informed negotiation; • explore key issues of importance; • are willing to change their initial position and modify offers where possible; and • are given enough time to make decisions. | COP |
| Grandfathered (Legacied) | RJC Scope Materials that meet the following conditions: • Existing stock of diamonds/coloured gemstones purchased before 23 April 2019 • Gold and PGM: Refined gold/PGM with a verifiable date of production prior to 1 January 2012. • Silver: Refined silver with a verifiable date of production prior to 1 January 2018. Note that the term “grandfathered” has been widely used by many organisations, including the OECD. However, the term carries negative connotations in some jurisdictions. It is for this reason that the RJC has decided to create and move to the term legacied, which does not have the same history. See Legacied. | COP, COC |
| Greenhouse Gas Emissions | Gases that contribute to the natural greenhouse effect. This includes the six gases listed in the Kyoto Protocol: carbon dioxide (CO2); methane (CH4); nitrous oxide (N2O); hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs); perfluorocarbons (PFCs); and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6). | COP |
| GRI | Global Reporting Initiative | COP |
| Grievance mechanism | Grievance mechanisms are formal complaint processes for individuals, workers, communities and/or civil society organisations adversely affected by business activities and operations to report their grievances for investigation and remediation as necessary. | COP |
| Group (or Group Company) | A collection of parent and subsidiary companies that function as a single economic entity through a common source of control. A Group Company also means any subsidiary or holding company or associate company of the applicant company and any subsidiary of any holding company of the applicant company | Application form |
H
| Word/phrase | Definition | Source of definition | Relevant document |
| Habitat | A terrestrial, freshwater, or marine geographical unit or airway that supports assemblages of living organisms and their interactions with the non-living environment. The place or type of site where an organism or population naturally occurs. | IFC. 2012. Performance Standard 6; Convention on Biological Diversity, Article 2 | COP |
| Harassment | Any type of unwelcome conduct from a boss, co-worker, group of co-workers, customer or vendor whose actions, communication or behaviour mocks, demeans, puts down, disparages or ridicules an employee. Physical assaults, threats and intimidation are severe forms of harassment. | COP | |
| Hazard | A source of potential harm, injury or detriment. | COP | |
| Hazardous substance | Any material that poses a threat to human health or the environment. | COP | |
| Hazardous work | Any work that puts a child’s (or young worker’s) physical or psychological well-being at risk because of the nature of the work or the conditions under which it is carried out. Based on International Labour Organization (ILO) Recommendation 190, this includes: • work that exposes children to physical, psychological or sexual abuse; • work underground, under water, at dangerous heights or in confined spaces; • work with dangerous machinery, equipment and tools, or which involves the manual handling or transport of heavy loads; • work in an unhealthy environment, for example one that exposes children to hazardous substances, agents or processes, or to temperatures, noise levels or vibrations damaging to their health; and • work under particularly difficult conditions such as long hours, night work or work that unreasonably confines children to the employer’s premises. | COP | |
| Head office assessment | An RJC-nominated third-party assessor assesses the CAB head office (the head office is identified where the top management of the CAB is located) | AM | |
| Health and safety | A diverse range of initiatives intended to protect workers from exposure to short- and long-term risks at work and to reduce workplace injuries and illnesses. | COP | |
| High risk supply chains | In the context of due diligence, this is the potential for serious human rights abuses, direct or indirect support to nonstate armed groups or public or private security forces, bribery and fraudulent misrepresentation of the origin of minerals, money laundering and non-payment of taxes and royalties due to governments. | OECD, OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas, Third Edition (2016) | COP |
| Homeworkers | Workers contracted by the company or by a third party (for example, a supplier, sub-supplier or subcontractor), but do not work on the company’s site. | COP | |
| Human rights | The universal rights and freedoms that belong to all people without discrimination. As a minimum, the RJC understands human rights to mean those rights articulated in the International Bill of Human Rights, the International Labour Organization (ILO) Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and applicable law. | UN Human Rights, What Are Human Rights? | COP |
| Human rights due diligence | The reasonable investigation undertaken by a business to identify, assess, prevent and mitigate human rights impacts in its supply chain. | UN Guiding Principles Reporting Framework, Human Rights Due Diligence | COP |
| Human trafficking | Recruiting, harbouring or transporting people into a situation of exploitation through the use of violence, coercion or deception and forced to work against their will. People can be trafficked for many reasons, including forced labour. | UN Human Rights, Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish the Trafficking in Persons Especially Women and Children (2000) | COP |
I
| Word/phrase | Definition | Source of definition | Relevant document |
| IAF | International Accreditation Forum | AM | |
| ICOCA | International Code of Conduct Association | COP | |
| IFC | International Finance Corporation | COP | |
| Illegitimate sources | Sources of material that are in violation of applicable law. They include all sources involved in, for example, illegal mining, money laundering, as well as all sources used to fund or contribute to conflict, terrorism or crime. | COP | |
| ILO | International Labour Organisation | AM, COP | |
| Imitation or artificial coloured gemstone | A product that imitates the appearance of a natural gemstone but does not have the same chemical or physical properties. | COP | |
| Impact assessment | The process of identifying, predicting, evaluating and mitigating the biophysical, social and other relevant effects of development proposals before any major decision or commitment is made. Impact assessment is used to ensure that projects, programmes and policies are economically viable, socially equitable and environmentally sustainable. | COP | |
| Indentured labour | Happens when a third party, often a parent or guardian, offers a worker in exchange for money. Indentured labourers are forced to work for either a fixed time, or until the proprietors decide they have received fair value. | COP | |
| Indigenous peoples | Considering the diversity of Indigenous Peoples, an official definition of “Indigenous” has not been adopted by any UN-system body. Instead, the UN system has developed a modern understanding of this term based on the following: • Self-identification as Indigenous Peoples at the individual level and accepted by the community as their member; • Historical continuity with pre-colonial and/or pre-settler societies; • Strong link to territories and surrounding natural resources; • Distinct social, economic or political systems; • Distinct language, culture and beliefs; • From non-dominant groups of society; • Resolve to maintain and reproduce their ancestral environments and systems as distinctive peoples and communities. | (Adapted from the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues) and IFC Performance Standard 7: Indigenous Peoples (2012) | COP |
