Our Commitments
TRANSFORMING MISSION INTO IMPACT
We aim to create deep, long-standing relationships with communities that can have a measurable impact over time.
2030 Sustainability Goals
We’re committed to making a positive impact in the fine jewelry industry and within our communities. That’s why we’re sharing our long-term goals across four key impact areas: people, planet, product, and philanthropy. We’ve aligned our ambitions with international best practices and frameworks, and our eyes are set on achieving these goals by 2030.
Continuing our commitment to report twice a year, We’re excited to share an update on our commitments, showcasing our progress toward our 2030 sustainability and social impact goals as part of our dedication to transparency.
By 2030
PEOPLE
We will support Mejuri's growth by setting ambitious standards for our partners and suppliers in key areas and fostering positive social impact in local communities.
Why it matters: Operating in a globally connected industry presents us with the opportunity to extend our positive impacts beyond our immediate business. Mejuri’s social impact initiatives and philanthropic goals are deeply interconnected. Together with our customers, we aim to champion causes and organizations that uplift women and underrepresented communities.
Focus Area #1
We want to work with partners and vendors aligned with Mejuri’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) commitments and practices.
Methodology
Percentage of key vendors and partners committed to Mejuri’s DEIB standards
Percentage of key vendors and partners demonstrate progress against DEIB targets
October 2024 Update:
Since establishing this goal, we have begun developing a standard focused on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging. We aim to finalize and share it with our suppliers and partners by the end of Q4. This framework will outline our expectations on representation and inclusion of historically excluded communities.
We recognize that establishing these requirements is just the first step. We are committed to supporting our partners in their journey towards meeting these standards. Our next focus will be to build additional resources and training programs to help our partners navigate potential challenges in this area.
Focus Area #2
We want our stores, corporate offices, and fulfillment centers to engage and impact the communities where we operate meaningfully.
Methodology
- Number of Mejuri in-store events
- Number of volunteer hours
- Number of community members impacted by community philanthropy
October 2024 Update:
Since establishing this goal, we have concentrated on both in-store events and volunteering opportunities that empower our team members to engage meaningfully with local communities. This year, we’ve hosted nine events across six stores, attracting over 4600 attendees.
Number of Mejuri in-store events: 9
Number of volunteer hours: 92
Number of community members impacted by community philanthropy: 315
Volunteering: This year, Mejuri also launched our first corporate-wide volunteering during Give Back Week in September. Team members from our corporate and fulfillment centers in New York and Toronto, alongside some retail staff, assembled educational resource kits for local nonprofits. These chemistry and STEAM kits along with handmade bookmarks, were provided to organizations, making learning more inclusive and accessible for 315 local children. This year, Mejuri team members have dedicated 92 hours on volunteer projects in their communities.
Spotlight event: In May, one of Mejuri’s flagship stores in New York City hosted an event from the “Inside Design” series created by the New Museum. Isolde Brielmaier, Deputy Director of the The New Museum, invited our founder, Noura Sakkijha, and Patricia Inonge Zita Mweene, founder of Design Thinking Africa (DTA), to lead a discussion on Mejuri’s Partnership with DTA. The intimate conversation focused on the influential figures shaping culture today and those who will define our future. With 40 event attendees, the dialogue explored the intersection of design and sustainability. Patricia showcased stunning gemstones that women in Zambia were able to cut and polish thanks to scholarships funded by Mejuri.
Isolde Brielmaier and Patricia Inonge Zita Mweene | Photo Credits: Zev Starr-Tambor
We will strive to create an authentic, connected community in which every member influences our culture as a whole while emphasizing personal and professional development.
Why it matters: Meaningful change starts with listening. We are committed to ensuring that every voice at Mejuri is heard and valued. By increasing engagement with our teams, we have learned not only how to better support them but also how to refine our overall approach to ensure clarity on their needs.
Focus Area #1
We want to ensure that everyone at Mejuri understands our values and helps build a culture of inclusion.
