Pandora pledges to use recycled metals for all jewellery by 2025

THE jewellery company Pandora has announced it will stop using mined silver and gold by 2025 and only buy from recycled sources as it seeks to lower its carbon footprint.

The Danish company, known for its charm bracelets, claims the move will cut emissions by two thirds for silver and by more than 99 per cent for gold.

Alexander Lacik, Pandora’s CEO said: “Silver and gold are beautiful jewellery materials that can be recycled forever without losing their quality.

“Metals mined centuries ago are just as good as new. They will never tarnish or decay. We wish to help develop a more responsible way of crafting affordable luxury, like our jewellery, and prevent these fine metals ending up in landfills. We want to do our part to build a more circular economy.”

The company intends to source the precious metals from recycled laptops and phones to cut down on mining, which can have devastating effects on biodiversity as well as contributing to soil erosion and contaminating groundwater with chemicals.

The company, which operates in more than 100 countries, already uses recycled materials in 71 per cent of its supply chain, but will now extend them to all of its parts including chains and fixings.

Only about 15 per cent of the world’s silver currently comes from recycled sources. Doubling that would cut carbon emissions by the equivalent of powering 42,000 homes, Pandora claims.

Currently, only 35 per cent of silver used in consumer electronics is recycled in Europe, dropping to 15 per cent in Asia.

Rising demand for electrical goods has led to an increase in deep sea mining, which threatens marine ecosystems and risks polluting the oceans.

The European Union plans to extend its incoming “right to repair” rules on appliances to cover electronic devices, forcing manufacturers to make their products easier to reuse.

Mads Twomey-madsen, Pandora’s head of sustainability, said he is calling on the electronics industries to “play into this challenge” and make it easier for consumers to recycle their unwanted gadgets.

‘Metals mined centuries ago are just as good as new because they will never tarnish or decay’