| As a society we're finally listening to the message | | | | challenging than with diamonds or gold. The supply |
| concerning the significance of recycling. Dispatching | | | | channels are rare if almost non-existent. Eighty per |
| waste to land fill is not really an acceptable practice | | | | cent of gold mined annually will become jewellery |
| and we are starting to find ways of re-using perfectly | | | | which makes it a desirable target for ethical consumer |
| good materials when the original product is no longer | | | | campaigns. Not so with silver. Only 25% of silver turns |
| of any use. The same can be said for silver jewellery. | | | | into jewellery or silverware, the rest is used in electrical |
| The availability of recycled silver jewellery is growing | | | | products such as plasma screens and X-ray |
| and as interest in all things recycling does too, the | | | | equipment or the fabrication of solar cells. |
| product range will steadily increase. | | | | Until certification is introduced and mines and producers |
| How ethical is recycled silver jewellery? | | | | satisfy criteria for the responsible sourcing of silver, |
| Can recycled silver jewellery itself ever be truly ethical | | | | what are we able to do in our endeavours to be |
| if we're unclear about the original source? Well, as a | | | | 'ethical' about purchasing silver jewellery? |
| metal, silver is ethical in that it is rarely thrown away | | | | Buy UK produced recycled silver jewellery |
| since the silver industry has always recycled. Silver | | | | While the campaigns for ethical mining gain traction, as |
| can be successfully melted down and used again | | | | consumers, one of the greatest efforts we can make |
| many times over and consequently it's deemed ethical | | | | would be to buy jewellery from a range created using |
| by the industry because of this. The 'ethical silver' | | | | recycled silver from unwanted silver items that have |
| debate therefore moves to the procedure for getting | | | | been melted down. |
| the metal out of the ground initially. | | | | We can also purchase from UK suppliers that have |
| Close to one third of all silver comes from silver mines | | | | sourced recycled silver pendants, earrings and |
| though the majority is as a byproduct of mining other | | | | necklaces that are hand crafted in this country. In this |
| precious metals like copper, gold and zinc. This type of | | | | way, we lessen the environmental effect of |
| mining is one of the world's most environmentally | | | | manufacturing and transportation and we also place |
| destructive industrial sectors using around 10 per cent | | | | less emphasis on requiring new silver from the mining |
| of world energy, not to mention all the harmful | | | | process, which subsequently puts pressure on the |
| emissions, landscape damage and human rights issues. | | | | silver industry to mine in an ethical and responsible |
| Locating ethical sources for silver is a lot more | | | | way. |