Over the last few years, companies from Pandora to Prada have pledged to only use recycled gold in their jewellery, pitching the decision as a way to reduce environmental impact and ensure ethical production. But as interest in the material has increased, so has criticism from a chorus of industry insiders and sustainability advocates who argue that, under current standards, recycled gold doesn’t mean much at all in terms of sustainability and that stricter definitions are needed to avoid greenwashing.

Melting down and re-using metal that’s already in circulation has a lower environmental footprint than mining new ore, a carbon and water-intensive process that has also been linked to mercury pollution, labour exploitation and dangerous working conditions. But critics argue that gold is so valuable that it’s always been reprocessed and growing demand for certified recycled sources of the metal has so far done nothing to reduce mined volumes.

The debate burst into the open this week when the Precious Metals Impact Forum, a multi-stakeholder initiative that has been lobbying to toughen up how recycled gold is classified, published an open letter lambasting strong opposition from actors within the industry it claims are pushing to water down proposed new standards.

The bust-up has become so hostile, that PMIF founder Sabrina Karib says she’s had to leave a working group on the issue at the International Organisation for Standardisation, a usually staid NGO focused on developing codes of industrial and corporate best practice. The chair of ISO’s committee for jewellery and precious metals, Jonathan Jodry, acknowledged there have been tensions. The organisation’s role is to produce clear, workable standards that balance the interests of all parties, he said.

What Should Count as Recycled Gold?

Critics argue the definition of recycled gold is so loose that any gold that’s been reprocessed — even if it was mined just a few days earlier and has never come into contact with a consumer — can be sold under the label, giving recycled gold a “green halo” it doesn’t deserve.

There are supply chain issues, too. The origins of recycled gold are tricky to trace beyond refineries, amplifying the risk that gold with dubious provenance could make it into the supply chain. And there’s concern that promoting recycled gold draws attention away from opportunities to address social and economic issues affecting vulnerable small-scale miners and their communities.

The PMIF launched in 2022 aiming to address these issues. Last year, it chaired a multi-stakeholder working group that included trade organisation Responsible Jewellery Council in an effort to produce a new definition of recycled gold. The group concluded that gold should only be classed as recycled if it had been “recovered from any product containing less than two percent of gold in weight” and if it was “destined to be discarded.” This would apply to material found in e-waste, smartphones for example. Otherwise, said the PMIF, it should be “reprocessed.”

The definition was initially endorsed by the RJC as an update to its own standards, which are currently being revised. But it’s now been dropped from the proposal, according to Karib. The RJC has yet to publish its latest revision. At the same time, a working group at the ISO is consulting on a new definition that would allow for “pre-consumer recycled gold” and “post-consumer recycled gold.” This could be standardised by the end of this year, although no brand or refiner would be legally obliged to adopt it.

Karib said the RJC changed its mind about endorsing PMIF’s definition under pressure from its members, some of whom stood to gain from a less strict definition. “Refiners [of recycled gold] want to ensure they have volumes to provide to their clients, but there is this belief that if we call it something other than recycled, brands won’t want it,” Karib told The Business of Fashion.

One RJC member that opposed the PMIF’s definition is C. Hafner, a German refiner that produces unfinished recycled gold components for luxury brands and that is also represented on the ISO’s working group. Dr Philipp Reisert, the company’s chief executive, said the definition was arbitrary and also acknowledged that as brands move to recycled gold in a bid to meet ambitious carbon emissions reduction targets, his business could benefit. “We are becoming more important to our clients than we were,” he said. Reisert said the carbon footprint of recycled gold is around a thousand times lower than mined gold.

For its part, the RJC told The Business of Fashion it had to listen to its 1,600 members. “We work across the whole supply chain,” said Melanie Grant, the organisation’s executive director. “Everyone has a different opinion and a different approach.”

However, Grant agreed a new definition was needed. “We want to avoid bad actors using the term recycled to greenwash illegitimate gold,” she said. “We’re all trying to align as closely as possible without making the definition so tight that it can’t be practised, but not so loose that people have too much wiggle room.”

The ISO said it was obliged to produce a standard that could be applied across sectors. “All the experts have to keep in mind that they can’t write something that fits their needs or their own industry needs,” said Jodry, who serves as group business development director at Swiss precious metals refiner Metalor in addition to chairing the ISO working group for the sector. “We don’t [just] consider waste something that is being thrown away, we consider waste something that has no value for the user,” he added.

But the ISO’s definitions have caused a backlash, too. Damian Oettli, head of markets at WWF Switzerland and author of a report published last year that praised the PMIF’s definition, dismissed them. “They’re a wolf in sheep’s skin, a highly sophisticated word turning exercise,” he said. “If we reduce the possibility to claim recycled gold, then we can improve the accountability in the supply chains and reduce the impact of gold mining.”