| Individual | A single person or thing, especially when compared to the group or set to which they belong. | COP | |
| Informal recycling | The collection, aggregation and manual processing of end-of-life scrap to extract recyclable materials. Unlike the formal recycling sector, informal recycling is largely unmechanised and instead relies on manual, labour-intensive techniques. | COP | |
| Intangible cultural heritage | Refers to cultural resources, knowledge, innovations and/or practices of local communities embodying traditional lifestyles. | IFC’s Cultural Heritage Performance Standard. | COP |
| Interested party / parties | Person or organisations that cab affect or be affected by or perceive itself to be affected by a decision or activity. | ISO 14001 | COP |
| Internationally recognised | Something that is well-known or renowned in more than one country. It can refer to a high level of achievement in a field, or to a standard or an accreditation or degree that is valid worldwide. | COP | |
| Investment product | Materials used for the purposes of investment, sourced outside of the supply chain, such as gold or silver from bullion banks or investment bars and coins from private investors. | COC | |
| Involuntary resettlement | Situations when affected people or communities do not have the right to refuse land acquisition or restrictions on land use that result in physical or economic displacement. This happens in cases of lawful expropriation or temporary or permanent restrictions on land use. It can also happen during negotiated settlements if negotiations fail. | International Finance Corporation (IFC), Performance Standard 5: Land Acquisition and Involuntary Resettlement (2012) | COP |
| IRCA | International Register of Certificated Auditors | AM | |
| ISO | International Organisation for Standardisation | AM |
J
| Word/phrase | Definition | Source of definition | Relevant document |
| Jewellery components | Physically integral parts with defined characteristics that can be separated from a larger jewellery product. Components can be assembled into both finished and semi-finished jewellery products. | COC | |
| Jewellery products | Semi-finished or finished jewellery, or components. | COC |
K
| Word/phrase | Definition | Source of definition | Relevant document |
| Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) | Sites contributing significantly to the global persistence of biodiversity. They represent the world’s most important sites for biodiversity conservation and are identified nationally using standard criteria and thresholds set by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). KBAs typically include areas of critical habitat (see below). | COP | |
| The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS | A binding joint government, international diamond industry and civil society initiative to stem the flow of conflict diamonds. | Kimberley Process Certification Scheme | COP |
| Know Your Counterparty (KYC) principles | Principles established to combat money laundering and finance of terrorism, require businesses to identify every organisation that they deal with, to understand the legitimacy of their business relationships and, within reason, to identify and react to unusual or suspicious transaction patterns. | COP |
L
| Word/phrase | Definition | Source of definition | Relevant document |
| Landscape level planning | Planning, whether done to guide conservation, sustainable land use or development, that sets out to tackle issues that are not tractable at the very local scale by taking a multi-stakeholder perspective at a wider, landscape scale. It encompasses a diverse range of practices that seek to link local community-based action to the broader landscape or ecosystem, taking into consideration national and regional perspectives. | COP | |
| Large Scale Mining (LSM) | The activity of large companies as well as to mid-tier and junior-level companies or to any formal company that complies with international performance standards. LSM usually includes significant amounts of investment and a high-level of mechanisation. | Adapted from World Bank | COC |
| Lead Auditor | A qualified person responsible for the overall conduct of an RJC Audit and who can lead an Audit Team. A lead auditor is responsible for the efficient and effective conduct and completion of a certification audit for a member and may coordinate a team of auditors. | AM | |
| Legacied (grandfathered) | RJC Scope Materials that meet the following conditions: • Existing stock of diamonds/coloured gemstones purchased before 23 April 2019 • Gold and PGM: Refined gold/PGM with a verifiable date of production prior to 1 January 2012. • Silver: Refined silver with a verifiable date of production prior to 1 January 2018. | COP, COC | |
| Legacy (impacts) | Significant impacts which historically occurred at the Facility that have not been remediated and are still impacting Affected People or Groups. These may be impacts that occurred: • prior to RJC Certification, and/or • prior to the current owner purchasing the facility or operation, and/or • in the establishment of the facility or operation. Legacy Impacts may have occurred many years prior; there is no ‘cut-off’ at which Legacy Impacts meeting the above requirements are not to be considered. | Adapted from ASI Performance Standard | COP |
| Legal Compliance (with Applicable Law) | Refers to the procedures, systems or departments within organisations that ensure all legal, operational and financial activities are in conformity with current laws, rules, norms, regulations, standards and public expectations. | Adapted from Transparency International Anti-Corruption Glossary | COP |
| Legitimate artisanal and small-scale mining | The legitimacy of artisanal and small-scale mining is a difficult concept to define because it involves a number of situation-specific factors. For the purposes of this Guidance, legitimate refers, among others, to artisanal and small-scale mining that is consistent with applicable laws. When the applicable legal framework is not enforced, or in the absence of such a framework, the assessment of the legitimacy of artisanal and small-scale mining will take into account the good faith efforts of artisanal and small-scale miners and enterprises to operate within the applicable legal framework (where it exists) as well as their engagement in opportunities for formalisation as they become available (bearing in mind that in most cases, artisanal and small-scale miners have very limited or no capacity, technical ability or sufficient financial resources to do so). In either case, Artisanal and small-scale mining, as with all mining, cannot be considered legitimate when it contributes to conflict and serious abuses associated with the extraction, transport or trade of minerals as defined in Annex II of the OECD Guidance. | OECD gold supplement | COP |
| Lifecycle | The interlinked stages of a product (or service) system, from raw material acquisition or natural resources to final disposal. | COP | |
| Light Work | Work that is not likely to harm the health or development of children, and does not prejudice their attendance at school, their participation in legitimate vocational orientation or training programmes, or their capacity to benefit from the instruction received. | COP | |
| Living wage | Remuneration received for a standard work week by a worker in a particular place sufficient to afford a decent standard of living for the worker and her or his family.” Elements of a decent standard of living include food, water, housing, education, health care, transport, clothing, and other essential needs, including provision for unexpected events. | IRMA/ISEAL | COP |
