LONDON — Monica Vinader is accelerating her sustainability efforts, and the wider world is taking note.
On Tuesday the demi-fine jeweler and entrepreneur scooped her second green prize in less than a week, taking home the Positive Luxury Award for Responsible Business of the Year.
Positive Luxury is an organization that evaluates the sustainable practices of fashion and luxury businesses and promotes green and ethical sourcing, and transparency, across the supply chain.
The organization said it gave the award to Monica Vinader because the company has “embedded sustainability into the structure and operations of the business,” introducing a general manager for sustainability; an executive-level steering committee, and a Green Team of operational experts who are “spearheading the delivery of sustainable change.”
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Positive Luxury noted that Vinader made the “bold” shift to using only recycled gold and silver; reduced single-use plastic in its supply chain by 90 percent, and redesigned all packaging to use more sustainable materials that are 100 percent recyclable and reusable.
The company, which was founded by Vinader in 2007, and found early success with stackable “friendship” bracelets, also went completely carbon neutral, across operations and product, using offsets only as “an absolute last resort.”
Positive Luxury described Vinader’s jewelry recycling scheme as “a game-changer, as is the dedication shown to upskilling employees’ sustainability knowledge and involving their community of followers in the sustainable design process.”
The recycling plan allows customers to mail their unwanted jewelry back to the company, and receive a voucher worth 20 pounds in return. The company also offers a five-year warranty, and a lifetime of service for a small fee.
The Positive Luxury award comes in the wake of a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development, which Vinader picked up over the weekend.
The Queen’s Awards are among the most prestigious in the U.K., and brands compete for them in categories such as domestic and international growth, sustainability and opportunity creation.
The company won the Queen’s Award for its “change-making sustainability agenda,” which is guided by the U.N. Global Compact and its Sustainable Development Goals.
Both awards follow Monica Vinader’s partnership with leading environmentalist Jake Fiennes on a five-year biodiversity project in the British countryside.
Built around science-based, traceable metrics, the Monica’s Meadow project aims to improve air, water and soil quality, as well as sequester carbon by improving the biodiversity of the land.
The project’s aim is to transform seven hectares of agricultural land adjacent to the Holkham National Nature Reserve into a new “species-rich grassland field,” increasing carbon capture “and introducing new species of national and international importance.”
“We are committed to accelerating change across the jewelry industry by taking action, and constantly reevaluating how it can do more for the planet,” said Vinader. “Behaving responsibly shapes our team, how we approach business and how we care for our customers and partners. It is an honor to have our sustainability efforts recognized” with both awards.
She added: “Shifting to a more sustainable way of working and living is truly a journey, as we are constantly provided with new information, and we will continue to challenge ourselves to adapt and grow along with it. Transparency is key in sustainability.”