Aurelia Figueroa, Breitling’s chief sustainability officer, who was part of the PMIF’s working group, agreed. “The ISO’s terms require footnotes,” she said. “Anyone making claims in the sustainability space owes it to the consumer to make them accessible and not to speak in jargon.”

What’s in a Name?

The impasse leaves many brands with a headache. “It’s become a war of recycled versus non-recycled, a semantic issue,” said jewellery designer Monica Vinader, who has spent years overhauling her supply chain to source only certified recycled gold. “We should not care about what we’re calling it, but where it’s come from. For me, that should be the focus.”

Vinader said she’s now rethinking her approach, as the loopholes and limitations in the sustainability claims linked to recycled gold become clearer. A perfect solution doesn’t exist, but it’s likely in the future the company will take a more blended approach to sourcing, she said.

For Pandora, the world’s biggest jewellery buyer, the switch to recycled gold is one plank in its ambitions to reduce carbon emissions. The company said it adheres to the “strictest standard in the industry” for recycled metals, the RJC’s chain of custody, and will always use the best standards available. Prada declined to comment.

Luxury giant LVMH is also keen to see more granularity around the origins of recycled gold, primarily because it will help support stronger processes and controls over a complex supply chain. “We believe gold is not responsible because it is recycled, we believe gold is responsible because it has been responsibly sourced,” the company said. “Of course it’s a bit more complex to explain to clients and stakeholders but that’s the reality of the gold supply chain.”

The dispute continues. For Karib, the outcomes of the RJC and ISO’s ongoing consultations will set the process of making responsible recycled gold back years. “Instead of addressing it, we’re hiding the problem under the carpet, and it’s going to become bigger,” she said.

Disclosure: LVMH is part of a group of investors who, together, hold a minority interest in The Business of Fashion. All investors have signed shareholders’ documentation guaranteeing BoF’s complete editorial independence.

Over the past two weeks, Amazon has sought to make inroads in the selling of both bling and bargains. Only one move is wise. It has a better chance of competing with Tiffany & Co. than Temu.

Amazon will help facilitate a deal by Saks Fifth Avenue owner Hudson’s Bay Co. to acquire rival Neiman Marcus Group for $2.65 billion. The tech giant will take a minority stake in the resulting company, Saks Global, giving it access to the luxury sector.

The move comes just days after it emerged that Amazon plans to take on PDD Holdings Inc.’s Temu and Chinese fast-fashion rival SheIn Group Ltd. with a new storefront selling ultra-cheap goods.

Neither market will be easy to conquer. But even a behemoth like Amazon will struggle to beat Temu and Shein at their own game, and in the process, it risks devaluing what has become its core proposition: convenience.

And while it’s also unlikely that Amazon can outperform LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE, owner of Tiffany and Dior, there may be potential to make inroads with other high-end players, given recent turmoil in online luxury fashion.

Let’s start with the discount endeavour. It’s certainly a reversal of the status quo. For the past 30 years, Amazon has been the challenger. Now the cheap Chinese shoe is on the other foot.

Consequently, Amazon is looking to ape the business models of Temu and Shein. That means shipping goods directly from China, rather than holding them in warehouses in the US, close to where its shoppers live and where it can offer its signature lightening-fast delivery. Shipping from China would be much slower — nine to 11 days — but would allow for lower prices. This is because Amazon would be able to take advantage of the same de minimis rule utilised by the Chinese retailers, which allows citizens in many countries to receive international parcels under a certain value without paying import tariffs. In the US, the threshold is $800 a parcel.

This would preserve Amazon’s everything-store status and keep cost-conscious shoppers within its ecosystem. But it also presents significant questions and challenges.

One is whether it would use the Chinese companies that already sell through its marketplace to fulfil these orders — or turn to new ones. Enlisting new Chinese factories is risky. Shein in particular has seen its supply base come under scrutiny. In widening its supplier net, Amazon could face similar questions.

Another drawback: It devalues Amazon’s Prime proposition. For the past 20 years, the company has sought to persuade shoppers to pay a fee — currently $139 a year — for access to its super-fast shipping. Introducing a slower option is effectively saying that convenience isn’t so valuable after all.

Meanwhile, selling $15 dresses on one part of Amazon looks at odds with selling $1,500 ones on another. And the Saks deal is the clearest indication yet that the company has not give up on the latter market.

Although Amazon, including its marketplace sales, is the US’s biggest clothing and footwear retailer according to research group GlobalData, it has long tried — and failed — to crack the top end.