| Local community / communities | A term generally applied to any people or communities located in an operation’s or project’s geographical proximity, particularly those subject to actual or potential direct project-related risks and/or adverse impacts on their physical environment, health or livelihoods. Additionally, it often refers to a group of people or families who live in a particular locality, sometimes share a common interest (water users associations, fishers, herders, grazers, and the like), often have common cultural and historical heritage and have different degrees of cohesiveness. | (Adapted from IFC Performance Standard 1 – Assessment and Management of Environmental and Social Risks and Impacts – Guidance Note). | COP |
M
| Word/phrase | Definition | Source of definition | Relevant document |
| Major change or expansion | A significant change to an existing operation (or facility) that has occurred since a Member has joined the RJC. This would be a change that may introduce Material issues or may have a Material risk to the environment or Human Rights that was not evaluated, or that changes the situation compared to a previous Impact Assessment. | COP | |
| Management system | A set of interrelated or interacting elements of an organisation to establish policies and objectives, and processes to achieve those objectives. A management system can address a single discipline or several disciplines (e.g. quality, environment, occupational health and safety, energy, financial management). The management system elements include the organisation’s structure, roles and responsibilities, planning and operation, performance evaluation and improvement. |
ISO 14001 | COP, COC |
| Marginalised | Those subjected or at risk of being subjected to multiple discrimination due to the interplay of different personal characteristics or grounds, such as sex, gender, age, ethnicity, religion or belief, health status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, education or income, or living in various geographic localities. It can also include those treated or at risk of being treated as if they are not important or experience discrimination and exclusion (social, political and economic) because of unequal power relationships across economic, political, social and cultural dimensions. | Adapted from National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health and Adapted from European Institute for Gender Equality | COP |
| Material issues | Issues that are relevant or significant. The Materiality principle of the GRI Standards defines materiality in the context of a sustainability report as aspects that reflect the organisation’s significant economic, environmental and social impacts, or that substantively influence the assessments and decisions of stakeholders. | GRI | COP |
| Material Risk (Materiality) | A risk that is either: – Any external risk that a reasonable person would consider important or the impacts of which could translate into financial risk for the Member. – An extension of the key accounting concept of materiality of financial information to encompass ESG and other sustainability impacts (sometimes referred to as “double materiality”). |
COP | |
| Mercury | A naturally occurring element found in rocks in the earth’s crust. It is a heavy, silverywhite metal which is liquid at room temperature and evaporates easily. It exists in several forms: elemental (metallic) mercury, methylmercury and organic compounds, and inorganic mercury compounds. Mercury has been recognised as a chemical of global concern owing to its potential to travel long distances through the air, its persistence in the environment once put there by people, its ability to concentrate as it rises up the food chain and its significant negative effects on human health and the environment. Amy also be known as quicksilver. | UN Environment Programme (UNEP), Mercury General Information | COP |
| Migrant worker | A person who is to be engaged, is engaged or has been engaged in a remunerated activity in a State of which he or she is not a national. | Adapted from the UN Convention on the Rights of Migrants | COP |
| Mined material | Material produced by a mining facility (or ‘mine’) usually in the form of mineral concentrate, impure alloy or refined metal. | COC | |
| Mining (or mining operations) | Any set of activities undertaken for the purpose of extracting mineral resources, and the infrastructure required to support these activities. Mining operations may include exploration, mine construction, mining, mine closure, post-closure and related activities either as separately or in combination. | Adapted from the IRMA Responsible Minig Standard | COP |
| A mining facility, or ‘mine’ | A facility, or operation that extracts RJC scope materials or minerals containing saleable quantities of RJC scope materials, from the earth. | COC | |
| Mining by-product | Mining by-product includes gold, silver or PGM from processing residues (such as slimes) that arise from the metallurgical processing of other metals such as copper, lead, zinc or nickel. | COC | |
| Mining-related activities | Physical activities (e.g., land disturbance and clearing, road building, sampling, airborne surveys, facility construction, ore removal, ore processing, waste management, reclamation, etc.) carried out during any phase of the mine life cycle (planning, impact assessment, exploration, mine construction, mining, mine closure, post-closure). | IRMA Responsible Minig Standard | COP |
| Mineral processors | The process to extract or separate a valuable product as either a mineral concentrate or a metal (elemental or as an alloy) that is contained in a mined metal bearing ore from the waste rock (also known as gangue or tailings). Mineral processing typically includes a combination of a mineral concentrate stage followed by an extractive metallurgy stage. Mineral processing involves some or all of the follow methods: • Production of a mineral concentrate via methods such as: o comminution (particle size reduction), o sizing (separation of particle sizes by screening or classification), o concentration of minerals (using physical and surface chemical properties) o dewatering (separation of solids and liquids). • extractive metallurgy to extract metals from metal-bearing minerals via methods such as: o hydrometallurgy (the use of aqueous solutions to extract metals), o pyrometallurgy (the use of high temperature processes) o electrometallurgy (the use of some form of electrolytic cell). Mineral concentrate processing and extractive metallurgy generally changes the physical and chemical form of the mined ore. Some exceptions do exist, such as gold which may be present as free metal in the ore and which will ultimately be extracted as free metal in bullion form. |
Adapted from the IRMA draft Mineral Processing Standard | COP |
| Minimum wage | The legally required minimum amount that must be paid to workers. It is the higher of that set by the government or that contained in an applicable collective bargaining agreement. | COP | |
| Minimum working age | As defined by ILO Convention 138, the minimum working age is 15 years, or statutory school-leaving age, whichever is higher. It can vary by country. | ILO, C138—Minimum Age Convention (1973 | COP |
| Mining lifecycle | The series of phases over the course of a mining project going from exploration, feasibility studies and construction through production to mine closure, rehabilitation and post-closure. | COP | |
| Mining wastes | Wastes generated during the extraction, beneficiation and processing of ore. This can occur in mining or mineral processing operations. | COP | |
