The CIBJO Congress that took place in Brazil in May is set to become the first-ever carbon neutral event in the jewelry industry, organizers have announced.

The environmental consulting company Carbon-Expert worked with CIBJO on its goal of carbon neutrality and recently released a report on the event’s carbon footprint, including carbon gas emissions generated by the event and by participants’ preparation and travel. 

According to Carbon-Expert, the event generated 600 tons of greenhouse gas emissions and organizers are now purchasing carbon credits to offset those emissions.

“CIBJO has worked towards achieving carbon neutrality for itself since 2013 and, having achieved that goal by the end of 2014, the next step was to focus on the Congress,” said Jonathan Kendall, president of CIBJO’s Education and Marketing Commission. “Our next goal is to encourage and support our members and non-members in the industry to realize the importance of achieving a good environmental record.” Kendall went on to cite millennial customers’ collective environmental awareness: “As the jewelry industry is so dependent on continuing to attract new customers, the industry must meet this challenge head-on.”

The full (downloadable) report is available at cibjo.org.

JCK