GSI Paving The Path To A Positive Impact SDG

GSI Diamond Certification-usa

Paving the Path to a Positive Impact

Our Commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: The Road to 2030

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INTRODUCTION

Setting the Stage

 The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations members, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet. Starting now and into the future, The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an urgent call for action by all countries in a global partnership.

The UN recognizes that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand in hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.

Gemological Science International (GSI) is committed to mobilizing its vast scientific, social and cultural expertise and resources to address the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).GSI has and will continue engaging resources on actionable, solution-based goals that will lead to tangible, sustainable developments.

Who Is GSI?

Founded in 2005, Gemological Science International (GSI) is one of the largest gemological organizations in the world. With 13 laboratories spanning four continents, including Belgium; Botswana; Dubai; Hong Kong; India, Israel, and the United States, GSI is at the forefront of global gemological and scientific innovation, as well as global social and environmental needs and developments.

GSI’s Mission Statement:

Gemological Science International (GSI) is a global full-service gemological laboratory dedicated to protecting consumer trust by maintaining the highest levels of integrity, innovation, professional service, and research &education. All GSI gemological processes and reports are backed by a commitment to the highest ethical standards and practices.

GSI’s commitment to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals focuses on community outreach; gender equality; diversity and inclusion; environmental protection; development projects; industry innovation; human rights; and decent work are an essential part of our organizational culture to shape a sustainable future for our employees, customers, environment, and communities.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Giving Back To Community

Around the world, Gemological Science International will give each of their employees one paid day off per month to volunteer with a local or global charitable organization that focuses on at least two of the SDGs that GSI has committed to working towards. This totals more than 50,000 hours of GSI paid time off for employees to give back.

GSI’s Regional Initiatives:

Each global region has specific social, economic, and environmentally sustainable needs to ensure a prosperous future. To help meet these needs, GSI creates and implements charitable initiatives in the country of each of their home offices.

  • GSI launched the Joy Box campaign to create opportunities for underprivileged children (13-15 years old) in urban and rural India. Industry participants fill boxes with essential stationery such as geometry boxes, pen sets, socks, educational games, A4 paper bundles, T-shirts, and new clothes to ensure school-aged children have the supplies they need to focus on their education.
  • GSI also partners with organizations seeking cleaner, better living environments for India’s workers and people. GSI employees of the Mumbai branch initiated a street-cleaning effort to give back to the community. GSI employees, along with the help of the city’s municipal corporation staff, go out on the streets with their brooms and other cleaning equipment to improve the local area.
  • In the interest of environmental sustainability, GSI distributes seed envelopes containing plantable seed paper of different plants in exhibitions, shows, and to clients, and in Israel, plants trees and adopts streets on which it conducts an annual cleanup campaign.

Regional Employee Volunteer Efforts:

GSI will also create and implement charitable initiatives in the home country of each of their offices based on their community’s unique, sustainable needs. GSI started these initiatives as far back as 2014, but are now leveling up the initiative, on a ‘path to a positive impact’ to 2030.

GSI employees across branches volunteer for various activities driving social change and community improvement.

WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT

Gender Equality

GSI believes in building a performance-driven culture and strengthening its commitment to inclusion, equity, and diversity. Our goal is to reflect the diversity of our global community at our workplace and foster a culture where women are empowered and are provided growth and advancement opportunities.

GSI believes that equal opportunity culture enables every employee to contribute to our mission on a greater level by being given the resources and opportunities to reach an equal outcome. Candidates applying to GSI receive equal consideration for their employment without discrimination based on gender, race, caste, creed, religion, age, sexual orientation, marital status, and others. This includes compensation, benefits packages, and advancement opportunities.

The majority of GSI’s leadership are women, embodying GSI’s commitment to inclusive executive culture. Our organizational policies allow women a safe, unbiased, and flexible work environment that helps them achieve their highest potential. GSI supports women across all segments of the business, further strengthening our commitment to empowering women across our value chain.

Advancing women

One of GSI’s top priorities is encouraging women across the value chain. GSI acknowledges that women from various regions go through gender-based violence, disproportionate pay, lack of childcare, and others. GSI creates opportunities for women through job creation, training, and skill development across various levels of the job hierarchy in the value chain.

UN COMPACT INFORMATION

GSI’s Commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Gemological Science International (GSI)’s commitment to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals focuses on community outreach; gender equality; diversity and inclusion; environmental protection; development projects; industry innovation, as well as human rights, and decent work.

In alignment with this, GSI is fully dedicated to the following SDGs. GSI commenced its ‘Path To A Positive Impact’ initiative in 2020 and will be continually growing its investment in the program through 2030, as detailed below.

1 – No Poverty
2 – Zero Hunger
3 – Good Health & Well-being
4 – Quality Education
5 – Gender Equality
6 – Clean Water & Sanitation
7 – Decent Work & Economic Growth
8 – Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure
9 – Reduced Inequalities
10 – Sustainable Cities & Communities
11 – Responsible Consumption & Production
12 – Climate Action
13 – Life on Land

GSI’s Path To A Positive Impact Initiatives

GSI’s Gemological Entrepreneurs Around the World Scholarship Program and Jewelry Course

As the leading provider and creator of gemological science education initiatives both for the diamond industry and consumers, GSI values quality education above all else. For this reason, GSI created the ‘Laboratory Entrepreneurs Around the World’ scholarship and mentoring program, where courses will be provided to aspiring professionals giving them the opportunity to learn how to be a diamond grader, or lab technician, as well as courses on jewelry design. Upon successful program completion, participants will receive an internship at GSI.