| Mitigation hierarchy | An approach to mitigation that involves prioritising options in a sequential way, starting with action to avoid impacts, followed by action to minimise them. If the negative environmental impacts are significant, it can also be appropriate to restore and, finally, offset them. | COP | |
| Money laundering | The process of disguising the financial proceeds of crime to conceal their illegal origin. | COP |
N
| Word/phrase | Definition | Source of definition | Relevant document |
| Natural Capital | Part of nature which directly or indirectly underpins value to people, including ecosystems, species, freshwater, soils, minerals, the air and oceans, as well as natural processes and functions. | UK Government – The Natural Capital Committee | COP |
| Natural resources | Materials or substances that are found in nature and used in human activities. They include coal, mineral oil, natural gas, water and forest products. | Minor amendment | COP |
| New (proposal, project, operation) | A project or operation that has been constructed or proposed for construction since a Member has joined the RJC. | COP | |
| Night | Defined as the consecutive hours between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. Under ILO Convention 33, young workers are not allowed to work at night. | COP | |
| No Net Loss and Net Gain (of biodiversity) | Targets for development projects in which the impacts on biodiversity caused by the project are balanced or outweighed by measures taken to first avoid and minimize the impacts, then to undertake on-site rehabilitation and/or restoration, and finally to offset the residual impacts (if appropriate). No net loss, in essence, refers to the point where biodiversity gains from targeted conservation activities match the losses of biodiversity due to the impacts of a specific development project, so that there is no net reduction overall in the type, amount and condition (or quality) of biodiversity over space and time. A net gain (sometimes referred to as Net Positive Impact) means that biodiversity gains exceed a specific set of losses. | COP | |
| Non COC-certified entity | An entity that has not obtained certification against the COC standard through an RJC audit. | COC | |
| Non-voluntary overtime | Any overtime work an employee does under threat of penalty, or without willing consent. It is considered an indicator of forced labour, and a violation of COP 20 Forced labour. | COP | |
| Non-discrimination | Employees are judged on the basis of their ability to do a job, without exclusion or preference on any other grounds. Distinctions based strictly on the inherent requirements of particular work are not discrimination. | COP | |
| Normal working week | The amount of non-overtime hours an employee works per week, which is limited to a maximum of 48 hours under international labour standards. National or local law can sometimes define the limit as less than 48 hours per week, and so can a collective bargaining agreement. | COP |
O
| Word/phrase | Definition | Source of definition | Relevant document |
| Occasional (work) | Work that is not part of an employee’s regularly scheduled work week. | COP | |
| OECD | Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development | COC | |
| Operations | Facilities and activities | COP | |
| Origin | For mined material: The mine, company, region or geographical location where the mine is located, whether an artisanal and small-scale mine or a medium or large-scale one. For recycled material: The point at which it re-enters the jewellery supply chain. For recycled gold, silver or PGM, this is the point at which it is returned to the refiner or other downstream intermediate processor or recycler. | OECD, OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas, Third Edition (2016) | COP |
| Other beneficial owner | Any individual, company, government or parastatal organisation or trust that own or control 20% or more of the shares in in a “company” that is part of a “group of companies”, but is not the “ultimate parent company”. | Application form | |
| Outsourcing contractor | An individual, company or other business that takes custody of material to process or manufacture it for another entity. | COC | |
| Oversight | A combined process of audit, review and decision on a CABs conformance with the RJC accreditation criteria. | AM | |
| Overtime | The number of hours an employee works beyond the normal working week. International standards set overtime limits at 60 hours per week. But different countries, local laws and collective bargaining agreements may accept different standards. | COP | |
| Owned or affiliated distribution entity | A part of a member’s broader organisation which may be included in their COP membership scope or sit outside it where management control lies with another part of the organisation. In relation to COC material, an owned or affiliated distribution entity provides only logistical or sales services, maintaining segregation and not physically changing material in their custody. | COC |
P
| Word/phrase | Definition | Source of definition | Relevant document |
| Personal protective equipment (PPE) | Protective clothing and garments (such as gloves, footwear, helmets, goggles and earplugs) designed to protect the wearer from exposure to job-related hazards. | COP | |
| Platinum group metals (PGM) | Platinum Group Metals (PGM) for the scope of the RJC standards includes rhodium, palladium and platinum | AM | |
| Policy | A statement of intentions and direction of an organisation as formally expressed by its top management. | COP | |
| Politically exposed person | Someone who is or has been entrusted with a prominent public function. Their status and influence puts many of these people in positions that can be potentially abused to commit money laundering and related predicate offences, including corruption and bribery, as well as activities related to terrorist financing. | adapted from World Bank, Reference Guide to Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism (2006) | COP |
| Post-consumer gold, silver or PGM | Gold, silver or PGM derived from post-consumer precious metal products, such as jewellery and ornaments sourced from individuals, organisations or industrial facilities in their role as end-users of a fully assembled product. This includes products which have been used or were intended to be used for their original purpose that are no longer required/desired or can no longer be used for their original purpose. | COC | |
| Pre-consumer gold, silver or PGM | Gold, silver or PGM derived from the jewellery and manufacturing process, or from semi-processed or finished items that have not entered the consumer market but are returned to a refiner or other downstream intermediate processor to begin a new life cycle | COC | |
| Premium rate of pay | Pay that is higher than the normal working week pay rate. | COP | |
| Priority Ecosystem Services | Ecosystem services that are considered priority under the following circumstances: i: Project operations are likely to result in a significant impact on the ecosystem service; the impact will result in a direct adverse impact on affected communities’ livelihood, health, safety and/or cultural heritage; and the project has direct management control or significant influence over the service; or ii: The project directly depends on the service for its primary operations; and the project has direct management control or significant influence over the service. |
COP | |
| Prison labour | Involuntary work done by prisoners who have not been convicted in a court of law and whose work is not supervised by a public authority. It also includes involuntary work done by a prisoner for the benefit of a private undertaking. | COP | |
| Private individuals | Individuals that act only for themselves: they do not represent any group, company or organisation, and they do not trade materials commercially. | COC | |