The company launched Luxury Stores in the US in 2020, featuring designers including Oscar de la Renta and Altuzarra; it added pre-owned luxury and expanded to Europe two years later. Initially limited to Prime members, Luxury Stores is now open to all. Even with control over products and pricing, only a limited number of brands have signed up.

Big names such as Louis Vuitton, Kering SA’s Gucci and Prada SpA likely won’t ever sell on Amazon. Around the time Amazon was working on Luxury Stores, Benard Arnault, chief executive officer of LVMH, told analysts his brands would not be joining the platform.

The bling behemoths are increasingly reaching customers through their own boutiques and websites, one of the reasons why department stores, such as Saks and Neiman Marcus, as well as Macy’s Inc., which is facing an increased offer from an investor group, are trying to remain relevant.

But the deal with Saks provides Amazon with an alternative way into the roughly $400 billion global luxury market.

Marc Metrick, CEO of Saks Fifth Avenue’s online operations, told Bloomberg News that the tech company, as well as Salesforce Inc., which will also take a minority stake, would help “future-proof” the combined company.

Amazon will provide technology and logistics expertise, potentially making deliveries and returns slicker for Saks Global’s VIP customers. But closer cooperation with Luxury Stores can’t be ruled out. Either way, the move could lend more credibility to Amazon’s chichi efforts.

Timing is on its side. The US luxury market has been hit by comfortable — rather than super wealthy — consumers cutting back. This has particularly hurt e-commerce, as these shoppers tend to buy online. That shift helped bring about the sale of Farfetch Ltd. to South Korean e-commerce company Coupang Ltd. in December, and the collapse of Britain’s Matches Fashion in March. Cie Financiere Richemont SA’s Yoox Net-a-Porter is also up for sale. The implosion of the online market might make Amazon more appealing to smaller fashion houses that had previously sold through these channels.

Even with the drawbacks, going upmarket is a better option than a race to the bottom against Temu and Shein — particularly as Prime members, Amazon’s core market, tend to be more affluent.

And it’s not clear how long Shein and Temu will continue to gain market share. The latter’s explosive growth is already moderating. Any curbing of the de minimis rule may hasten the slowdown. On the other hand, the US luxury market has been transformed over the past five years, and won’t remain in the doldrums forever.

Demand for pricey purses is poised to endure. The same can’t necessarily be said for budget bags from China.

By Andrea Felsted

Troye Sivan is now a beauty ambassador.

The Australian singer-songwriter and actor is the first global makeup brand ambassador of Puig-owned Rabanne, previously known as Paco Rabanne.

A post shared on Rabanne’s Instagram today includes a video of Sivan talking about their previous fashion collaborations and his excitement for this “new chapter” together.

Sivan also has a line of fragrances of decorative objects, Tsu Lange Yor, that launched in August 2023.

Rabanne launched makeup in June 2023 into Sephora, Ulta Beauty and Selfridges with space-age themed packaging and the legendary makeup artist Diane Kendal as its creative director.

Sign up to The Business of Beauty newsletter, your complimentary, must-read source for the day’s most important beauty and wellness news and analysis.

Learn more:

Dua Lipa, Again? Why Beauty Lines Need to Find New Brand Ambassadors

A familiar cast of celebrities became beauty spokespeople this week, but how many brands are too many for a gorgeous woman to promote?

Today, the global workforce is taking mental health more seriously — a 2022 survey by market research and analytics company The Harris Poll found that 52 percent of employees consider mental health awareness in the workplace to be “very important” to them. However, while 81 percent of working adults agree that employers have an obligation to prioritise their employees’ mental health, as many as 77 percent report that the topic isn’t discussed enough.

The importance of mental health awareness and support in the workplace is only increasing, with the younger generations coming into the workplace especially concerned about wellbeing. Gen-Z — those born between 1995 and 2009 — is more likely to report mental health concerns than any other demographic, according to an American Psychological Association report. For employers, this issue is no longer simply a moral and ethical matter, but a crucial factor relating to employee retention and engagement.

However, when junior talent enters the workplace, understanding how to navigate workplace pressures — with many idiosyncratic to fashion and creative industries — and how to better protect themselves, can be a challenging hurdle to overcome.

To discuss how to protect mental health and wellbeing in the fashion workplace, BoF’s Sophie Soar moderated a panel talk at Graduate Fashion Week 2024, gathering advice and insights from: Calypso Barnum-Bobb, self-discovery coach and founder of People Like Us Retreats, who has worked with the likes of Adidas, Puma, Glastonbury Festival, London College of Fashion and more; Nicola Chen, head of creative at resale site Depop and co-chair of Depop’s Wellbeing ERG; Ella Morgan-Crosby, corporate HR director at Alexander McQueen; and Zoe Mallett, a trained psychologist, workplace happiness consultant and creator, who has worked with the likes of Nike, L’Oréal, Snapchat, Soho House and more.

