Natural Diamonds & Sustainability

Acting sustainably is at the core of everything that we do. Diamonds are found in some of the most remote parts of the world and we are committed to ensuring that their discovery leaves a positive legacy. Before we arrived, diamonds lay undisturbed for millions of years after they were thrust to the earth’s surface in volcanic explosions. It is our task to make sure that the discovery of these miracles of nature benefits everybody who lives or works in the area and that any impact on biodiversity is minimized. Every step of the diamond’s journey is held to the highest possible ethical and sustainable standards, from the moment the rock is removed from the ground, the rough diamond extracted, then finally transformed into beautiful jewelry with a legacy of its own. 

Our Values

Our members strive for a culture of continuous learning and improvement and commit to the following shared values. 

Our People

  • Protecting  the health and safety of our employees is at the heart of our operations 
  • Rewarding employees fairly and giving priority to local and indigenous employment 
  • Promoting diversity and gender equality 
  • Developing our employees through training, and equipping them with transferable skills for the future 
  • Protecting human rights 

Our Communities

  • Developing strong and collaborative partnerships in the communities/countries in which we operate 
  • Respecting local cultures, customs, and values and building on local knowledge 
  • Sourcing goods and services locally whenever possible 
  • Directly funding social programs in healthcareeducation, and infrastructure 
  • Contributing to local and national development through payment of taxes and royalties 
  • Seeking to develop the long-term resilience of our communities 

Our Planet

  • Actively supporting biodiversity conservation at each of our mines 
  • Protecting natural land to preserve critical habitats and endangered wildlife  
  • Ensuring that land used is reclaimed at the end of mining operations and is safe for wildlife and communities 
  • Preserving natural resources through continual improvements to our water and energy management programs and our usage of natural resources 

Our Business Ethics

  • Conducting our business at all times with integrity, ethics, and high standards of corporate governance 
  • Promoting responsible business practices throughout the diamond supply chain 
  • Participating in global and national initiatives with a goal of sharing best practices and ideas 
  • Participating in external benchmarking and make commitments that drive responsibility in all areas of our operations 

Every purchase of a natural diamond supports an industry that values responsible and ethical business practices, while helping local communities to generate long-term sustainable development and a lasting positive legacy.  

$16 Billion

in net-positive socio-economic and environmental benefits

People

77,000+

people employed by NDC Members.

66%

more than the national average salary is what the average NDC Member employee earns.

$3.9 Billion

benefits created locally through employment.

Communities

$6.8 Billion

benefits infused into communities through the purchase of local goods and services.

60%

of the value created is retained locally, benefitting communities directly and indirectly.

$292 Million

benefits of social programs including education and healthcare.

Planet

1,023 Sq Miles

of land NDC Members protect; three times the amount of land that they use.

83%

of water used for diamond mining is recycled.

99%

of waste produced is rock, which is disposed of on site and eventually reclaimed as part of the landscape during the mine closure and rehabilitation process.

Looking Forward

Our actions have an impact on our planet and it is our responsibility to minimize this as much as possible. As working together for a better future is crucial to all our members, they have made three pledges aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals to ensure a common focus to always strive to do the best for the world we live in. This will reinforce the role of natural diamonds and of our members to strengthen communities, advance gender equality and inclusivity, support education, while always championing responsible use of resources and preserving nature.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SUSTAINABILITY PLEDGES

Members’ Sustainability and Impact Reports

Individually our members have been publishing regular sustainability reports for many years; together more than 50 reports have been produced. Each shines a light on the social and environmental commitments made by the members, charts their progress against key indicators and provides examples of the actions implemented as part of their sustainability programs. 

Sustainable Development Report 2017
Argyle Mine : Rio Tinto
Building Forever: Our Journey Volume 3 2019
De Beers Group
Building Forever: Our Journey Volume 2 2019
De Beers Group
Building Forever: Our Journey Volume 1 2018
De Beers Group
Building Forever: Our Material Topics - Progress report 2020
De Beers Group
GRI and Assurance supplement 2018
De Beers Group
Turning Finite Resources into Enduring Opportunity
De Beers Group
Socio-Economic Impact Report: De Beers in Canada
De Beers Group
The socio-economic impact of Gahcho Kue
De Beers Group
Gahcho Kue Sustainability Report 2020
De Beers Group / Mountain Province Diamonds
Socio-Economic Monitoring Agreement Report 2020
Diavik Mine : Rio Tinto/Arctic Canadian Diamond Company
Ekati 2019 Water Licence and Environmental Assessment Annual Report
Arctic Canadian Diamond Company
Ekati Socio-Economic Agreement Report 2019
Arctic Canadian Diamond Company
Corporate Social Responsibility Report 2016
Arctic Canadian Diamond Company
Sustainability Report 2020
Lucara Diamond
GRI Index 2020
Lucara Diamond
Sustainable Development Report 2019
Murowa Diamonds
Sustainability Report 2021
Petra Diamonds
Payments to Governments Report FY2021
Petra Diamonds
Sustainability Factbook 2020
Rio Tinto
Our Approach to Climate Change 2020
Rio Tinto
Sustainability Highlights 2019: Driving Human Progress
Rio Tinto
Beauty with Integrity
Rio Tinto
Sustainability Report 2020
Anglo American
Tax and Economic Contribution Report 2020
Anglo American

Awards and Recognitions

Our members have won numerous awards and below you see a selection of them, reflecting the ongoing commitments to our communities, our people and our planet and the effectiveness of their initiatives toward continuous improvement in these areas. 

Our People

De Beers Group has received the 2018 European Diversity Awards for Inclusive Company of the Year (Highly Commended). 

The Gahcho Kue mine in Canada was awarded the Workplace Health and Safety Award by the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce. The award celebrates companies that exceed expectations or show leadership in improving health and safety. 

Arctic Canadian Diamond Company was awarded the Safe Everyday Gold Award from the Association of Mineral Exploration (AME) and Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC). The award honors the company with the highest number of hours worked without a lost-time incident. 

Our Communities

Petra Diamonds and Rio Tinto were included in the FTSE4Good Index, which measures the performance of companies demonstrating strong environmental, social and governance practices. 

Namdeb received the African Gender Award for the private sector for commitment to achieving equity and gender equality in Namibia.

Lucara Diamond won the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) Environmental and Social Responsibility Award for “outstanding leadership in environmental protection and good community relations.”

De Beers Group received an ‘Excellence Visionaries‘ award from the Women’s Jewelry Association for the commitment made to work in partnership with UN Women to advance women and girls 

Our Planet

De Beers Group’s elephant translocation program, Moving Giants, won the Positive Environmental Impact of the year award in the Positive Luxury Awards 2020, which recognizes brands benefiting the environment and showing evidence of real and widespread impact. 

In 2018 RZM Murowa was recognized by the Business Council for Sustainable Development Zimbabwe (BCSDZ) for its commitment to sustainability and participating in Energy and water efficiency in Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN).   

Rio Tinto Diavik mine received Canadian Wind Energy Association Group Leadership Award for wind farm project.

Arctic Canadian Diamond Company’s composter project won the Towards Sustainable Mining 2016 Environmental Excellence for Transforming Waste Management in Canada’s Northwest Territories award.