| Procedures | Step-by-step descriptions of how a job or task within a process is done; by whom and when. These may also be considered as controls. | COP | |
| Process | A set of interrelated or interacting activities which transforms inputs into outputs. | International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001 | COP |
| Product disclosure | The proper, complete and accurate disclosure of all relevant information about jewellery products, including the types of treatments used to alter the product’s appearance, and whether or not the product needs special care (either because of its physical characteristics or because of any treatments it has undergone). This information must be disclosed for diamonds, treated diamonds, synthetic diamonds and diamond simulants; coloured gemstones and synthetic, imitation, treated, artificial, reconstructed or composite coloured gemstones; and gold, silver and PGM products. | COP | |
| Product packaging | Anything containing jewellery components, jewellery products or finished jewellery products or material on which the items are mounted, and which can be removed without damage or disintegration being caused to the product. This would include boxes, pouches, bags and the like. | COC | |
| Production peaks | Defined as occurring for a 17-week period (a third of the year). This is an industry accepted norm dating back to 1996 when the Apparel Industry Partnership was established, known today as the Fair Labor Association. | COP | |
| Protected area | A geographically defined area that is legally designated or regulated and managed to achieve specific conservation objectives. Legally protected areas include for example: i. World Heritage sites or areas on any official government list (both tentative and nominated) for World Heritage Site Inscription; ii IUCN protected area management categories I-III; iii Core areas of UNESCO biosphere reserves iv Ramsar Wetlands of International Importance. |
Adapted from the European Environment Agency | COP |
| Protected areas with sustainable use of natural resources | Areas which conserve ecosystems, together with associated cultural values and traditional natural resource management systems. Generally large, mainly in a natural condition, with a proportion under sustainable natural resource management and where low-level non-industrial natural resource use compatible with nature conservation is seen as one of the main aims. | COP | |
| Provenance claim | A documented claim, made using descriptions or symbols, that relates to gold, silver, PGM, diamonds or coloured gemstones that are offered for sale (whether as stand-alone materials or set in jewellery). Provenance claims are typically made about a product’s origin, verification of source, traceability of material, certification of material or suppliers, or another mechanism to ensure responsible sourcing practices that are not covered elsewhere in the COP. | COP | |
| Publicly available | Something such as information, that is accessible without restriction, to the public. | COP |
Q
| Word/phrase | Definition | Source of definition | Relevant document |
| Quality Assurance System | Steps and systems implemented within a process that ensures conformance with a set of reference standards and includes steps to seek to prevent uncertainty or error. | Labs taskforce | COP |
| Quality control system | Steps and systems implemented within a process that includes preventative or corrective techniques and activities ensuring baseline quality requirements are fulfilled. | Labs taskforce | COP |
R
| Word/phrase | Definition | Source of definition | Relevant document |
| RBA | Responsible Business Alliance (formerly EICC) | AM | |
| Reasonable time | Time that is not manifestly unreasonable in those circumstances may be termed ‘reasonable time’. | COP | |
| Recognised government |
i. any government that is recognised by the United Nations as the legitimate government; AND Currently, the RJC Board has determined that this excludes ANY company from the following countries: Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea & Russia. |
Application | |
| Reconstructed coloured gemstone (or Reconstituted gemstone) | An imitation stone made by melting (without subsequent crystallisation) or fusing together natural materials. It is may also be known as a reconstituted gemstone. | COP | |
| Records | Evidence both digital records and physical documentation that you may use to control your processes and that provide evidence of what you have done to conform with the requirements of an RJC Standard and the movement of any COC eligible material. | COP | |
| Recyclable materials | Materials that have been previously processed or used (including end-user, post-consumer, and scrap and waste products or materials arising during process operations or manufacturing) and then returned to the supply chain to begin a new life cycle as ‘recycled material’. | COC | |
| Recycler |
A recycler is a person or company that collects, sorts, and treats waste to create useful materials that can be reused. Recycling involves turning materials that would otherwise be thrown away into new products. For the COC Standard, a recycler is an individual or entity that is not a refiner, that collects, consolidates and/or processes recyclable materials including scrap gold, silver or PGMs, prior to refining to begin a new life cycle. A recycler may undertake some intermediate processes such as sampling and assaying prior to refining. |
OECD, OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas, Third Edition (2016) | COC |
| Red flag | A warning or indicator of a potential risk. In the context of due diligence, a red flag can be a location, supplier or circumstance that triggers a need for enhanced due diligence (that is, further investigation). | OECD, OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas, Third Edition (2016) | COP |
| Rehabilitation | The restoration of the post-mined landscape or the post-mineral processing site to the intended post-operating use. | COP | |
| Relevant knowledge and experience | Expertise, skills and understanding in a nominated field or subject or geographic location pertaining to the jewellery and watch manufacturing supply chain. | AM | |
| Remuneration | Includes wages or salaries, and any other benefits in cash or in kind, paid by employers to workers. | Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Glossary of Statistical Terms (2004) | COP |
| Renewable energy | Energy collected from resources that are naturally replenished at a rate equal or faster than extracted or used. Renewable energy includes sources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves, biomass, and geothermal heat. | Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), AR6 Working Group III (2023) | COP |
| Replicable Cultural Heritage | Tangible forms of cultural heritage (see definition tangible cultural heritage) that can themselves be moved to another location or that can be replaced by a similar structure or natural features to which the cultural values can be transferred by appropriate measures. Archaeological or historical sites may be considered replicable where the particular eras and cultural values they represent are well represented by other sites and/or structures. | IFC’s Cultural Heritage Performance Standard. | COP |
| Reporting | A process for publicly communicating about an organisation’s business practices to stakeholders, such as the government, investors, business partners, employees and consumers. It is sometimes called disclosure. Reporting and disclosure can be mandatory (if it is required by law) or voluntary (if it is undertaken by choice, for example to create additional transparency). | Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), About Sustainability Reporting | COP |
