“Conflict free” diamonds – greenwashing or fact?

By Marc Choyt

Suppose you are a socially responsible person and want a diamond engagement ring. You decide to go “conflict free” on a website selling “ethical jewelry.” Little do you know the notion of a “conflict free” diamond (at least in Canada, as reported in this article) is really a spin that is currently being offered to socially responsible jewelry customers.

The conflict is two fold: environmental and human. The infrastructure required to transport millions of gallons of petrol to run the machinery and generators in the arctic tundra and arboreal forests is massive, and part of a larger trend that is drastically impacting the Northern Territories.

Secondarily, the mines are on First Nation lands. When mines were being proposed, the pro-development Natives conflicted with those who had more traditional values. The mines became a wedge issue, creating division in small villages that continues today.

In places where the Impact Benefit Agreement (IBA) is sufficient, these issues remain apparent only to those who are on the inside, as my 2009 interview with Tracy Williams, Trustee for the Canadian National Parks and Wilderness Society,describes. In places where there is greater poverty, First Nation people are beginning to take action.

The Attawapiskat

In February, 2009, the Attawapiskat First Nation, part of the larger Cree First Nation group, staged a major blockade at the De Beers’ Victor Mine in northern Ontario. Mike Koostachin was the first person there. He considers himself a keeper of traditional ways and works as a cultural liaison in schools, teaching Cree values to children.

Mike and I first talked about the situation at the Victor mine after the initial blockade. He called again last month when there was another blockade, which ended the day after my Fair Jewelry Action colleague, Greg Valerio, contacted De Beers in London.

In researching for the recent interview I posted with Mike, I obtained emails from De Beers’ First Nation employees written to management that confirmed Mike’s concerns and raised other issues, including how spills are cleaned up, treatment of First Nation people at the mine – even a rape allegation. The emails also showed a willingness on the part of De Beer’s personnel to address these issues.

The Victor mine is located in an area with a complex cultural and environmental landscape. Any alliance between members of the Attawapiskat Nation and De Beers would inevitably be fragile. The village is poor and in great need of jobs. Many feel hopeless—watch this Canadian News feature and you’ll learn how and why the suicide rate here is so high. An article in Attawapiskat in Canadian Geographic reveals the struggles locals have had in getting a new elementary school to replace its current one that is highly toxic. Not only is there benzene in the aquifers, but sewage commonly floods into their drinking water.

To gain the trust of the Attawapiskat, De Beers worked hard to employ a community sensitive approach in its negotiations. The village desperately wanted economic development. De Beers is obviously not a development or relief agency: they are there to make as much profit as possible. It’s likely, however, this level of engagement – with over 100 community meetings – created high expectations.

For some traditional Attawapiskat, the deal with De Beers has left them feeling bitter. They believe the economic development on the village has been negligible. “Our First Nation government is corrupt with a 14 million dollar deficit and they are saying it is the fault of the people, and we have a diamond mine next door?” Koostachin questioned.

Koostachin is especially concerned about the environmental impact of the mine. He’s seeing fish that are deformed and have elevated levels of mercury. He states “the water tastes different. There was disturbance of our caribou that migrate through the area – we don’t see them anymore. The caribou herds are in decline and the animals are no longer close to the villages due to the impact [of the mine].”

To Mike and other Cree, the mine threatens their greatest wealth – a traditional way of life intimately linked to their place on earth. As cultures and world views have clashed, communication on many levels has broken down.

“They are the same regime, a modern day regime. They have our tribal government,” said Koostachin. “Instead of cutting off your arms and feet like they did in Africa, they are cutting off our land, our food from the land. The people are the land.”

In the view of large-scale mining companies and governments, the land is there to be used. However, for many in the First Nation communities, the land is all they have. The land is for the people.

Meanwhile, companies selling Canadian diamonds continue to market their goods as “conflict free” – perpetuating a myth that is destroying North America’s last Serengeti.

About Marc Choyt

Marc Choyt is President of Reflective Images, a designer jewelry company located in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and founder of Fair Jewelry Action, USA. Fair Jewelry Action is an environmental and human rights network within the jewelry sector advocating ethical sourcing.

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