「這真的是太值得紀念的一天！」詹姆士在工作室大聲的歡呼！這下可引起小編的好奇並探頭探腦想一窺究竟，不看還好，一看不得了，原來是mittag jewelry得到Fairmined「公平採礦」的認證，於2020年成為台灣第一個也是唯一使用公平貿易貴金屬的珠寶品牌！！！天啊！公司努力了好久好久的事情，好不容易終於實現了，這真的要好好慶祝一番！（拉禮炮）

 

公平貿易種類多  各司其職並相互扶持

其實，許多人認識公平貿易都是從咖啡開始 （想了解更多甚麼是公平貿易），不過其實公平貿易商品估計全球有超過三萬種，種類眾多除了咖啡、巧克力、蔗糖等各類農產品，更有棉花、保養品，甚至連黃金、白銀等貴金屬都有公平貿易認證的選項！是的！這篇就是要跟大家分享「Fairmined公平採礦」貴金屬的相關資訊。

 

這裡您可能會想問，公平貿易不是叫做fair trade嗎？沒錯喔，但是世界上其實有數個公平貿易組織的存在，而且每個組織所關注的重心也有些不同，就以Fairmined為例，您可以很簡單地知道它是Fair（公平）與Mined（採礦）兩個字的合併字而來，目的是讓大家知道他們是以採礦產業為主要項目；目前，Fairmined所提供的礦產有黃金與白銀兩種，這與其他公平貿易組織以農產品、紡織原料或手工藝品為主有所不同，但是即便如此，讓世界更公平美好的目標是一致的，甚至在許多的推廣活動裡，也時常看到他們結合在一起共同舉辦活動。所以，小編想趁此機會羅列一些知名且具影響力的組織給您知道：

國際公平貿易標籤組織（Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International，簡稱FLO）

國際公平貿易組織（World Fair Trade Organization，簡稱WFTO）

責任採礦聯盟（Alliance for Responsible Mining，簡稱ARM）（認證標章為Fairmined)

 

另外，值得一提的是，Fair Trade是公平貿易的統稱，並不針對任何單一組織。但是當它被合併寫為Fairtrade一個字時，通常用在針對FLO國際公平貿易標籤組織的商品體系，也就是大家熟知的「藍天綠地向你招手的小人」標章（如上圖左一的商標）。

 

閃閃惹人愛  黃金的美麗與哀愁

黃金珠寶總被視為愛情、權力以及財富的象徵。然而，有沒有想過我們所買回來的珠寶飾品，裡面黃金的來源是哪裡呢？這些閃亮首飾背後的金屬來源，卻不一定如它們外表所呈現的那樣閃耀動人。您可能不知道在許多黃金礦區，都會發現當地土質受到汙染、人體的健康受到危害，那是因為礦工在缺乏安全防護設備、開採技術的情況下，進行小規模人工採礦；在此艱困條件下，礦工必須長時間勞動，並使用低價的毒性物質（例如汞）提煉貴金屬。然而，這些礦工們犧牲了自己的健康、安全以取得微薄的收入，而實際的利潤卻是落入不肖商人、地方勢力與軍閥的口袋裡；除此之外，甚至還普遍存在著男女工作權不平等、濫用童工等問題。

 

於是，ARM（Alliance for Responsible Mining責任採礦聯盟）為了解決上述問題，為了自然環境的永續發展（避免使用化學萃取、保護水資源、遵守國際環境法令）、也為了維護礦工的生存條件（規定工時、性別平等同工同酬、安全的工作環境等...），並讓兒童有接受教育的機會進而脫離貧窮，而成立了「Fairmined公平採礦」以提供符合「道德標準」的黃金與白銀（ethical gold/silver），簡單來說是指貴金屬的生產過程，達到尊重人權、愛護自然環境、公平貿易等道德規範；用友善的方式對待大自然，以合理的價格收購商品。在Fairmined的架構下，供應鏈分為三種認證類別，第一類是礦產來源的認證，以確保礦產的來源符合公平貿易的要求。第二類是針對貴金屬供應商的認證，並由這些合格的供應商直接與礦區採購。第三類是對品牌商的授權認證，以確保公平貿易的良善立意能夠真正地傳達到消費者手中。因此，可以知道完整的可追溯性是Fairmined非常在意的並且嚴格控管的。目前Fairmined驗證合格礦區共有八個分別分布在哥倫比亞、祕魯和蒙古三個國家；值得期待的是，現在有更多的採礦組織也正在努力轉型成為被Fairmined認證的採礦業者。