| Representation | Illustrations, descriptions, expressions, words, figures, depictions or symbols shown in a way that may reasonably be regarded as relating to the jewellery product. Representations, particularly to the final consumer, must be truthful and accurate, without leaving out anything that may affect the product’s value, appearance, durability or rarity. | COP | |
| Resettlement | Includes both the physical displacement (relocation or loss of shelter) and the economic displacement (loss of assets or access to assets that leads to loss of income sources or other means of livelihood) that happens when an RJC member acquires land or places new restrictions on land use. See also Involuntary resettlement. | International Finance Corporation (IFC), Performance Standard 5: Land Acquisition and Involuntary Resettlement (2012) | COP |
| Residual impacts | Impacts that remain after on-site mitigation measures (avoidance, minimisation, restoration) have been applied. | COP | |
| Residual risk | The risk that still remains after protective measures (risk reduction) have been taken. | US Environmental Protection Agency Region 7, Safety, Health, and Environmental Management System Terms and Definitions (2016) | COP |
| Rest days | A continuous period of not less than 24 hours during which an employee is entitled to abstain from working for her employer. | COP | |
| Retailer |
A company who engages in the sale of goods, primarily to the public, both online and in store. |
COP, COC | |
| Retaliation | Any kind of negative action taken against an employee as a result of reporting a grievance. This includes any form of punishment and any action that creates a hostile, threatening or uncomfortable environment. In some jurisdictions, this may be known as ‘victimisation’. |
COP | |
| Retrenchment | The elimination of a number of work positions or the dismissal or layoff of a number of workers by an employer, generally by reason of plant closing or for cost savings. Retrenchment does not cover isolated cases of termination of employment for cause or voluntary departure. Retrenchment is often a consequence of adverse economic circumstances or as a result of a reorganisation or restructuring. | IRMA RMS and IFC. 2012. Performance Standard 2, Guidance Note GN 48. | COP |
| Reviewed financial statements | Financial statements that an accountant has reviewed and found to require no material modifications to conform with the applicable financial reporting framework. | American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) | COP |
| Rights holder | Persons and/or groups vested with collective rights (e.g., Indigenous Peoples) that have their Human Rights put at risk or impacted by a project or its associated activities. For example, individuals living in a Local Community whose only water source has been impacted by an extractive operation may be Rightsholders. Workers facing discrimination in the workplace may also be Rightsholders. | (Adapted from ASI Performance Standard | COP |
| Risk-based due diligence | The steps that companies should take to identify and address actual or potential risks in order to prevent or mitigate adverse impacts associated with their activities or sourcing decisions in the supply chain. | OECD, OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas, Third Edition (2016) | COP |
| RJC Accreditation | Recognition by the RJC of a CAB and/or an individual auditor’s competence to carry out verification assessments and evaluate conformance against an RJC standard. | AM | |
| RJC Accreditation Cycle | 5 year RJC accreditation period. | AM | |
| RJC Accreditation Scope | The extent to which an RJC Accredited CAB and/or an individual auditor can conduct RJC Audits, defined by: – RJC Standards – Geographic Scope – RJC jewellery and watch manufacturing supply chain sectors – Individual auditor status |
AM | |
| RJC Accredited CAB | An independent, third-party CAB meeting the RJC’s objective selection criteria who manage RJC audits. | AM | |
| RJC Accredited Individual Auditor | An independent, and qualified individual person belonging to a RJC Accredited CAB meeting the RJC’s objective selection criteria who performs RJC audits. | AM | |
| RJC Audit | Systematic, independent and documented process for obtaining and assessing objective evidence to determine the extent to which the requirements for RJC Certification are fulfilled by an RJC Member. See the RJC Assessment Manual for more information. | AM | |
| RJC Certification | An attestation by the RJC, based on the results of an audit by an accredited auditor, that the member has achieved the required level of conformance against the RJC Standards. | AM | |
| RJC Certification Scope | RJC Certification Scope”: means any “company” that mines, sells, manufactures or buys materials within scope of the RJC Code of Practices (COP). Currently this encompasses Diamonds, Emeralds, Gold, “PGMs”, Rubies, Sapphires, or Silver. | Application form | Application form |
| RJC Standard | An objective practice, procedure or process that is recognised as integral to the integrity of an organisation’s business and/or products and/or services. For the RJC certification system, the RJC Code of Practices and the RJC Lab Grown Materials Standard are mandatory for all members. The Chain of Custody is voluntary and compliments certification against the COP. | AM | |
| RJC Topic Specialists | A Topic Expert that has registered and acknowledged by the RJC with specific knowledge or expertise to assist RJC Members or with RJC Auditors. Note that an RJC Topic Specialist is not an auditor and cannot participate on RJC Audits for Members where they have provided consultancy services in the previous 3 years. |
AM |
S
| Word/phrase | Definition | Source of definition | Relevant document |
| SAAS | Social Accountability Accreditation Services | AM | |
| Safety data sheet (SDS) | A document giving information on the properties of hazardous chemicals and how they affect health and safety in the workplace. | Government of Western Australia, Guidance about Hazardous Substances | COP |
| Science-based approach | Action commensurate with what the latest climate science deems necessary to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement – limiting global warming to well-below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C. | COP | |
| Scope 1 emissions | Direct emissions from sources that are controlled or owned by an organisation. | Greenhouse Gas Protocol | COP |
| Scope 2 emissions | Indirect emissions from the generation of purchased or acquired energy including electricity, steam, heating and cooling. | Greenhouse Gas Protocol | COP |
| Scope 3 emissions | All indirect emissions (not included in scope 2) that occur in the value chain of the reporting company, including both upstream and downstream emissions. | Greenhouse Gas Protocol | COP |
| Scrap or Waste (COC) material | For the RJC COC Standard, this is gold, silver or PGM derived from pre or post-consumer precious metals or a mix of both, industrial products including waste electrical and electronic equipment, or industrial components such as spent catalysts and fuel cells; | COC | |
| Seek to influence | Attempt to have a positive effect on people, organisation or things. Also see Ability to influence definition. | IRMA/Ethical Trading Initiative | COP |
| Selling | Offering a product for sale, exposing it for sale or displaying it in any way that could reasonably lead someone to believe it is intended for sale. | COP | |
| Senior staff | A worker who has advanced to a certain level based on experience in their industry, as well as knowledge that they can share with others. Typically this includes strong leadership skills, with delegated authority to manage, supervise or oversee change or the implementation of assigned tasks within their area of responsibility. | COP | |
