The planning committee for the Jewelry Industry Summit wrote an email to its members this week sharing that the funds necessary for it to host its scheduled Summit in March are not in place, and it is, therefore, postponing its flagship event.

“A number of generous sponsors have agreed to contribute to the Jewelry Industry Summit’s activities in 2018, however it became clear at the end of last year that the total funding committed would not be sufficient to allow us to execute the Summit scheduled for Mar. 9 and 10, 2018,” reads the emailed statement sent by the Summit Planning Committee. “We have therefore decided to postpone the event this year in order to be able to devote our time, energy, and available funds to supporting the work of the initiatives born at previous Summits as well as to improving industry actions and communications that promote responsible sourcing.”

The Summit was created to kickstart a dialogue that supports a broader vision for sustainable business and responsible sourcing in the jewelry industry (and find solutions to those challenges).

Among the reasons the company’s fallen short on its funding goals, it explained, are “a reduction in funding budgets available to support external sustainability programs and the fact that many companies are dedicating their existing resources to internal efforts to create more responsible supply chains”—which the email stresses is a good thing overall.

The planning committee says it will be developing its online properties this year and “anticipates making webinars and other presentations available on the Jewelry Industry Summit site and social media properties.”

The company also plans to host small gatherings throughout 2018, “to provide the industry with information on sustainable practices,” explaining, “These activities will help us to continue to reach a broad audience of industry players who are passionate about sustainability and to keep the industry updated on new developments.”

The committee says it feels confident that the underfunding doesn’t reflect apathy for the Summit’s mission within the industry, stating, “We believe that the sustainability movement in jewelry is as strong as ever…We would anticipate that increased funding in the near future will permit us to once again host Summit events.”

Emili Vesilind

JCK Senior Editor