D’orica contributes to the Confindustria workshop on the subject of “Certifications in the goldsmithing sector”

A certified B Corp… that didn’t know it was one

D’orica contributes to the Confindustria workshop on the subject of “Certifications in the goldsmithing sector” – “Entrepreneurial sustainability is all too often a facade today”

“When we founded D’orica thirty-three years ago, ‘sustainability’ was just one of many words in the Italian language. Today it has become one of the most abused, especially in an entrepreneurial environment. All too often it is talked about with a view to carving out a slice of the market, a superficial environmentalism rightly referred to as ‘greenwashing’.” The “Certifications in the goldsmithing sector; a comparison of entrepreneurial experiences” workshop held on 29 June 2023 by the Gold and Silversmithing Section of Confindustria Vicenza in collaboration with Federorafi, was an opportunity to clarify a number of important concepts for Giampietro Zonta, chair of D’orica, a Vicenza-based goldsmith specialising in jewellery creation.

“It was clear to us from the outset that, in order to achieve our vision as a company, we would have to bring in our family values, meaning real respect for people and the environment. Hence the need to register the D’orica business as a benefit company and, as a logical next step, to certify it according to B Corp parameters. We happened to be visited by the manager of a goldsmithing company five years ago. Once the visit was over, the guest informed us that we met all the requirements to obtain this international certification, even back then complying with the environmental and social standards normally required by the non-profit organisation B Lab. B Corp was a new term for us, although we were familiar with the philosophy behind it, having for some time already applied the SLCA (Sustainability Life Cycle Assessment), which revealed a commendable working method, even exceeding that of B Corp companies operating in the textile and food sectors. The achievement of B Corp certification in 2019 – as well as the renewal this year – is just the confirmation of an identity in which we fully recognise ourselves.”

As we know, words are important, along with the meaning they entail: “75% of the added value of D’orica jewellery requires considerable craftsmanship,” Zonta further explained, “but ‘craftsmanship’ does not mean approximation; on the contrary, it requires even more control over standardised processes, and it is therefore essential to provide the customer with black-and-white certification and documentation that proves the company’s intention to constantly monitor its production processes, gearing itself towards self-improvement.”