Now, BoF shares insights from the panel discussion.

Understand workplace pressures idiosyncratic to the fashion industry

CBB: This industry is so competitive. The pace is so fast, the operating rhythm is much more intense than other places. The normalisation of how fast you have to move things, make decisions and how often you have to be available has a massive impact.

Meanwhile, the fashion industry is visual — you’re constantly looking at other people — what they’re wearing, what they’re doing, so the comparison element is real. It makes you question, “Am I enough?” And that question can be incredibly demoralising.

NC: The thought that — you’re only as good as your next idea — that is a huge amount of pressure to work under. You can start to doubt yourself when you have that pressure of performing and achieving. Creative people have unique challenges because there’s no stop and start — it’s continuous. But you have to find time to stop.

ZM: You don’t give yourself enough grace when you’re stepping in from university and into your first role. You [typically] have so much more support when you’re in a university or a school system — you’re all of a sudden catapulted into a different world. You feel like everyone knows more than you.

Try and give yourselves grace — you’re not supposed to know everything, you’re supposed to be quite tired from learning new ways of working.

Take the time to check in with yourself

CBB: We can think that it’s indulgent to give ourselves five minutes of time every single day, but actually, the repetition of dedicating that time to yourself is where you start to notice patterns and where you start to notice differences.

ZM: Everybody is so individualistic — there isn’t a “one size fits all” [when it comes to mental health]. But there are generic things that happen, so [...] start small, think about three core emotions: when do you feel happy, sad or stressed, and check in with yourself daily, weekly, monthly.

Then, reach out to colleagues and friends and employers. It takes a village to preserve mental health, but know those benchmarks for yourself.

Stay focused on your own goals and advocate for yourself

NC: Don’t focus on other people’s successes or their journeys — focus on yourself and then how you all come together. Comparing yourself to other people is so common in this industry, but when you let that go and focus on your own successes and your own achievements, not just your work but who you are as a person — that’s really valuable for your mental health.

You can’t compare yourself to how other people handle stress because there are all these external stimuli that people react to differently.

CBB: Advocate for yourself and be really specific. I think a lot of the time, we think our problems are really niche; when actually, they’re universal. So, having the courage to share with your line manager what you’re struggling with is important.

If you are a line manager, start a group and bring together more senior members of staff for specific areas that people need support with. Mental health is this phrase that we throw around — but I think, until we get specific with the things that people are struggling with, we can’t support them effectively.

If you are an employer, bring experts into workplaces so they can share their expertise, because a lot of the time the line managers — they’re amazing fashion designers, but they’re not incredible therapists.

ZM: [...] Everybody in the team might be stressed but people in that team are going to react to that stress differently, depending on their upbringing, the economy, their previous experiences. You can’t compare yourself to how other people handle stress because there are all these external stimuli that people react to differently, because of their past experiences and several other factors.

Explore and leverage the resources available

EMC: For me, the number one thing you can do is speak up — don’t suffer in silence. If your company is lucky enough to have an HR department, I know I’m biassed, but they’re there for a reason. Befriend your HR partner — go for a coffee and talk to them. If you don’t feel comfortable raising some of the issues with your line manager, they can really be that go-between, that third party, a sounding board even.

Also, part of their role is to make sure that they can support you and point you towards the resources available to you, whether that’s access to counsellors or if it’s a retail business, those people signed up to The Retail Trust — they’ll have a huge amount of resources that can protect you.

Advocate for yourself and be really specific. I think a lot of the time, we think our problems are really niche, when actually, they’re universal.

ZM: Every single thing in the workplace can cause poor mental health if not executed properly. What’s important for people stepping into roles is being able to ask — what is set up to help with mental health? Asking those questions doesn’t make it look like you’re mentally ill — it shows that you have leadership skills or seniority skills, being able to put yourself first in the bigger picture sense.

Set feasible boundaries and stick to them

NC: I haven’t been good at setting myself boundaries in the past. The best way I do it now is, when I’m doing life stuff, no work stuff can permeate it. When I’m on holiday, I delete slack and move my email away so I don’t see notifications — because as soon as I think “Oh, I’ll check one email” — you end up checking all of them. So carve out that time and those boundaries and be strict with them.

EMC: Boundaries are critical but we have to be careful not to go too far in that, because sometimes we can limit our growth if we don’t seize that opportunity that is slightly outside of our job spec.

[...] When you go into an interview, it is also about interviewing the brand that you’re going to work with, and thinking about whether they’re a good fit for you and your wellbeing. It’s a two-way street.

ZM: If you’re having to push an employer to take mental health seriously, is that employer right for you? That’s something you should really consider.