Methodology
Percentage of employees who self-report they feel that they can influence the business
Percentage of employees who self-report they feel that Mejuri is an inclusive environment
October 2024 Update:
Since establishing this focus area, we have implemented several tools to help team members feel valued in their work environment and supported in professional growth. The People Operations team continues to lead inclusivity efforts across the organization, utilizing regular pulse surveys and informal touch points with employees. We are currently assessing the strengths and weaknesses of our inclusivity measurement strategies and are making adjustments to better align our metrics and report progress on this goal. We aim to provide an update on this process and its results in our next goals progress update.
Focus Area #2
We wish to increase & maintain the diversity of Mejuri’s talent pipeline - creating partnerships to find and support talent from application to final hire.
Methodology
Candidate pipeline conversion across all job postings
Candidate net promoter score
Diversity metrics at the executive level (c-suite)
Diversity metrics of all employees
Diversity metrics of all leaders (VP and above)
October 2024 Update:
Since establishing this focus area, we have been focused on gathering demographic and performance data to establish our baseline and set specific benchmarks for our diversity metrics.
Beyond evaluating and setting benchmarks, we are committed to ensuring that we have the necessary policies and guidance to support this goal. This includes reducing the potential for implicit bias, communicating clear performance standards, and reviewing additional support that may be needed for equity-seeking groups.
We will report on the racial, ethnic, and gender identity makeup of our employees annually and will share updated statistics in the Sustainability Report in the spring.
Focus area #3
We want employees to build meaningful connections internally across the business and grow in their skills and career pathways.
Methodology
Percentage of employees that received a promotion in the previous year
Annual retention metric
October 2024 Update:
An employee’s career path within Mejuri reflects the inclusivity of our workplace and how effectively individuals can enhance their skill sets and take on new challenges. To foster an environment of meaningful career growth, this year Mejuri launched an "Investment in Leadership Training," program aimed at leaders in our operations and fulfillment center. This initiative is part of a broader talent program to support employee development, which will also include the implementation of a detailed career ladder and manager expectations for Mejuri by Q4.
By analyzing the percentages of promotions alongside our retention numbers, we can assess our progress toward creating an environment that promotes meaningful career growth for our employees. Going forward, we will share promotion and retention data annually in our Sustainability Reports.
PLANET
We will go beyond carbon neutral in our value chain by working to remove additional carbon from the atmosphere through restoration and conservation projects where we and our suppliers operate.
Why it matters: In light of the accelerating climate crisis, it’s more important than ever to not only tackle our carbon emissions reduction target but also to focus on biodiversity and regenerative practices. The interconnected and global nature of climate impacts means that we can’t do it alone - collaboration across industries is essential. This also means that the positive impacts we create can benefit areas far beyond our own value chain.
Focus Area #1
We will commit to and achieve our science-based target by reducing emissions in our operations and value chain.
Methodology
Percentage reduction in emissions across Scope 1, 2, and 3
Percentage renewable energy used in our buildings
Greenhouse gas intensity of customer shipments
Percentage of suppliers demonstrating progress against environmental performance goals
Percentage renewable energy used by suppliers
October 2024 Update:
Mejuri has submitted a reduction target and plan to the Science Based Targets Initiative. We committed that by 2030 Mejuri is committing to:
Reducing our absolute emissions in Scopes 1 and 2 by 50%
Reducing our emissions intensity in Scope 3 by 52%
In October 2023, Mejuri announced its commitment to be climate positive by 2030, meaning we will achieve a science-based emissions target and create a positive biodiversity impact. This year, we developed our near-term targets and built the first draft of our company-wide roadmap to achieve it.
By 2030 Mejuri is committing to:
Reducing our absolute emissions in Scopes 1 & 2 by 50%
Reducing our emissions intensity in Scope 3 by 52%
Building our roadmap
The challenging part is not just making the climate target commitment but also building the plan to achieve it. This year, Mejuri focused on engaging teams across the business to identify where the greatest potential for emissions reduction lies and how our business actions will need to adjust to seize these opportunities.
