Responsibility in fine jewellery consumption to be discussed in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter

As part of the Economic and Social Research Council's (ESRC) 13^th Annual Festival of Social Science, Coventry University’s Centre for Business in Society (CBiS) has organised a seminar on Responsibility in Fine Jewellery Consumption. This will be held at the Birmingham Assay Office on November 11, 2015, from 5.30 – 8:00 pm.

The event is open to the public and free to attend.  It aims to raise awareness in the industry about what matters to jewellery consumers regarding the social, economic and environmental impact of their purchases.

Marylyn Carrigan, Professor of Marketing at CBIS, will be sharing research findings on consumption practices and ethical issues related to fine jewellery purchasing.                                                   

Corporate social responsibility and ethical consumption research can help inform and improve business practice in many industries. The jewellery sector has made slow progress in this area, mainly because it perceives business responsibility to be irrelevant to jewellery consumers. In this event CBiS researchers will showcase findings from recently published research on jewellery consumption and consumer attitudes to ethical concerns in their jewellery shopping.

This event will help raise industry awareness about what matters to jewellery consumers with regard to the social, economic and environmental impacts of their purchases, and what can be done to encourage consumers to shop for jewellery in a responsible way. Judith Lockwood, managing director of Arctic Circle Diamonds, and Michael Rawlinson, CEO of National Association of Jewellers (NAJ), will also present an industry perspective on responsibility in jewellery, followed by an interactive discussion with the audience on issues of concern for the jewellery industry. The event has potential for networking and scoping areas for future research around the environmental, social and economic impacts of the global jewellery industry.

Speaking about the event, Professor Carrigan said:

This event is a unique opportunity for academics to partner with practitioners and trade organisations working in the jewellery industry to share their knowledge, experience and insight regarding responsible business and consumption with the public.