| Service company | A company that takes custody of, and provides services on, eligible and COC material, maintaining segregation on behalf of a client, and not physically changing material in their custody. Service companies include grading labs, assayers, appraisers, security and transportation companies. For the purpose of this standard this would also include organisations controlled by the state which are tasked with controlling activities in the sector, such as controlling the fineness of materials. | COP | |
| Shipments | The act of sending goods to a destination, or the goods themselves. Also see Transfers definition. |
COC | |
| Significant | Something that is noteworthy, or being sufficiently important to be worthy of attention, and usually has a defined meaning. | COP | |
| Significant Business partner | A business partner that is very important to the RJC member’s business, including all major suppliers and large customers. Members should use their own judgement to determine whether a business partner is significant or not. For example, traders that sell you coloured gemstones would be considered significant business partners unless the volume or value of material you are buying is very small. | COP | |
| Significant risk | The level of risks usually defined by a Member’s or an Auditor’s risk processes. However, it should consider situations where there is a high chance of: • Injury or illness to one or more people resulting in permanent partial impairment or disability or death • Long term irreversible impacts to the environment, sensitive species, habitat, ecosystems or areas of cultural importance affecting large numbers of the Local Community (one stakeholder group) or multiple Affected people or groups, and impacting on the Member’s ability to retain its ‘social licence to operate’. |
COP | |
| Silver | A precious shiny greyish-white transition metal element with the chemical symbol Ag and the atomic number 47. | COP, COC | |
| Source | The geographical place, person or company from which the material is obtained. The source of mined material is: • For gold, silver or PGM: the mine or country of mining origin. • For diamonds or coloured gemstones: for upstream companies and Tier 1 midstream companies, this is the mine or country of mining origin, company and/or region. For Tier 2 midstream and downstream companies, the source will be the rough exporter (first export from country of mining origin), or Tier 1 midstream company suppliers if possible, and if not, the furthest known point in the upstream supply chain. The source of recycled material is the same as its origin. |
COP | |
| SoW | System of Warranties | Application | |
| Stakeholder | Persons or groups who are directly or indirectly affected by a project and its associated facilities, as well as those who may have interests in a project and/or the ability to influence its outcome, either positively or negatively. From a Due Diligence perspective impacted Stakeholders will be the priority for engagement and may include but are not limited to: • Workers (including local and Migrant Workers) and Labour Unions • Landowners and other resource users • Artisanal miners • Governments (local, regional and national) • Civil society organisations, including environmental and Community-based organisations and local Human Rights defenders Additionally, interested Stakeholders that may be important for meaningful engagement can include: • Industry peers • Investors/shareholders • Business partners • Scientific community • The media • Ecosystems and biodiversity features (represented by advocates) |
(Derived from the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Meaningful Stakeholder Engagement in the Extractives Sector) | COP |
| Stakeholder and community engagement | A two-way process of information sharing and decision-making that aims to simultaneously address community issues and priorities (including the needs of disadvantaged and vulnerable groups), as well as the concerns and needs of the business. It is carried out in a manner that is inclusive and culturally sensitive: beyond listening, the aim of engagement is to ensure mutual understanding and responsiveness by all parties to enable them to discuss and manage matters with the potential to affect all concerned. Successful engagement requires a robust framework for regular discussion, consultation and interaction. | COP | |
| Statutory audit | An audit that is required under applicable law. | COP | |
| Supply chain risk | In the context of due diligence, this is the potential for adverse impacts which result from a company’s own activities or its relationships with suppliers and other entities in the supply chain. | OECD, OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas, Third Edition (2016) | COP |
| Sustainability or environment social and governance (ESG) report | A report is a report published by a company or organisation about the economic, environmental and social impacts caused by its everyday activities. A sustainability or ESG report also presents the organisation’s values and governance model, and demonstrates the link between its strategy and its commitment to a sustainable global economy. | Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), About Sustainability Reporting | COP |
| Synthetic coloured gemstone | A man-made gemstone with the same chemical and physical properties as its naturally occurring mined counterpart. | COP | |
| Synthetic diamond | A man-made diamond with the same physical and chemical properties as a naturally, occurring mined diamond. | COP | |
| Systems | Management processes and documented procedures that collectively provide a systematic framework for ensuring tasks are done correctly, consistently and effectively to achieve the desired outcomes and drive continual performance improvements. | COP |
T
| Word/phrase | Definition | Source of definition | Relevant document |
| Tailings | Tailings are the ground rock and effluents created when the mined ore is processed into a concentrate or final product through physical operations such as screening, crushing, grinding and concentrating, or by methods involving chemicals, heat and pressure, such as leaching. |
COP, COC | |
| Tangible cultural heritage | A unique and often non-renewable resource that possesses cultural, scientific, spiritual, or religious value and includes moveable or immovable objects, sites, structures, groups of structures, natural features, or landscapes that have archaeological, paleontological, historical, architectural, religious, aesthetic, or other cultural value. Examples of tangible cultural heritage can be found in Annex A of IFC’s Cultural Heritage Performance Standard. | IFC’s Cultural Heritage Performance Standard. | COP |
| Tentative List for World Heritage Site Inscription | The list of sites that relevant State Parties are formally considering for nomination as a World Heritage Site in the next five to ten years. | COP | |
| The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) | The global standard to promote the open and accountable management of oil, gas and mineral resources. | Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative | COP |
| The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS | A binding joint government, international diamond industry and civil society initiative to stem the flow of conflict diamonds. | Kimberley Process Certification Scheme | COP |
| Third party/parties | A person or body independent of the person or organisation being evaluated, and of material interests in that person or organisation. | Adapted from ASI Performance Standard | AM |
| Third-party assessor | A person or body independent from the RJC who conducts the oversight assessment of a CAB. | AM | |