To inform our strategy, we commissioned BSR to conduct a peer scan, assessing the types of actions that similar supply chains and brands have implemented to meet their science-based targets. The outcomes provided valuable inspiration and a list of ‘how to’s’ that we will consider as we begin implementing reduction actions
Workshops were held for departments linked to the highest areas of emissions, including product supply, product development, retail expansion and operations, fulfillment center and logistics, and marketing teams.
These workshops included a “GHG 101” designed to increase awareness and education about Mejuri’s greenhouse gas emissions, including how each department’s activities fit into the overall picture. Participants are left with a prioritized list of actions and areas for exploration, which will be integrated into annual planning for the next fiscal year and beyond.
Through these workshops, we have also discovered that many of our traceability programs and vendor engagement efforts will be key to achieving our climate goals, helping teams identify where further collaboration and strategizing are needed. Our focus for the remainder of 2024 is to prioritize some of these near-term reduction actions and test the feasibility of our proposed solutions
Focus Area #2
We will create a positive biodiversity impact through our partnerships and products
Methodology
We will map Mejuri’s impacts on biodiversity and water across sourcing of key raw materials
We will prioritize and develop action plans in areas where we have the most significant biodiversity impact
October 2024 Update:
In the first half of 2024, Mejuri participated in the UN Global Compact (Network Canada) Biodiversity Working Group.This initiative provided a platform for member companies to help shape best practices in corporate biodiversity reporting and offer input on the practical guidance needed to implement and report on biodiversity strategies. This working group culminated in a “Getting Started Guide,” created by the UNGC Network Canada and WSP, which was tested by the private sector. This guide illuminated areas where Mejuri can begin assessing our impacts on biodiversity.
In the second half of the year, we will focus on further mapping our most significant biodiversity impacts, examining our key activities and geographies to identify potential actions.
PRODUCT
We will design products and packaging with their entire lifecycle in mind, creating circular pathways such as repair, resale, and recycling.
Why it matters: Circular design principles are crucial for any sustainable business to implement to preserve resources. Circularity is closely tied to our Climate Positive goal as well. We consider circularity across all parts of our business - focusing on product design, packaging, and all other operations. We’re designing with our products’ full lifecycle in mind and prioritizing circularity principles of reduction, reuse, repurposing, and recycling.
Focus Area #1
We want to ensure all products Mejuri produces will have an end-of-life offering available to customers.
Methodology
Number of units repaired via Mejuri repair programs
Prioritization of materials that can be reused, recycled, or regenerated
Number of products made with recycled content
Percentage of packaging materials are biodegradable or commonly recyclable
Percentage of products derived through regenerative practices
October 2024 Update:
Since establishing this goal, we are in the planning phase of the Mejuri repair program and aim to collaborate with repair centers across North America–specifically in the US, Canada, and Mexico. These centers will handle repairs, ensuring that every piece is given the care it deserves. Any items that cannot be repaired will be replaced (depending on the warranty) or recycled. This approach not only upholds our commitment to quality but also reinforces our dedication to circularity. While the program was originally planned for launch in 2024, the repair program has been delayed; however we are actively working to launch the program in 2025.
Focus Area #2
We want to prioritize materials that can be reused, recycled or regenerated.
Methodology
Percentage of products made with recycled content
Percentage of materials derived through regenerative practices
Percentage of packaging materials that are biodegradable or commonly recyclable
October 2024 Update:
Since establishing this goal, we have made significant strides in our material sourcing:
93.8% of gold and 92.3% of silver are from recycled sources
282 oz. of gold derived through regenerative practices were made into one collection that included four products.
As part of our commitment to our circularity goal, we continue to prioritize recycled gold and silver for the production of Mejuri jewelry, while also increasing our use of Salmon Gold from Regeneration over time.
As a founding partner with a $1.5M investment in Regeneration, Mejuri has already integrated Salmon Gold in its supply chain, creating jewelry products that more closely link our supply chain and climate activities. We will continue to increase our use of Salmon Gold material enabling us to achieve higher levels of traceability for overall gold sourcing while contributing to habitat restoration.
