Sustainability
Alongside quality, practicing sustainability is a top priority and cornerstone of J. Hannah, and we take a thoughtful and holistic approach to the many points of consideration that help a business be more sustainable.
“Sustainability” must be defined to hold weight, and our customers deserve to know exactly what we mean when we use this word. It is a practice and as such, an ongoing effort — something we are always actively striving for –– not a definitive marker of achievement.
The foundation of our efforts is in keeping our production local, and minimizing the waste produced by our business. The industry is rife with environmental and ethical ailments so we invest in vetted, family owned and operated manufacturers in downtown Los Angeles.
All our diamonds are 100% recycled. Our gemstones are ethically sourced and cut. We work exclusively with mines, lapidaries, and manufacturers where everyone is fairly compensated and working under safe conditions. There are very limited independent certifications or standards for this, so we’ve done our own legwork to figure out what terms like “recycled” or “ethically sourced” mean to different suppliers.
We try to actively fight against greenwashing and false marketing by being transparent about how exactly each piece comes together. It’s important to share how to authentically support and sustain better business practices with our audience, so we sincerely welcome any inquiries requesting more information on our operations and ethical standards.
All our casting grain is made of 100% post consumer recycled metals. This means that precious metals are salvaged from old jewelry, and scrap gold. Alloys are repurposed from electronics, catalytic converters, and other industrial byproducts. The result is gold and silver on par with newly mined metals, without the negative environmental consequences.
All water used in the refining process is reused, and all trace metals left over are refined and recycled. Even the wax used in the molding and casting process is reused, something proprietary to our facility and its jewelers. These processes make each piece uniquely ethical and environmentally conscious.
These materials and their processes named above have been independently audited and certified by the SRSP (Signet Responsible Sourcing) and The RJC (Responsible Jewellery Council). These practices also meet and in many cases exceed all EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) guidelines and regulations for a safe and healthy working environment.
It remains to be seen if anyone working in fine jewelry will achieve a net-zero impact, and we are just scratching the surface of these issues. Our hope is to help usher in a new horizon by increasing visibility around this issue in our industry and setting the best example we can.