Groups Pressure Macy's to Commit to Ethical Gold Standards

Earthworks and social action group Change.org began a petition drive to rally consumers to press retailer Macy’s to commit to using ethically sourced gold. A similar petition aimed at retailer Target earlier this year signed-up 22,000 citizens and helped to convince the retailer to agree to the “Golden Rules,” which are a set of social, human rights and environmental criteria for mining gold and other precious metals by Earthwork's No Dirty Gold Campaign.

Earthworks said 80 retailers, including Target, Tiffany & Co., Sears and Helzberg Diamonds, have committed to the “Golden Rules,” and noted that Macy’s, as eighth-largest retailer of gold jewelry in the United States, was “one of the last major jewelry retailers” to fail to adhere to those standards.

Nick Magel, international campaigns coordinator for Earthworks said that “Macy’s has a very clear choice. They can listen to their customers who want to know that their gold comes from ethical sources, or continue to hold out, sending the message that they don’t value sustainability and transparency.”