In June, we launched our first capsule collection made with Salmon Gold. Through this collection, 282 ounces of Salmon Gold were contributed to our total supply. The collection was highly successful and with another collection planned for next year, we expect to steadily increase the amount of this nature-positive gold used in our jewelry.
Regarding packaging, customers continue to choose our reduced packaging option at checkout (14% year-to-date) - and we’re actively working to increase this percentage.Our packaging is also undergoing a redesign, guided by sustainability principles that prioritize the use of recycled materials, the elimination of plastic, and prioritizing reuse and recyclability from the start of the design process.
Focus Area #3
We want to reduce and redirect waste produced at Mejuri offices, stores, and warehouses.
Methodology
Weight (in tons) of waste diverted from landfill
Year-over-Year Reduction in waste
October 2024 Update:
Since establishing this goal, we have made notable progress in waste reduction.
708.78 lbs of plastic waste have been diverted from landfills in the first half of this year
1,875.39 lbs of plastic waste have been diverted from landfills since we launched the Terracycle program in 2023.
We continue to improve on our waste reduction efforts. A major focus this year has been ensuring that we have quality data to effectively track our progress. We are collaborating closely with our fulfillment center and retail teams to identify waste reduction opportunities and create a roadmap for continued improvement.
Given that poly bags are widely used in the jewelry industry to protect products but are not commonly recyclable, we have partnered with specialty recycler Terracycle to give new life to this material. Since our launch of the Terracycle program in 2023, we’ve successfully recycled a total of 1,875.39 lbs of plastic film, 708.78 lbs of that amount recycled in the first half of this year alone. We recognize the potential for further improvement in this area and are actively working to expand the capacity of our plastic film recycling program specifically as our retail footprint grows.
We will educate customers about the origins of their responsibly sourced products, from the precious materials we use to the location of craftsmanship.
Why it matters: All of Mejuri’s jewelry pieces have a maker’s mark, allowing us to trace where they are made and in which factory. However, this doesn’t fully encapsulate our commitments to traceability. We are going beyond the factory level to identify the origin of the raw materials in our cherished products. Since a commonly accepted definition of Traceability does not exist in the jewelry industry, the origin information we receive from our suppliers may vary in specificity, whether by country, region, or group of known mines. Mejuri expects that our traceability data will fluctuate as we add new products, materials or suppliers, underscoring that traceability work isn’t linear and requires ongoing, dynamic efforts.
Focus Area
Ensuring our precious materials have the highest levels of traceability, including Mejuri’s diamonds (natural and lab-grown), coloured gemstones, pearls, and precious metals
Methodology
Percentage of natural diamonds purchased that are traced to a group of known mines .
Percentage of lab grown diamonds purchased that are traced to the grower.
Percentage of precious colored gemstones purchased that are traced to the region within the country of mining origin.
Percentage of pearls purchased that are traced to the country of farming origin.
Percentage of precious metals purchased that are traced to mine of origin or the recycler
October 2024 Update:
Since establishing this goal, Mejuri has made substantial progress in traceability.
Natural diamonds: 1% unknown, 86% traced to Country of Origin, 13% traced to Mine(s) of Origin
Lab Grown Diamonds: 100% traced to grower
Colored Gemstones: 3% unknown, 10% traced to Country of Origin, 87% traced to Region of Origin
Pearls: 100% to country of farming origin
Precious metals: 2% not yet traced, 5% traced to Region of Mining Origin, 93% traced to Refiner
What has Mejuri been doing to advance traceability in 2024? In short, a lot. In 2023, Mejuri publically committed to achieving 100% traceability for our precious materials- natural diamonds, lab-grown diamonds, recycled precious metals, colored gemstones and pearls. Since then, our supply chain and sustainability teams have been working to operationalize traceability by further developing t specifications, creating data collection tools to assess our baseline and gathering documentation from suppliers.