但是，目前大部分的消費者在購買飾品時，其實很難知道其貴金屬的來源，因為商家會儘量避免讓您聯想到「血鑽石」等負面印象所以不會提及金屬來源，也很可能是廠商根本也不清楚自己的材料來源而只能模糊帶過。這裡想跟您分享，mittag jewelry自2012年創辦品牌開始，就已經使用由專業的貴金屬回收業者自台灣坊間的電腦3C產品晶片提煉，或是金飾店所回收的珠寶貴金屬再精煉而取得的貴金屬。這不但有助於減少採礦所造成的環境永久性破壞以外，還能對台灣在地資源的升級再造、永續循環利用上有著很大的幫助。如今，mittag jewelry成為了全台灣唯一使用公平貿易黃金的珠寶品牌商，在生產過程加入了國際嚴格認證的Fairmined「公平採礦」認證的貴金屬原料，讓您所購買的每件珠寶首飾背後的故事也如它本身一樣地美麗。這也是mittag jewelry在創立品牌至今一直堅持對消費者負責並如實告知的品牌信念。

 

理性購物  用消費改變世界

您所花的每一分錢，決定著我們世界未來的樣子。所以，身為消費者的我們在購物時除了默念口訣：buy less, choose well, make it last（買少一點，選好一點，用久一點）以外，在消費前時其實您還可以：

• 主動詢問材質：是甚麼金屬製成？是否為有害環境且不值得回收的廉價合金？
• 選擇有認證的公平貿易金屬，或是回收再提煉的貴金屬。
• 購買品質良好的飾品，選擇保值的鉑金、黃金、白銀製品，好好愛惜保養，長期配戴保存。即使日後不配戴還可以到珠寶銀樓回收變賣，經過提煉再重生為新的美麗飾品，生生息息，永續不止。(mittag jewelry商品回收舊換新服務)

 

回顧過去一年半的時間（遠目），mittag jewelry不放棄的認真努力著，終於完成重要的品牌里程碑：「在台灣也能夠買到貨真價實的公平貿易飾品！」在如此值得紀念的時刻，費雪說我們一定要找個機會用力慶祝一番（這重責大任就交給小編，小編一定會確保找間「好」餐廳，「好好消費」復甦台灣經濟 XD）；但是這一刻，在工作室，我們用公平貿易咖啡舉杯乾杯，紀念這令人感動的里程碑（目含淚光）。

 

資料來源：Fairmined

（續）加入使用Fairmined公平貿易黃金的行列｜讓環境永續的目標早日實現

目前，雖然mittag jewelry是「唯一」使用Fairmined公平採礦黃金的台灣品牌，但mittag jewelry希望在未來能夠將「唯一」這兩個字正式取下來，因為讓環境永續的目標不應該因為商業競爭而有所侷限，mittag jewelry秉持著『一個人雖然走的快，一群人卻能走的遠』的信念，真誠的邀請您加入我們一同攜手往前邁進。您可以由以下的聯絡方式與我們連繫 「[email protected]」，讓我們協助您加入公平貿易的行列。

#公平貿易  
#公平採礦  
#國際公平貿易標籤組織
#國際公平貿易組織
#責任採礦聯盟
#道德金屬

 

 

 

 

The only jewelry brand using fair trade precious metals in Taiwan—mittag jewelry

by mittag jewelry

 

"This is really a memorable day!" James cheered loudly in the studio! This aroused my curiosity and so I tried to look into it. It is indeed something worth knowing! It turned out that mittag jewelry was certified by “Fairmined” and became the first and only jewelry brand using fair trade precious metal in Taiwan in 2020! ! ! Goodness! The company has worked on it for a very long time, and finally realized it, which really needs to be celebrated! (pull party popper)

 

 

Different organizations of fair trade focusing on their expertises and supporting one another

 

Actually, many people get to know fair trade starts with coffee (like to know more about fair trade ), but in fact fair trade products are estimated to have more than 30 thousands of varieties, in addition to various agricultural products such as coffee, chocolate, and sugar, as well as cotton, skin care products, and even precious metals such as gold and silver have fair trade certification options! Yes! This article is about to share information about "Fairmined" precious metals.

 

You may want to ask here, isn't all fair trade called fair trade? That’s right, but there are actually a number of fair trade organizations in the world, and the focus of each organization is also different. Take Fairmined as an example. You can easily know that it is “Fair” and “Mined", the combination of the two words comes to let everyone know that their main projects is the mining industry. Currently, the precious metals provided by Fairmined are gold and silver, which is different from other fair trade organizations, like agricultural products, textile raw materials, or hand crafts... But even so, the goal of making the world fairer and better is the same, and even in many promotional activities, they are often seen to hold events together. Therefore, I would like to take this opportunity to list some well-known and influential organizations for you:

Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International（FLO）
 

World Fair Trade Organization（WFTO）
 

Alliance for Responsible Mining（ARM）（The certification mark is Fairmined)

 

In addition, it is worth mentioning that Fair Trade is a general term and does not refer to any single organization. However, when it is merged and written as the word Fairtrade, it is usually used in the commodity system for the FLO（Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International）, which is also known as the "Little Man Waving in the Blue Sky Greenland" (the trademark on the left on the above picture).

