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Gold mining is one of the most polluting industries on the planet. Gold is commonly extracted through “heap leaching,” which crushes the ore, piles it into heaps and sprays the heaps with cyanide, and the run-off cyanide is stored in artificial ponds for re-use. This process can take decades, and contamination of the environment around where the operations takes place is “almost inevitable,” as a report by Earthworks and Oxfam America states. Consider that a rice-grain sized dose of cyanide can be fatal to humans, and cyanide concentrations of one microgram (one-millionth of a gram) per liter of water can be fatal to fish. The average gold mine uses over 1,900 tons of cyanide a year.
The No Dirty Gold campaign’s Golden Rules calls on mining companies to meet basic standards in their operations. The basic standards Golden Rules calls for include ensuring that projects do not contaminate water, soil, or air with sulfuric acid drainage or other toxic chemicals.
A total of 80 retailers have committed to the Golden Rules, but not Macy’s, making the department store chain one of only two of the top 10 U.S. jewelry retailers, along with Costco, to not sign the Golden Rules.
It is ironic that Macy’s states on its corporate accountability website that the company believes “that contributing to a more sustainable environment is good business practice and the right thing to do for future generations.” Macy’s website also states that the company is “developing supplier sustainability standards and promoting eco-friendly products to our customers.”
Earthworks and Change.org started a petition drive recently asking consumers to tell Macy’s to commit to the Golden Rules. A similar petition earlier this year to Target gathered over 22,000 signatures, and resulted in Target signing the Golden Rules.
“Macy’s stores and holiday catalogs are filled with glittering displays of jewelry, but they’re tarnished by the fact that shoppers can’t be sure where the gold comes from,” said Payal Sampat, international campaigns director for Earthworks. “Macy’s customers deserve to know their holiday gifts don’t come with a legacy of water pollution or human rights abuses, and right now Macy’s can’t say that.”
“Macy’s has a very clear choice,” said Nick Magel, international campaigns coordinator for Earthworks. “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.”
What you can do
There are two things you can do to push Macy’s to sign the Golden Rules. First, sign the consumer pledge by the No Dirty Gold campaign, which states:
“I support the No Dirty Gold campaign to end destructive gold mining practices. I call on retailers and manufacturers of gold jewelry, electronics, and other goods to work to ensure that the gold in their products was not produced at the expense of local communities, workers, and the environment. I demand that the global mining industry provide retailers and consumers an alternative to dirty gold.”
The second thing you can do is sign the No Dirty Gold petition to Macy’s CEO Terry Lundgren, calling on the company to sign the Golden Rules.
I feel so bad about that Macy's not one to be setting off as an example on the industry. And I don't ever want to commit into that kind of a company that violates the Golden Rules.