Throughout this year, we have been collaborating closely with our suppliers to understand our current traceability progress and establish our baseline. Despite the challenges in the jewelry industry regarding origin information, our supply base demonstrated strong collaboration, with 100% of our suppliers self-reporting their traceability data.
While we know that significant work is ahead - Mejuri is proud to share our first round of self-reported traceability information.
How do we know this information? This summer, suppliers provided data both on the origin of their materials and any supporting documentation for their traceability claims. For precious metals, traceability is calculated by weight; For gemstones and pearls, it is calculated by the number of stones.
The traceability data survey has become a living document - not a one-time task. Mejuri will continue to use this information to validate our traceability levels, anticipating fluctuations as we progress in our journey, and as our expectations for traceability evolve.
PHILANTHROPY
We will support underrepresented people in our community, helping them to achieve their goals through education, upskilling, and advocacy, underpinned by collaborations, partnerships, scholarships and bursaries, and donations.
Why it matters: Mejuri has reinvented fine jewelry as an everyday luxury while championing positive impacts in our communities, the industry, and the world. Supporting women and underrepresented communities and helping them design the life they want is intrinsic to Mejuri’s values. By focusing on scholarships, bursaries, and grants, we can extend our impact through individuals who seek to contribute to transformative change in the jewelry industry and their communities.
Focus Area
$5M USD by 2030 to causes and organizations that positively impact women and underrepresented communities.
Methodology
USD donated to causes and organizations that positively impact women and underrepresented communities
Number of women receiving scholarships, bursaries, or grants
Number of nonbinary people receiving scholarships, bursaries, or grants
October 2024 Update:
Since establishing this goal, we have made significant strides:
Over US$1,000,000 donated to date
Through Indspire - 72 scholarships PTD (2020 to present);
Through Design Thinking Africa - 16 scholarships PTD (2020 to present)
Through UNCF - 39 scholarships PTD (2020 to present)
To date - 127 individuals have received scholarships
When Mejuri’s Empowerment Fund was launched in 2020, its goal was to support initiatives and organizations that empower women and underrepresented communities to design the life they want. Since then, Mejuri's Empowerment Fund has contributed over US $1 million through bursaries, scholarships and advocacy donations to organizations including Design Thinking Africa, Indspire, and UNCF. So far in 2024, 53 individuals have received scholarships.
Crossing the US $1 million mark is significant for any company, especially a young company like Mejuri. We're not done yet - we plan to keep building this impact through new programs and partnerships.
As a part of our expanded philanthropic efforts, we have launched the Mejuri Design Excellence Award. We are partnering with art schools in Canada, the US, and UK to provide scholarships and bursaries to individuals studying jewelry design and craft.
The Empowerment Fund will offer $10,000 USD each for five schools to distribute. Mejuri aims to provide additional support to students through reviews, guest lectures, events, and mentoring.
The participating schools are:
Central Saint Martins - UK
Rhode Island School of Design - United State of America
Savannah College of Art & Design - United State of America
Ontario College of Art & Design University - Canada
Vancouver Community College - Canada
A Year of Action: Reproductive Rights Advocacy
The overturning of Roe v. Wade presents an unprecedented rollback of reproductive rights and marks a direct attack on our team—over 79% of whom identify as women and 36% are based in the U.S.* It is our collective responsibility to protect one another and put a stake in the ground for what we believe.
We partnered with Don’t Ban Equality, a coalition of nonprofits (including Planned Parenthood Federation of America, BSR, and the American Civil Liberties Union), to form a committee of like-minded brands using our voice and reach to help protect access to reproductive healthcare and advocate for equal rights.
Through fundraising events, community initiatives, and amplification on our platforms, we will continue to mobilize the community and provide much-needed education about the issues at hand.
"We worked with Mejuri to approach sustainability with social justice in mind, including the health and wellbeing of their employees and communities. By working with other brands, this work will help them to use their influence to support women’s access to safe healthcare."
