core sector communique

GUCCI CERTIFIED BY THE RESPONSIBLE JEWELLERY COUNCIL

LONDON - The Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) announced today that Gucci, one of the world's leading luxury fashion brands, has achieved certification by meeting the highest ethical, social and environmental standards established by the RJC’s Member Certification System.

“RJC is delighted to congratulate Gucci on its certification. The successful verification assessment was conducted by Francesco Vinci from SGS, one of the independent third-party auditing firms accredited to the RJC’s Member Certification System,” says Michael Rae, RJC’s Chief Executive Officer.

“Gucci is delighted to have achieved the RJC Member Certification two years after joining the Council as effective members. The certification gives me great pleasure since it represents a further step towards an always more authentic and genuine sense of responsibility that informs our company and the people who work with and for the Gucci brand. The certification not only reinforces the integrity of our processes, supply chains and final products also in this sector, but it also has a special meaning to me because it is related to a category that represents a relatively small part of our business. The total commitment and transparency that we have granted during the whole certification process is a testament to Gucci's desire to exceed not only in our core businesses, but in all the activities and initiatives that we put in place," says Patrizio di Marco, Gucci President and CEO.

About RJC

The Responsible Jewellery Council is an international not-for-profit organisation bringing together more than 350 member companies committed to promoting responsible ethical, human rights, social and environmental practices in a transparent and accountable manner throughout the jewellery industry from mine to retail. Their commitment aims to reinforce consumer and stakeholder confidence in diamond, gold and platinum group metals jewellery products. The Council has developed the RJC Member Certification System, a certification system, which will apply to all Members’ businesses that contribute to the diamond, gold and platinum group metals jewellery supply chain. All Commercial Members of the RJC are required to be audited by accredited, third-party auditors to verify their conformance with the RJC’s Code of Practices and become certified under the RJC Member Certification System

About Gucci

Founded in Florence in 1921, Gucci is one of the world's leading luxury fashion brands. With a renowned reputation for quality and Italian craftsmanship, Gucci designs, manufactures and distributes highly desirable products such as leather goods (handbags, small leather goods, and luggage), shoes, ready-to-wear, silks, timepieces and fine jewellery. Eyewear and fragrances are manufactured and distributed under license by global industry leaders in these two sectors. Gucci products are sold exclusively through a network of directly operated boutiques (365 DOS as of September 2011) and a small number of selected department and specialty stores.