CarbonVERO: A New Diamond Industry Solution to Track Energy Consumption & Carbon Emissions
04 Jul 2023
Andre Messika Diamonds LTD announces CarbonVERO, a blueprint for raw data capture, in partnership with industry-leading diamond technological solutions provider Sarine Technology LTD.
With foundation measurements conducted by The Carbon Trust, CarbonVERO is a new disclosure tool that will calculate the carbon emissions of individual natural diamonds from mine to fully polished state, including the energy consumption during the diamond manufacturing process; and provide it through Sarine’s traceability solution. This calculation reflects the operational emissions, the first of which is now being verified, from Cradle-to-Gate in Namibia and is currently pending ISO Verification carbon footprinting status.
To date, no rough diamond manufacturing facility has measured each individual stage of the cutting and polishing process to achieve a cumulative result. This dataset will be included as part of Sarine’s Diamond Traceability reporting and will cover Scopes 1, 2 and 3 – data from the mining organisation, De Beers Namibia, through to the cut and polished product, with further capability to include freight distribution beyond the factory right up until the polished diamond reaches the client’s door.
Andre Messika Diamonds LTD will apply CarbonVERO to its Namibian diamonds allowing it to explore supply chain insights and add a new layer to traceability – tracing the carbon impact. While many organizations are undertaking various types of footprinting, this is the first time in the diamond supply chain where measuring and calculating the CO2e emissions from the mine to the polished end product has taken place. CarbonVERO serves both B2B manufacturers and B2C natural diamond brands whose aim is to disclose key carbon impact data directly to their customers.
Andre Messika, Founder & Chairman of Andre Messika Diamonds states,
“We, at Andre Messika Diamonds are extremely proud that our innovation of disclosing carbon emission and energy consumption data per each individual polished diamond has come to fruition thanks to our partnership with Sarine. I always believed in disclosure, innovation, and technology, and CarbonVERO has arrived to supply all of this for the natural diamond industry.”
The Carbon Trust has conducted the initial foundation of data required for ongoing reporting, which considers annual input of materials, energy, transportation, processing, ancillary and waste data. When combined with Sarine’s technologically-based tracking of each individual diamond, the result is a comprehensive dataset which can be tailored to a customer’s reporting needs. To ensure accuracy, ongoing sub-metering is required to reflect seasonal changes in the factory readings, and this remains a CarbonVERO priority.
As part of the wider framework of measurements, The Carbon Trust calculated a Product Carbon Footprint which tracks the diamond from mine, through to Andre Messika’s Namibian factory and then the polished diamond distribution pathway which was used as the blueprint for raw data-capture.
With an extensive reach throughout the natural diamond supply chain, and particularly the manufacturing segment, Sarine is well-positioned to promote the CarbonVERO reporting service. Should there be enquiries from B2C entities [luxury jewellery brands], Sarine will liaise with approved CarbonVERO manufacturers who are undertaking the accredited independent factory measurements (as per the data-logging and sub-metering requirements necessary to capture this granular data) to direct them to the manufacturer who best fits their needs in terms of CarbonVERO-approved polished diamond inventory. In this way, the promotional aspect of the service is tailored to the specific diamond segment required by the consumer.
Sarine’s CEO, David Block, stated,
"We take pride in being part of another innovative initiative that adds an additional layer of transparency, providing crucial information about the energy emitted during the diamond processes, from mining through the entire manufacturing process. Our commitment is to deliver this data with the highest level of assurance, enabling the industry to offer sustainable products and ensure a promising future. David Block added: It is a pleasure for us to collaborate with Andre Messika once again, reaffirming his belief in transparency, excellence, and benefiting the industry.”
Source: Eco Age Limited