–Business for Social Responsibility
We’ve also expanded the reproductive coverage in our benefits program to include:
No-questions-asked time off
As well as travel and lodging reimbursements for any employees needing to seek an abortion out of state
Coverage of all contraceptives
Full coverage by insurance without cost-sharing
Design Thinking Africa
Our collaboration with Design Thinking Africa is the beginning of our Empowerment Funds' philanthropic endeavors within our international supply chain. The program teaches precision gemstone cutting and polishing to women in Zambia to uplift them and their communities.
In 2023, ten women received scholarships to upskill their polishing abilities. The long-term goal of our partnership with Design Think Africa is to support women in Zambia so they can promote local economic development by directly supplying Zambian mined and polished stones to jewelers.
"It's not just about mastering gem cutting; it's about shaping futures and fostering inclusivity."
-Esnart Zulu, Student and Scholarship Recipient
Charitable Initiatives
Established in 2020, our Empowerment Fund supports women and non-binary people's access to skills through traditional or non-traditional education to help them design the life they want.
To date, we've donated $823,000 USD in scholarships and advocacy partnerships across the US and Canada, including to initiatives such as:
Regeneration: A Revolutionary Re-Mining Initiative
Hundreds of thousands of abandoned mines, deemed "legacy mines," exist around the world. If left untreated, some legacy mines pollute sensitive watersheds, ecosystems, and native species.
We’re proud Founding Partners and the exclusive jewelry sector partner of Regeneration, a revolutionary re-mining initiative from RESOLVE, dedicated to rehabilitating legacy mining sites and restoring surrounding natural environments.
"A jewelry supply chain with nature-positive gold. That takes innovation and partnership. That’s why we’re partnering with Mejuri to process gold from waste and restore habitat."
—Stephen D'Esposito, CEO, Regeneration
Regeneration utilizes modern, efficient mining practices to extract valuable minerals from mine tailings, waste rock, and water surrounding these sites, helping to clean and restore the environment while attaining minerals in a far more eco-friendly fashion.
Not only will these precious minerals help in our global energy transition, but earnings from the sale of these responsibly sourced materials will be reinvested to help fund habitat restoration and mine closure activities—including at legacy and former mine sites.
Regeneration will also seek to create and trade biodiversity and carbon credits by rehabilitating land and generating environmental offsets.
Supporting Salmon Gold
An initiative from RESOLVE , Salmon Gold produces gold while restoring vital habitat for salmon and other wild species. The partnership re-mines legacy gold mine sites and restores fish habitats using sustainable techniques across Alaska, the Yukon Territory, and British Columbia.
OVER $45,000 USD
donated in support of Salmon Gold through various corporate initiatives in 2022.
RESPONSIBLE SOURCING
We believe that the highest levels of accountability and transparency are the future of modern luxury, and we’re committed to helping to drive this meaningful change across our industry.
To do this, we’ve partnered with a number of players across the industry to support one another in our collective mission towards improving our social and environmental performance.
We work with trusted suppliers who align with our values. Our Code of Conduct extends to partners throughout our supply chain, helping ensure adherence to fair labor practices, safe working conditions, and transparent communication.
The implementation of our SEA Program helps to ensure that any supplier interested in working with Mejuri must meet our expectations in four key areas before becoming a trusted partner:
Human rights
Fair and safe labor practices
Environmental protection
Ethical business conduct
It allows us to actively monitor our suppliers for adherence to those standards. Through the SEA Program, we can continually evaluate our supplier approach and practices to help ensure that we’re doing responsible business for the world we live in today—and tomorrow.
Our partnerships are constantly challenging us to refine our goals and move forward—for the good of everyone on the planet.
Currently, our partnership with Business for Social Responsibility is helping us to achieve resilience. We’ve signed on with Positive Luxury whose ESG+ framework is helping evaluate our sustainability programs. In addition, we’re joining the Watch and Jewelry Initiative to achieve several UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
In 2022, Mejuri became a signatory to the UN Global Compact corporate responsibility initiative and its principles in the areas of human rights, labor, the environment, and anti-corruption.
Since 2023, Mejuri has been a signatory of the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles, which offer guidance to businesses on how to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment in the workplace, marketplace, and community.