‘The future of luxury is here’: Pandora launches lab-created diamonds using 100% renewable energy

The company confirmed last year that it would stop sourcing mined diamonds and to switch to only lab-grown alternatives

Pandora has this week confirmed the launch of its “Brilliance” range across the US and Canada, which aims to create quality jewellery but with a fraction of the associated carbon footprint.

The jewellery is made from 100% recycled gold and silver and lab-crafted diamonds. According to Pandora, the new range has the same optical, chemical and physical characteristics as traditional jewellery, but the carbon footprint is much lower.

Pandora’s lab-created diamonds are grown, cut and polished using 100% renewable energy and therefore have a carbon footprint of around 8kg per carat, which is just 5% of a mined diamond’s carbon footprint. The company claims that, if all diamonds were mined with the same footprint as its lab-create ones, more than six million tonnes of carbon would be saved annually.

“The future of luxury is here today,” Pandora’s chief executive Alexander Lacik said. “Lab-created diamonds are just as beautiful as mined diamonds, but available to more people and with lower carbon emissions. We are proud to broaden the diamond market and offer innovative jewellery that sets a new standard for how the industry can reduce its impact on the planet.”

Lab-grow and low-carbon

The company confirmed last year that it would stop sourcing mined diamonds and to switch to only lab-grown alternatives.

According to the business, the move will help drive progress towards its 2025 goal of becoming a carbon-neutral company. Pandora has already outlined measures to switch to exclusively recycled silver and gold to help reduce material-related emissions. In the same timeframe.

Indeed, the new lab-crafted diamonds have been introduced to jewellery made from 100% recycled silver and gold. When combining the lab-grow diamonds with the recycled content, emissions from the Brilliance collection’s entry-level products – small silver rings with a 0.15-carat diamond – are down at under 3kg, which Pandora claims is equal to the average emissions of a t-shirt.

Materials account for a large proportion of the brand’s emissions footprint and, as such, are a key focus area. Pandora claims that recycled silver produces 66% less life-cycle emissions than virgin, with the reduction standing at up to 99% for gold.

Using labs instead of mines will also help Pandora to avoid some of the human rights issues associated with traditional diamond supply chains, including community displacement and forced labour.

Earlier this year, a coalition of luxury goods giants outlined steps to improve sustainability and traceability in diamond supply chains using blockchain technology.

The Aura Blockchain Consortium was set up last year by Prada Group, Cartier, Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH) and OTB Group. LVMH’s watch and jewellery brands include Tiffany & Co and Tag Heuer. OTB Group’s brands include Diesel, Maison Margiela, Marni and Viktor&Rolf.

The aim of the Consortium is to develop and disseminate blockchain solutions and technologies that enable better traceability across luxury supply chains, with a starting focus on diamonds. The consortium has chosen Sarine Technologies to provide the platform.