CIBJO defines sustainable, responsible and ethical in a Blue List
The confederation's supply chain committee presented the first edition in Vicenza on 7 September, naming the words it says confuse buyers most. It defines three, as guidance and not as a standard.
By The Retail Desk
What changed
Three claims now have definitions. CIBJO's jewellery supply chain committee presented the first edition of the Blue List in Vicenza on 7 September, defining sustainable, responsible and ethical for use in supply chain communication.
What it means
- If you write product copy: check the ladder. Ethical now carries two tests, responsible one.
- If you audit a supplier: responsible asks only for recognised standards, so name which ones.
- What this is not: a certification. CIBJO calls the Blue List a guidance document.
Key figures
| Terms definedsustainable, responsible, ethical | 3 |
|---|---|
| Test for responsiblemeets recognised standards | 1 |
| Tests for ethicalstandards, plus best practice | 2 |
| Elements in sustainablesocial, environmental, longevity | 3 |
Source: CIBJO Jewellery Supply Chain Committee · Blue List, first edition · release published 7 September 2026, 10:24 UTC
Three words, three different tests
The ladder is uneven. Responsible asks one thing, that a practice meets internationally recognised standards. Ethical asks that, plus current best practice in social responsibilities.
Sustainable has no benchmark. CIBJO's definition of sustainable names socioeconomic benefit, environmental protection and longevity, and points at no outside standard to measure them against.
| Term | CIBJO's definition, condensed | Tests it sets |
|---|---|---|
| Sustainable | Integrated, enduring socioeconomic benefits, environmental protection and longevity | 3 elements, no external benchmark |
| Responsible | Meets internationally recognised standards | 1, and external |
| Ethical | Current best practice in social responsibilities, on top of meeting internationally recognised standards | 2, external plus best practice |
Source. CIBJO's release of 7 September 2026, 10:24 UTC, reporting the first edition of the Blue List as presented by Kele Mafole.
Definitions. are condensed from CIBJO's wording.
Tests it sets. is Carat Capital's reading of the structure of each definition, not CIBJO's own count.
The committee chose confusing words
A limited set. Kele Mafole leads CIBJO's jewellery supply chain committee. She said the group worked on a limited set of terms, and named these three as the most confused.
The reason given. “The Blue List emerged from the recognition that we need a common reference point,” Mafole told the congress on 7 September.
It binds nobody by itself
Guidance, not a standard. CIBJO presented the Blue List as a reference guide to terminology that can be used, and alternatively not used, in responsible jewellery supply chains.
First edition. It was presented on the congress's final day in Vicenza, alongside the confederation's decision on what to call a made stone.
What to watch
- 10-13 SepHardrock Summit, Denver, the first US trade gathering after the congress.
- By 2027A second edition of the Blue List, and whether the term list grows past three.
- Not yet datedCIBJO's next congress, where the supply chain committee reports again.
The story so far
- CIBJO backs synthetic aloneThe confederation's Blue Books drop to one term for made stones.
- Gareth Penny gives CIBJO an 8-point planFive of eight points concern what the trade says about its product.
Go deeper
What would change this call
A national regulator adopting the Blue List's wording into an enforceable guide. That would turn a reference document into a compliance test, and the copy on a product page would carry legal weight.
What the Blue List is
The Blue List is a reference guide from CIBJO's Jewellery Supply Chain Committee to terminology that can be used, and alternatively not used, in responsible jewellery supply chains. It sits alongside the Blue Books, CIBJO's grading and nomenclature standards, but covers supply chain claims rather than what a stone or a metal is. It is guidance for CIBJO's members, and it is not law in any market.
Method
Definitions and attributions are taken from CIBJO's own release of 7 September 2026, timestamped 2026-09-07T10:24:27Z in its schema.org datePublished field and fetched at that URL. The definitions are reproduced in the table in condensed form. CIBJO's full wording for ethical is that it ensures current best practice in relation to social responsibilities, in addition to meeting internationally recognised standards; for sustainable, that it provides integrated, enduring socioeconomic benefits, environmental protection and longevity. The count of tests in each definition is Carat Capital's reading of their structure, not a figure CIBJO publishes. CIBJO's page prints a SEPTEMBER 7, 2025 dateline in its body while its own metadata and category, Congress 2026 News, give 2026; the metadata date is used.