standards development
We want our standards to include input from every corner of the industry
iseal code compliant
Our standards are a foundation for positive change and responsible supply chains that promote trust and confidence in the watch & jewellery industry
We follow the ISEAL Codes of Good Practice for all bodies that set standards to make sure we have a robust, transparent process in place.
The ISEAL Standards Setting Code defines how a standard should be developed, structured and revised. It requires multi-stakeholder consultation and decision-making, and ensures clear and auditable conditions in the standard itself. The standard-setting process also requires the inclusion of non-industry members, this enables us to improve the rigour, effectiveness and value of our standards to our members.
Our priorities are to include all the parties that might be affected by a standard in the process, and to create tools with criteria that are both strict and realistic. We conduct open formal comment periods of our standards, and operate the Standards Committee as part of our RJC Governance Framework.
how it works
Standards set the expectations that responsible businesses can commit to and be measured against
Through our standards development process our members and interested stakeholders are able to be actively involved in standard-setting. This conscious inclusion ensures RJC standards remain relevant to our industry, consumers and governments.
The RJC welcomes comments on its standard-setting procedure by email at any time. Comments will be logged and will be incorporated into the next available review process.
Accurate, transparent and consistent record-keeping are critical components of a trust in standards development. We keep our records for a minimum of 10 years. Many of our records (documents) are available online.These are the types of documents we keep:
- Standard setting procedure
- Stakeholder participation in consultation events
- Stakeholders invited to comment during public consultation periods
- Comments received during public consultation period and summary of how comments were actioned
- Drafts and final versions of RJC standard
standards in development: public consultations
Effective standards drive the adoption of sustainable business practices
Regular reviews of our standards ensures they remain fit for purpose. The RJC Code of Practices was revised in 2019, its next revision is due in 2024. The RJC Chain-of-Custody standard was revised in 2017. Its next revision was due in 2022, and is currently underway.
past (closed)
Code of Practices Standard
Chain of Custody Standard
Laboratory Grown Material Standard
standards committee
The role of the Standards Committee is to review and make recommendations on RJC standards
The committee assists in the design and content of the standards, and assesses the monitoring and evaluation programme. They can also discuss broader strategic issues as the need arises, particularly issues that have an impact on the standards.
The Standards Committee comprises up to 14 industry members and up to 14 non-industry members. Explore the RJC Governance Handbook for full details of the role and responsibility of the Committee.
Minutes of the RJC Standards Committee meetings are published here for a minimum of three years. Archived meeting minutes are available by request.
* Indicates ‘Extraordinary Meeting’.
regognised frameworks
Harmonisation with other standards
Our standards are designed to recognise and align with other frameworks for responsible business practices wherever possible. Some external standards and initiatives are recognised by the RJC as equivalent to one or more COP or CoC Standard provisions. In these cases, members and auditors can use external certification to assume conformance without additional self-assessment or review where:
- the audit was conducted within the previous 12 months;
- the external certification scope applies to the member’s RJC certification scope; and
- there are no open major or critical non-conformities (or equivalent as identified in Tables 4a and 4b below) and corrective action plans are in place to close any minor non-conformities within the next 12 months
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.
