Sustainability | Overview of Issues
Sustainability | Industry Facts
Overview of Issues | Lab-Created Diamonds | Industry Facts | Resources
Metal Mining
- 22 of 22 metal mines investigated by Earthworks were found to be contributing to water contamination
- A typical gold ring results in 20 tons of mine waste
- Cyanide and Mercury are typically used to separate gold from the ore
- Metal mining is responsible for 96% of arsenic emissions and 76% percent of lead emissions in the US
- Metal mining is the most toxic polluter in the United States
Unstable Governments
- The Democratic Republic of Congo produces more than $2 billion of diamonds annually, but 90% of its population (60 million people) lives in poverty
- 70% of the world’s gold comes from developing countries such as Guatemala and Ghana
- Nearly 2 million children work in mines around the world. Thousands more children work in cutting and polishing factories
- Burma exports 80-90% of the world’s rubies and jadeite
- Madagascar produces 50% of the world’s sapphires
- Globally, metal mining employs less than 1% of the workforce but consumes as much as 10% of energy
Diamonds
- Each diamond mine consumes 13 million gallons of diesel fuel annually to power generators
- Genuine diamonds created in a lab are optically, chemically and physically identical to their mined counterparts
- 65% of the world’s diamonds are mined in Africa (annual value of $8.5 billion)
- 46% of Angolan diamond miners are under the age of 16