Sustainability Commitment:
There are so many ways that the fashion industry impacts the planet, including waste, materials, plastics, pollution, and carbon footprint. Trying to understand all the elements of this impact and act truly sustainably is incredibly challenging in an industry that is so driven by seasonal trends and newness. The jewelry industry, in specific, is rampant with not only cheaply made products but also unethically made. Workers are paid very little for their labour, and cheap materials are used to keep costs down. However, at Prayosha Jewels, we have a sincere ambition to do business differently and have always been an environmentally conscious company, committing to sustainable practices. We are all looking for ways, big and small, to help be part of the solution to climate change. The younger generation of consumers (millennials) is choosing sustainability over iconic brands. Many jewelry brands are thus aligning with the conscious consumer by opting for recycled metals, ethically sourced stones, and beautiful handmade designs that centre the local artisan community. Subsequently, brands are now looking for sustainability, transparency, and ethical manufacturing in the factories they work or partner with. Thus, as a manufacturer, we believe we’re in a unique position to support independent brands in working more sustainably and delivering real impact across the industry. Prayosha Jewels is very exciting to be part of this journey. By utilizing the latest materials and manufacturing know-how, we are is in the process of fully integrating the required standards for a "green" manufacturing facility in order to create "responsible jewelry".
Certifications Display
The No. 1 question I get asked by job seekers, hands down, is "What certification should I get if I want to work in sustainability?" And I know everyone hates it when I have to respond with "It depends," but it really, truly does.
The 2020 GreenBiz State of the Profession Report included a fantastic chart titled "Percentage of survey respondents having received training or certification," which showed the following breakdown:
- 53 percent GRI
- 26 percent Other
- 23 percent LEED AP
- 22 percent LEED GA
- 18 percent University-based Certification Program
- 17 percent SASB
- 8 percent ISSP
So, if you were to pick a certification out of a hat, it might be a pretty safe bet to get GRI or maybe some form of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design series. But perhaps you noticed that the No. 2 most popular certification was "Other" or that GRI was the only named certification to get more than 25 percent? That should tell you that there are no easy answers here and that there is no one-size-fits-all certification for sustainability professionals.
A better approach would be to do some critical thinking about any gaps between your existing skillset and the skills required to do the work you are hoping to do next. Take a close look at the job descriptions that excite you. What subject matter expertise or certifications do the job descriptions call for? Talk to people already doing the type of work you want to do. What training do they have? What frameworks and tools do they use? That should help you identify what certifications might make you a more competitive candidate.
Also remember that professional certifications are not the only way to gain credibility. They should be only one part of your larger plan for gaining experience, which could include other avenues such as taking on new projects at your current job, fellowships, school and skills-based volunteering.
Okay, so now that you’ve done your research and you know what kind of skills you need to build, and you’ve decided that training for a certification is the right way to build them, what options are out there?
The below list includes nearly 30 certifications that will help you understand the landscape of professional certifications in sustainability. The focus of this list is on professional certifications for practitioners only or, put another way, certifications that demonstrate that you as a person have a specific skill or knowledge set.
The list does not include certifications for products (such as Forest Stewardship Council for wood products) or companies (such as B Corp for values-led companies), professional training that does not earn a credential (I have some great suggestions for that in this article and in the Training section of this page), graduate programs or university-based certificates.
I’m 100 percent confident that I've missed an incredible certification program. If so, please let me know about it by reaching out via my website. Thanks in advance!.
Community Engagement:
Yet much of the research looking at the success of community engagement in achieving sustainability outcomes is inconclusive.Though there are examples of great success, there are more examples of failure to achieve intended outcomes resulting in aneven greater disadvantage for the most vulnerable communities.In their 2013 book, Ghazala and Vijayendra [1] looked at hundreds of case of community participation development projects. Topics covered were: decentralise the identification of beneficiary households and communities for poverty reduction and social insurance programs; greater resource sustainability and equity; local infrastructure delivered through participatory mechanisms; efforts to induce greater community oversight in the delivery of health and education services; and the evidence on the poverty impacts of participatory projects. Key findings (italics from the book followed by author’s interpretation):
• On balance, the evidence appears to indicate that local capture can overwhelm the benefits of local information. That is data
collection over action.
• Demand-driven, competitive application processes can exclude the weakest communities and exacerbate horizontal inequities.
Those who have money, time, education and networks are more successful.
• Co-financing requirements—which have become the sine qua non of participatory projects—can exacerbate the exclusion of the
poorest households and communities and attenuate the impacts of poverty reduction programs. The wealthier can participate;
the poor cannot and so their voice is not heard.