Fairtrade gold?

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Ridzert, Jul 21, 2016.

  1. Ridzert
    Ridzert Member
    Hi everyone,

    What are your thoughts on fair gold, silver, and other materials?

    Would it be possible to introduce e.g. fair gold on Shapeways?

    Best,

    Ridzert
     
  2. mkroeker
    mkroeker Well-Known Member
    Certification consultants would certainly like the idea. Would you like some CO2 emission certificates to go with that ?
     
  3. Ridzert
    Ridzert Member
    That would be another interesting area, but I was more aiming at non-conflict materials, although it is extremely hard to be sure if it is fair in the end.
     
  4. Andrewsimonthomas
    Andrewsimonthomas Well-Known Member
    @Ridzert I think you hit the nail on the head. fair trade things typically involve having access to information about the supply chain of the material leading all the way back to when it came right out of the ground. Given how often materials like gold can be melted down and resold (hence a global commodities market for gold) It would be pretty hard to evaluate and get a certification on...

    Thats why fair trade is common for goods that are just made once but something that can be recycled (gold, diamonds etc) are going to be hard to get it.
     
  5. Ridzert
    Ridzert Member
    @Andrewsimonthomas Thank you for your reply. But how about using e.g. LBMA-certified gold that requires high evaluation of the source of gold?
     
  6. stannum
    stannum Well-Known Member
    People asked for basic assaying (in some countries it's the law), and nothing happened. If you expect even more complex certification to be done...