Zale Joins ‘No Dirty Gold’ Campaign

Alaska's Bristol Bay is home to the world's largest remaining wild sockeye salmon fishery  photo courtesy Ben_Knight/EARTHWORKS

Zale Corporation pledged its support for permanently protecting Alaska's Bristol Bay watershed from large-scale metal mining, including the controversial proposed Pebble Mine. By that, Zale is joining a growing number of jewelry retailers that are supporting the No Dirty Gold campaign.

The mine proposed at the headwaters of Bristol Bay is projected to be the largest in North America, generating billions of tons of mine waste and industrializing important salmon habitat in the heart of the world's last great wild sockeye salmon fishery.

Mining giant Anglo American and Vancouver-based Northern Dynasty are partners in the project. The two companies recently announced plans to invest another $73 million into the project this year, with plans to submit mine permit applications in 2011.

Twelve jewelers, which represent over $2 billion in sales in the U.S., have recently joined the No Dirty Gold campaign. They include, in addition to Zale, independent jewelers Toby Pomeroy, Blair Lauren Brown, Reflective Images, Michaels Jewelers, Security Jewelers, Ingle & Rhode, Alberto Parada, Real Jewels, CRED Jewellery, Open Source Minerals and Fair Trade in Gems and Jewelry.

“Zale is committed to sourcing gold and other precious metals in a responsible manner,” said Gil Hollander, Executive Vice President of Zale. “We believe gold should be mined and refined in a manner that protects both the environment and its inhabitants. Therefore, Zale is happy to support, alongside other jewelers, the pledge to protect the Bristol Bay Fishery Reserve from large-scale metals mining.”

These jewelers have taken this step at the invitation of local Alaskans, who want to protect Bristol Bay's salmon fishery - the world's largest remaining wild sockeye salmon fishery and the source of roughly 50 percent of the world's commercial supply of sockeye salmon.

Bob Waldrop of the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association expressed the thanks of local fisherman. “The 1,850 Bristol Bay commercial fishing permit holders that we represent want to thank the jewelers who have vowed not to buy gold from the Pebble Mine,” said Waldrop. “This landslide of new jeweler support is a tremendous boost to our efforts to protect this irreplaceable fishery."

The jewelers join twenty other prominent retailers, including Tiffany & Co., Birks & Mayors and class ring firm Jostens, who have already vowed not to buy gold from the Pebble mine.