By using recycled instead of newly mined silver and gold, Pandora avoids 58,000 tons CO2 per annum (p a). Pandora, the world’s largest jewellery brand, today announced it has changed its precious metals supply and is now sourcing only recycled silver and gold for all its jewellery.
The shift avoids significant greenhouse gas emissions, as mining requires more energy and resources than recycling. The carbon footprint of recycled silver is one-third compared to mined silver, while the recycling of gold emits less than 1% of the carbon emissions from mining new gold. By sourcing recycled metals, Pandora avoids around 58,000 tons CO2 per year. This is similar to the annual electricity use of 11,000 homes or driving 6,000 cars around the world.
“Precious metals can be recycled forever without any loss of quality. Silver originally mined centuries ago is just as good as new, and improved recycling can significantly reduce the climate footprint of the jewellery industry,” said CEO Alexander Lacik.
Silver and gold are the most used precious metals in Pandora jewellery. In 2020, Pandora set a target to source 100% recycled silver and gold by 2025, and now the company has reached this milestone earlier than expected – by the end of 2023 – thanks to strong commitment from its suppliers.
