Prince William and Kate Middleton asked to say I do with fairly traded gold

A petition has been launched by the Fairtrade Foundation on the global Go Petition website to encourage the Royal couple to choose only gold carrying the Fairtrade and Fairmined certifications.

The petition reads: “We, the undersigned, congratulate Prince William and Kate Middleton on their engagement and imminent wedding.

“As part of their special day, we would like them to choose Fairtrade and Fairmined gold for their wedding jewellery.”

The certifications have been introduced to protect the human rights of the estimated 100 million people who are involved directly or indirectly in small-scale mining. These miners, to be found mainly in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, are often at the mercy of unfair markets and exploited by middlemen who pay below market prices and cheat them on the weight and purity of the gold.

The world’s first ever Fairtrade and Fairmined certified gold jewellery range was launched just last week and includes wedding and engagement ring, earrings and necklaces.

All the items carry the Fairtrade and Fairmined hallmarks, ensuring that miners have received a fair price for their gold.

Fairtrade Ambassador Livia Firth said: “We associate gold with love and beauty but there is often nothing beautiful about the way that gold is produced.

“Tens of millions of small-scale gold miners risk their lives in often appalling conditions and get a raw deal for their strenuous efforts.”

Jenny Torres Delgado, 27-year-old miner from Peru said: “I would ask the people in the UK to understand that when they buy our gold, they’ll be doing a good thing and helping many women who work hard and have to struggle to get the gold.”

The certificates are the fruit of a unique partnership between the miners, the Alliance for Responsible Mining, the Fairtrade Foundation, other campaigners and jewellery companies.


To sign the petition, go to: www.gopetition.com/petition/43158.html