Responsibly Sourced Gold Bullion
The how and the why behind our responsible gold bullion
Most gold bars in the UK are made from melted-down scrap gold.
Ethical Gold's directors have been working in the mining sector of Africa for over 20 years. They have established relationships with Government and miners alike, and so have been able to source newly mined gold.
Every stage of the gold production process, from the initial mining to the refining to the assaying, is tightly overseen and traceable.
The operations are all fully licenced and conform to Tanzanian and UK regulations for the Export and Import of gold.
What is artisanal mining?
Artisanal mining refers to Africa's burgeoning industry of informal and unregulated precious metals mining.
Artisanal miners generally work on land that does not belong to them and with next-to-no safety measures, essentially digging tunnels into the earth with shovels and chisels and selling what they find to whoever will buy it.
It is dangerous and illegal, yet for the 5+ million artisanal miners in Africa today (It is impossible to give an accurate number) it often represents their sole livelihood.
Many would say the chance of ‘hitting it big' offsets any risk and, unfortunately, unregulated artisanal mining is associated with a high rate of accidents, injuries and fatalities.
The refinery supplying Ethical Gold works hand in hand with local authorities and communities to both certify and support artisanal miners, turning desperate and dangerous work into a safe and legal occupation and meaning we can offer our customers responsibly sourced gold.
Licensing
Ethical Gold work with the local governments in order to help provide some much-needed regulation to the artisanal mining industry.
In particular to ensure the ore used to provide our gold bullion is sourced from miners who work on licensed and regulated land, instead of having to risk life and limb by trespassing.
Wage
The miners are provided with a fair hourly wage for their work, freeing them from the feast-or-famine way of life archetypal to artisanal mining.
Safety
The refinery providing our Gold ensures that the Artisans have appropriate tools and train them in basic Health and Safety relating to excavation etc.
This includes a total ban on the artisans using acid and other dangerous chemicals in the processing of their ore. This is now done at the processing plant under supervision by trained operatives.
Health
The miners and their families are provided with free health check-ups.
Frequently Asked Questions about our responsibly sourced gold
Where are the gold bars produced?
Ethical Gold purchases the gold bars from a fully licensed refinery based in Tanzania.
Why do people turn to artisanal mining?
For many people in poverty-stricken areas, artisanal mining offers a livelihood with a low barrier of entry yet a potentially very high earning potential, in the event they’re able to find a a vein of gold. However, the lack of formal training and substandard equipment endemic to the artisanal mining industry makes it very dangerous work and potentially leaves the workers open to exploitation by black markets.
Why is artisanal mining considered dangerous?
Unregulated artisanal miners typically work wherever and with whatever they can, with no formal training or safety equipment. Many artisanal miners also attempt to refine or process their own gold using crude methods, relying on acids or dangerous chemicals like mercury. Ethical Gold’s partners work to make these a thing of the past for the Artisans miners by working towards giving them a safe working environment and leaving the processing of the gold to our refinery.
If you are interested in purchasing gold bullion has been ethically sourced and supports the livelihoods of the miners, please contact us via our enquiry form to arrange a conversation with one of our team.
Ethical Gold LTD reg in England co no 14251139