How it Works:

  • Courses will be provided to teach individuals of all ages in each of GSI’s market areas how to become a laboratory technician or diamond grader in one of GSI’s state-of-the-art labs.
  • Upon successful program completion, all participants receive a certificate and internship opportunity at GSI or job placement assistance.
  • GSI’s staff and executives will mentor select program participants for four years after the program is completed to enable them to continue to develop and perhaps even expand their business.
  • Upon completion of the Jewelry design courses GSI will then help the young entrepreneurs to sell the jewelry globally through their website–gemscience.net–promoting all brands through their social media platforms, enabling these budding entrepreneurs to reach millions of people around the world.
  • Each piece of jewelry sold will be accompanied by a brochure that includes information about how customers can make additional donations, which GSI will match dollar for dollar

SUSTAINABILITY

Going Paperless: An environment-priority approach

GSI recognizes the importance of the environment in creating a sustainable future and is driven to reduce waste through our operations and solutions.

Our core service involves issuing laboratory reports for loose stones and jewelry. We are dedicated to pushing forward our efforts to operate responsibly and towards sustainable solutions. GSI is working toward a paperless approach by eliminating physical copies of grading reports.

GSI has already partnered with various retailers and industry peers worldwide on multiple programs that involve reports in digital-only formats. We ensure that by prioritizing the environment and sustainable solutions, at least 80% of our reports and programs will be completely digital by the end of 2022.

GSI BUSINESS PRACTICES

GSI’s Code of Conduct

GSI’s top priority has always been to ensure the delivery of the highest quality products and services and to achieve 100% industry and consumer confidence. GSI’s core values are integrity, innovation, professional service, and research and education. They are formulated under GSI’s code of conduct and followed globally by all GSI branches.

The code of conduct guides every employee to uphold the highest standards of integrity, accuracy, and professionalism in their operations and helps employees make ethical decisions at every level.

GSI believes in equality and diversity and maintains a respectful workplace free of any discrimination and harassment.

At GSI, privacy and confidentiality are maintained at every level of our operations. We protect the information of our clients and vendors entrusted to us during the course of business. Every stone or piece of jewelry submitted to the GSI is graded and tested in complete anonymity to prevent any unethical practice via safeguards built into our processes.GSI is renowned for uncompromising accuracy, reliability, and consistency in services.

Concerns and complaints are addressed promptly with full confidentiality, and different committees are utilized to ensure a fair, impartial investigation.GSI committees include:

  1. Internal complaints committee (ICC) for Policy Of Sexual Harassment (POSH)
  2. Health and safety committee
  3. Grievance committee

GSI has a zero-tolerance policy for violations of our code of conduct and takes strict disciplinary action, up to and including termination.

Ethical Conduct

At the core of GSI’s business is a commitment to excellence and integrity throughout everything we do and everywhere we operate. Ethical and honest behavior is our organization’s hallmark and is practiced daily on all levels. GSI is committed to doing business the right way, operating openly, honestly, and transparently, fostering a culture that has helped us earn our customers’ trust in our company.

GSI’s standards are based on accuracy and yield consistent gemological grading outcomes in all global offices. While local customs and languages may differ, workflow processes, quality control checks, and customer service meet the same standards worldwide.

GSI has always conducted solid internal and external third-party audits to ensure that our business systems and processes conform to the highest required operating standards.

Anti-Corruption

With integrity being one of our core beliefs, GSI takes pride in reflecting high levels of integrity and legal standards in all its processes and procedures. We understand the importance of governing an anti-corruption policy globally across all branches, forbidding bribery and any form of corruption in its operations.

GSI has a zero-tolerance toward corruption in any form and has thus developed a code of conduct for all its global branches that ensures staff compliance for adhering to legal standards and ethical principles. GSI expects its partners/retailers and businesses to maintain the same integrity standards.

SUMMARY

This is just the beginning of GSI’s use of its scientific, social, and cultural expertise and resources to preserve our environment.

GSI stands united with the United Nations in the recognition that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans, forests, and ultimately our planet.

GSI is committed to creating a work environment that positively impacts our planet and community through sustainable solutions. GSI intends to reduce waste in operations as much as possible at all its facilities.

GSI also plans to invest in digitization and technology, which will enable us to go completely digital by providing e-reports instead of physical copies. This will help us serve clients better by providing them with data at their fingertips and benefit the environment.

GSI believes in promoting equal opportunity and diversity and prohibits any kind of discrimination across all global branches. GSI plans to conduct training and development programs for all employees to encourage them to evolve in their respective profiles and fields.

GSI respects the human rights policy and will continue to adhere to the highest ethical standards. We believe in fair salary and compensation packages, working hours, and creating a safe workplace for all employees. Thus, we will work towards developing better compensation and benefits packages for our employees.

GSI supports many worthwhile charities in the jewelry industry and beyond through staff volunteerism and company contributions.

Our Corporate Social Responsibility strategy is formulated to align with the UN SDG, which helps us optimize our resources and progress towards a better future.

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