A conscious choice
At Michael Hill, we care deeply about creating an ever more ethical and sustainable jewellery industry. Recycling gold is a vital part of that ecosystem. It’s our own way of helping to preserve the planet that gives so generously of her precious gems and metals.
Together we are making a positive impact.
24186
TONNES OF MINING ORE SAVED*
129
TONNES OF
EMISSIONS SAVED^
EMISSIONS SAVED^
Research suggests recycling 1 gram of pure gold can help to reduce an estimated 3 tonnes of ore extraction* and avoid up to 16kg of carbon emissions^. These conclusions are not definitive or based on primary, firsthand research. The conclusions are based on a best-endeavours, publicly available set of data from academic research papers. For each claim, one academic paper was selected, and we recognise there may be others that provide added or alternative data. Further life-cycle research on gold production is needed to provide customers with an even more reliable comparison between the gold they purchase or that is recycled.
*This is an estimate only, and is based on a global production-weighted mean average (Nassar,Lederer, Brainard, Padila and Lessard 2022) Operational and extraction efficiencies vary greatly between individual mines.
^Estimating carbon emissions avoided is difficult. Our estimate is based on available information which is limited and is based on the aqua regia method – the most commonly used high-value gold scrap recycling process – from several state-of-the-art German refineries (Fritz, Aichele and Schmidt 2020)
Making new jewellery from old materials
Give new life to old loves with our gold recycling program. It's simple, you send in your old gold jewellery to receive a Michael Hill e-gift card to purchase a new treasure. It means we can reduce waste and preserve our earth’s precious raw materials.
Changing our business to combat climate change
We only have one earth, and our 2030 Sustainability Goals inspire us to propel our business towards a better future. See how we're changing our business to create a better tomorrow for future generations.
Made from kindly sourced materials
At Michael Hill, we pride ourselves on being the jeweller that cares. As a member of the Responsible Jewellery Council, we’re committed to ensuring that our pieces are sourced and consumed ethically, sustainably and responsibly.