| Threatened (and Endangered) Species | Species that meet the IUCN (2001) criteria for Vulnerable (VU), Endangered (EN) or Critically Endangered (CR), and are facing a high, very high or extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. These categories may be re-interpreted according to official national classifications (which have legal significance) and to local conditions and population densities (which should affect decisions about appropriate conservation measures). | Adapted from IUCN. 2001. IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: Version 3.1 | COP |
| Top management | A person or group of people who directs and controls an organisation at the highest level. Note 1: Top management has the power to delegate authority and provide resources within the organisation. Note 2: If the scope of the management system covers only part of an organisation, then top management refers to those who direct and control that part of the organisation. |
ISO 14001 | COP |
| Topic expert | A person who provides specific knowledge or expertise. | AM | |
| Transfers | The movement of goods between entities or trading partners. See also shipments definition. |
COC | |
| Treated coloured gemstone | A gemstone that has been altered to change its appearance or durability. Treatment may include but not limited to coating, heat treatment, diffusion treatment, laser drilling, high-pressure high-temperature processing, clarity enhancement, filling, and impregnation. | COP | |
| Treated diamond | A diamond that has undergone a process to alter its colour or clarity. Treatment may include but not limited to coating, heat treatment, diffusion treatment, laser drilling, high-pressure high-temperature processing, clarity enhancement, filling, and impregnation. | COP | |
| Treatment analysis | Analysis that determines enhancements or other steps taken to alter the appearance and/or durability of gemstones including but not limited to stone coating, heat treatment, diffusion treatment, laser drilling, high-pressure high-temperature processing, clarity enhancement, filling, and impregnation. | Labs taskforce | COP |
| Truthful | Factual data or information that has not been accidentally or deliberately distorted | Adapted from ISO 20889 | AM |
U
| Word/phrase | Definition | Source of definition | Relevant document |
| Ultimate beneficial owner | Any individual, company, government or parastatal organisation or trust that own or control shares in the “ultimate parent company”. UK law requires the identification of all ultimate beneficial owners that own or control 20% or more of the shares in the “ultimate parent company”. | Application | |
| Ultimate Beneficial Owners | A public company, private company, parastatal organisations or trusts. | Application | |
| Ultimate Parent Company” | The company that controls a group of companies. | Application | |
| UNGPs | United Nations Guiding Principles | AM |
V
| Word/phrase | Definition | Source of definition | Relevant document |
| Violence and harassment | Range of unacceptable behaviours and practices, or threats thereof, whether a single occurrence or repeated, that aim at, result in, or are likely to result in physical, psychological, sexual or economic harm, and includes gender-based violence and harassment. (from ILO 190 1(a)). This may include intimidation, corporal punishment; harsh or degrading treatment; sexual or physical harassment; mental, physical, verbal or sexual abuse; retaliation; coercion; and intimidation. |
ILO 190 | COP |
| Visitor | A person visiting an Members’s facility or operation or location under the Member’s control who is not a Worker at the facility or operation or location. | COP | |
| Vulnerable (or at risk) | Those at risk of having their rights denied or who lack the capacity or means to secure them. | HSE | COP |
| Vulnerable workers | Workers that are specific groups of people, such as women, migrants, people with disabilities, ethnic or religious groups, that exist within a larger population and that are at higher risk of being harassed, exploited or in any other way discriminated against. | COP |
W
| Word/phrase | Definition | Source of definition | Relevant document |
| Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) | End-of-life electronic and electrical equipment. It includes household appliances, IT and telecommunications equipment, and a range of other electronic and electrical consumer goods. Also known as e-waste. | COP | |
| Waste rock and overburden | Materials that are removed to access the ore. These may even contain very low grades of ore, but only at levels that cannot be processed profitably. | COP | |
| Waste rock management | Involves the removal and storage of waste rock, which may be temporary or for the long term. | COP | |
| Wastes and emissions | Solid, liquid or gaseous materials that are released, discarded or no longer needed. Wastes and emissions can cause pollution and adversely impact the environment if not properly managed. In the jewellery supply chain, the main forms of waste include hazardous substances, air and water emissions, and general operational waste. | COP | |
| Worker | Person performing work or work-related activities under the control of the organisation (member). Persons perform work or work-related activities under various arrangements, paid or unpaid, such as regularly or temporarily, intermittently or seasonally, casually or on a part-time basis. Workers include top management (also defined), managerial and non-managerial persons. Workers can include Migrant workers. The work or work-related activities performed under the control of the organisation may be performed by workers employed by the organisation, workers of external providers, contractors, individuals, agency workers, and by other persons to the extent the organisation shares control over their work or work-related activities, according to the context of the organisation. | ISO 45001 | COP |
| Workers’ organisation | A voluntary association of workers organised for occupational purposes with the aim of furthering and defending the interests of workers. | COP | |
| Working hours | The amount of time employees spend working on behalf of their employer. | ILO, C030—Hours of Work (Commerce and Offices) Convention, 1930 (No. 30) (1930) | COP |
| Workplace discipline | The means used to correct or improve job-related behaviour or performance. | COP | |
| World Heritage sites | Sites established under the World Heritage Convention of 1972. | COP | |
| Worst forms of child labour | Defined by ILO Convention 182 as: • all forms of slavery or practices similar to slavery, such as the sale and trafficking of children, debt bondage and serfdom, and forced or compulsory labour, including forced or compulsory recruitment of children for use in armed conflict; • the use, procuring or offering of a child for prostitution, for the production of pornography or for pornographic performances; • the use, procuring or offering of a child for illicit activities, in particular for the production and trafficking of drugs as defined in the relevant international treaties; and • work that is likely to harm the health, safety or morals of children. This includes hazardous work as defined above. |
ILO, C182—Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (1999) | COP |
| Witness assessment | On-site evaluation and verification of the competence and performance of an auditor by a third party who is not part of the audit team. | Accreditation criteria (new) | COP |
Y
| Word/phrase | Definition | Source of definition | Relevant document |
| Young workers | Workers under 18 but over the minimum working age. | COP |
GET INVOLVED
Share your feedback on our standards
We’re committed to constant improvement. That’s why we’ll be opening up multiple opportunities for the public, members and stakeholders to provide feedback on our standards.
