TOUS, the leading Spanish fine jewelry and accessories brand for the affordable luxury segment, is moving its sustainability strategy forward in partnership with Tracemark, the pioneering company guaranteeing complete jewelry traceability and which only works with businesses certified by the RJC (Responsible Jewellery Council). The project has kicked off with a first collection, Teddy Bear Stars in gold and diamonds, and the two firms are working to scale the partnership up across other references.

In this first collection, released at Christmas and available again starting in April in four markets – Spain, Mexico, Portugal and Russia – customers have an alphanumeric code engraved on each piece of fine jewelry or a QR code on the label which can be leveraged to access the Tracemark interactive, personalized traceability panel. Here they can check the provenance of the materials, the manufacturing processes behind each piece of jewelry, and the certifications guaranteeing the ethics and sustainability of the pieces, as well as giving details about the materials. .

In this way, they will be able to verify that the gold and diamonds in the collection are 100% ethical and responsible in origin. For gold, it comes from refineries that only work with CoC gold (Chain of Custody). CoC gold certification is a distinction awarded by the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) showing that it comes from verified sources, following the best international environmental practices and social standards recognized the world over.

Specifically, Tracemark certified CoC gold is 100% ethical and recycled gold. This is a major breakthrough in sustainability terms since the use of recycled gold not from mines reduces the carbon footprint by around 99%, according to a recent study from the Pforzheim University of Applied Sciences.

The traceability detail provided by Tracemark also allows the origin of diamonds and manufacturing to be known. All diamonds with which TOUS works comply strictly with the Kimberley Process, thus ensuring their authenticity, provenance and ethical extraction. The novelty of the Teddy Bear Stars collection is the external endorsement provided by Tracemark, which ensures the fulfillment of the process and provides the traceability of these diamonds, as well as providing information about their origin and verifying they are responsibly sourced. Strict requirements for the Kimberley Certificate guarantee “conflict-free” diamonds and prevent diamonds extracted in conflicts from being legitimately traded.

In addition, customers will also see that the manufacture of the collection is the result of the partnership between TOUS’ workshops in Manresa and artisans who work alongside the company from Córdoba and Italy. This work method stems from the jewelery firms's commitment to form partnerships in the sector.

TOUS is thus able to bolster its commitment to sustainability, an increasingly important factor for customers. According to Tracemark's Sustainable Luxury Consumer Report 2021, 71% of consumers would choose a jewel for its traceability.

Rosa Tous, the company’s corporate vice-president, said: “TOUS understands sustainability as a committed and ethical way of working and as a matter of transparency. For these reasons we are keen to give customers meaningful insights into the materials we use, the place where they are produced, and their provenance.

This partnership reaffirms our firm belief in combining innovation and age-old jewelry techniques as the key to moving the sector forward, in which sustainability will play a key role.

Our commitment to crosscutting sustainability has been recognized by the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC), the world’s leading organization in establishing business ethics and responsible supply chain standards across the fine jewelry and watch industry, which made us certified members following an audit. In 2021 we will continue to support the sector, drive sustainability and work with the best partners across the world to achieve this”.

Berta Serret, founder and CEO of Tracemark , explained:“Sustainability and human rights are our priority and ensure change for a truly sustainable and ethical industry, which sums up our mission. Tracemark was launched on the basis of this conviction, because we believe that transparency is the only way forward toward real, positive and lasting change, and that traceability is key to providing this transparency.

After months of hard work and excitement, this collection in partnership with TOUS is the first to reach the market with the innovative experience of our certified traceability. It is an honor and a great motivation for us to have a such a prestigious, committed brand like TOUS to lead the way toward a more transparent, ethical and sustainable industry.

For us, to talk about sustainability in fine jewelry is to talk about traceability, partnership and commitment: three pillars of Tracemark. This partnership with TOUS reflects our shared values. We are confident that we will be able to continue building more positive actions like this together to improve the present without compromising the future.”