Iris Van der Veken Heads Luxury Brands Sustainability Project

The “Watch & Jewellery Initiative 2030”, initiated last year by Cartier (Richemont) and conglomerate Kering, has appointed Belgian Iris Van der Veken, former Executive Director of the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC), as Executive Director and Secretary General. Van der Veken’s task will be to set up a governance structure that can help the initiative to reach its goals, enabling participating brands and companies to achieve commitments regarding climate, diversity, health and safety, labor conditions etc. Members of the Watch and Jewellery Initiative 2030 are all the companies within Kering and Richemont as well as Swarovski, Pandora, Rosy Blue and Chanel. In an interview with JCK’s Rob Bates, Van der Veken says “These companies are bolder than others and will hopefully inspire others, …, attracting smaller companies too”.