Earlier this week, at our “Forward Faster: Why Collective Action Matters” Leadership Summit at the United Nations, WJI 2030 launched its report on Emerging Practices on Women’s Empowerment Principles implementation in the Watch & Jewellery Industry which included 14 emerging trends led by pioneers & starters. It humbly demonstrates key learnings and insights on how brands, like CHANEL, Gucci, Cartier Women’s Initiative, Pomellato, Monica Vinader Ltd, Mejuri and other suppliers have made progress toward the 7 WEPs encouraging wider industry adoption across operations.
WJI 2030 continues to promote the WEPs framework, and its uptake within the global watch and jewellery industry has not gone unnoticed, with leading brands such as Audemars Piguet signing the WEPs in 2024. The Emerging Practices publication is only a starting point. WJI 2030 has launched the Activation & Acceleration WEPs programme, empowered by Pandora, to accelerate implementation of the 7 WEPs.
The watch and jewellery industry has a unique role to play in advancing gender equality throughout the value chain as women are core to the business, fuelling demand for over 90% of the world’s jewellery according to industry estimates.
While gender equality and DEI initiatives tend to focus on equal pay and inclusive leadership, WJI 2030 goes deeper to demand policies be implemented throughout the entire value chain. Since its inception in 2022, WJI 2030 has focused on mobilizing its members on the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs), significantly increasing the number of signatories from the Watch and Jewellery.