 

 

The beauty and sorrow of gold

 

Gold jewelry is always regarded as a symbol of love, power and wealth. However, have you ever thought about the jewelry we bought, where is the source of the gold coming from? The metal source behind these shiny jewelry is not necessarily as shining and moving as their appearance. You may not know that in many gold mining areas, the local soil is contaminated and the health of the human body is harmed. That is because miners carry out small-scale artificial mining in the absence of safety protection equipment and mining technology. Under this difficult condition, miners must work long hours and use low-cost toxic substances (such as mercury) to extract precious metals. However, these miners sacrificed their health and safety to obtain meager income, and the actual profits fell into the pockets of dishonest vendors, local forces, and warlords. In addition, issues such as  the inequality gender working rights and child labor abuse are generally existed.

 

Therefore, in order to solve the above problems, for the sustainable development of the natural environment (avoiding the use of chemical extraction, protecting water resources, and complying with international environmental laws), and maintaining the living conditions of miners （reasonable working hours, gender equality, equal pay for equal work, safe working environment, etc.), and to give children the opportunity to receive education to escape poverty, ARM (Alliance for Responsible Mining) sets up "Fairmined" to provide "ethical standards" of gold and silver. In simple terms, it refers to the production process of precious metals, to achieve respect for human rights, cherish the natural environment, fair trade and other ethical norms; treat nature in a friendly manner, and purchase goods at a reasonable price. Under the structure of Fairmined, the supply chain is divided into three certification categories. The first category is the certification of mining sources to ensure that the sources of mining meet the requirements of fair trade. The second category is the certification of precious metal suppliers, and these qualified suppliers directly purchase from the certified mine. The third category is the authorized certification of the brand, to ensure that the good intentions of fair trade can be truly communicated to consumers. Therefore, it can be known that the complete traceability is very concerned by Fairmined and strictly controlled. At present, there are eight qualified mining areas in Fairmined, which are distributed in three countries, Colombia, Peru and Mongolia. It is worth looking forward to that more mining organizations are now working to transform into Fairmined certified mining companies.

 

However, most consumers have difficulty in knowing the source of the precious metals when buying jewelry, because merchants will try to avoid making you think of negative impressions such as "blood diamonds", so they will not mention the source of the metal. And it also may be manufacturers simply do not know their source of materials and can only mentioned them vaguely. We would like to share with you here, since the establishment of the brand in 2012, mittag jewelry has used precious metal recycled from computer 3C product chips in Taiwan, or precious metals recycled from gold jewelry stores and then refined. This not only helps to reduce the permanent environmental damage caused by mining, but also greatly helps Taiwan's resources upcycling. Today, mittag jewelry has become the only jewelry brand in Taiwan that uses fair trade gold. The production process has added Fairmined certified precious metals, so that the story behind each piece of jewelry you buy is as beautiful as it’s appearances. This is also the brand belief that mittag jewelry has always insisted on being responsible to consumers and truthfully telling the facts.

 

 

Change the world with consumption

 

Every time you spend money, you're casting a vote for the kind of world you want. Therefore, as consumers, always remind ourselves when making purchasements: buy less, choose well, make it last. Before purchasing, you can also actually:

• Proactively ask about the material source: What metal is it made of? Whether it is a cheap alloy that is harmful to the environment and is not worth recycling?
• Choose certified fair trade metals, or precious metals that are recycled and refined.
• Buy good quality jewelry, choose maintained value platinum, gold, silver products. Take good care of the jewelry. Wear it for a long time. When you don't wear it in the future, you can go to the jewelry shop to sell it. After refining, it could rebirth into a new beautiful jewelry, it would last forever.(mittag jewelry products recycling and replacement service)

 

Looking back over the past year, mittag jewelry did not give up and maintain its efforts, and finally completed the important brand milestone: “to offer fair trade jewelry in Taiwan!”. At such a memorable moment, Fisher said that we must find an opportunity to totally celebrate it (this responsibility is of course handed over to me, who will ensure that a "good" restaurant is found, and "well spend money" to recover Taiwan's economy with consumption XD); But at this moment, in the studio, we toast with Fairtrade coffee to commemorate this moving moment (with tears in my eyes).

 

sourced from: Fairmined

(Continued) Join us using Fairmined Gold | Let the goal of environmental sustainability be achieved as soon as possible

At present, although mittag jewelry is the "only" Taiwanese brand that uses Fairmined gold, mittag jewelry hopes to officially take down the word "only" in the future, because the goal of making the environment sustainable should not be limited due to commercial competition. mittag jewelry believes that "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." In order to go far together, we sincerely invite you to join us and move forward hand in hand. Please feel free to contact us through the following mail "[email protected]" and let us help you to join the fair trade family.

#Fairtrade 
#Fairmined
#FLO 
#WFTO 
#ARM
#EthicalJewelry