Ethical Jewelry - a matter of the heart!

WHY WE CARE

In 2016, our founder Alessandra was in Bolivia in a mine where, among other materials, silver was mined. Not only from adult miners, but from children, too! Under the worst conditions, without any protection and horrible consequences for people and the environment. The miners barely live to be more than 40 years old, and most of them die of what is known as black lung disease, a result of the dangerous work. In order to have enough money to survive, the children often have to work instead of going to school. This experience has left a lasting impression on Alessandra to this day and it was clear to her at that moment that she would only use recycled gold and silver for her jewelry.

 

GIVING BACK

However, to make truly sustainable jewelry, it is not enough to just use recycled materials. We have to think along with the people in the Global South who are directly affected by the dirty jewelry industry. The miners need alternative sources of income to make a living. That's why every year, Studio Maroh donates 3% of profits to the Earthbeat Foundation, which encourages just that. The non-profit organization was founded in 2012 by the jewelry pioneer Guya Merkle and has set itself the goal of creating a future-oriented and environmentally friendly use of the valuable resource gold and of changing the gold industry in the long term. An estimated 25-30 million people, including 1 million children, work under the toughest conditions in artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM). The Earthbeat Foundation supports projects in Uganda that create alternative and sustainable sources of income for small gold miners so that they can lead a self-determined life independent of gold mining in the long term. Here you can learn more about the important work of the Earthbeat Foundation.

In addition, every year Studio Maroh donates 2% of the profits to non-profit organizations that support causes close to the heart of our founder Alessandra.

 

URBAN MINING

We believe that there is already enough mined gold and silver in circulation and only use precious metals that are recovered through urban mining for our jewelry. In urban mining, existing gold and silver is recycled in a refinery and reprocessed so that it can be reused again. The material for new pieces of jewelry is made from old jewelry, dental gold, silver cutlery or the circuit boards in mobile phones and tablets without harming people or the environment. The precious metal recovered in this way is resource-friendly, conflict-free and causes up to 95% less CO₂ emissions than traditional mined gold and silver. Studio Maroh purchases precious metals exclusively from the C. Hafner refinery in Pforzheim, one of the leading companies in the industry and the world's first refinery with a CO₂-neutral gold separation process.

 

SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION

For Studio Maroh, sustainability is not a buzzword, but an attitude. Our aim is to make the entire manufacturing process of our jewelry as resource- and environmentally friendly as possible. Due to the proximity to the gold city of Pforzheim, we have short delivery routes and obtain the recycled material for our jewelry directly from within the region. We appreciate our close cooperation with family businesses and, in addition to strict selection criteria, make sure that they are run by women if possible (unfortunately still a rarity in the jewelry industry). Our jewelry boxes and the packaging material are made from recycled waste paper and bear the FSC seal, the jewelry bags are made from fair trade cotton. Shipping is with DHL Go Green. Of course, there are still areas where we can and want to improve - if you notice something, please reach out to us and send us your thoughts and feedback to hello@studiomaroh.com.

 

RESPONSIBLE JEWELLERY COUNCIL

We select our suppliers with the utmost care and under the strictest criteria. All suppliers are members of the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC), an association of international companies and trade associations in the gold and diamond industry. Its members undertake to comply with ethical, socially and environmentally compatible standards along the entire service chain. In concrete terms, this means: no child labour, no precious metals from conflict zones, fair payment for employees and environmentally friendly use of our resources.