| Metal Mining and Refining | | | | your sweeps to send back to the refiner. |
| Jewelry designers and producers draw upon | | | | -Periodically vacuum your shop floor and send in |
| nature for design inspiration and for the materials | | | | the vacuum cleaner bag. |
| that are used to create their products; therefore | | | | -Put carpets in front of doors to catch metal dust |
| it is not only our responsibility and desire to be | | | | before it literally walks out the door. |
| sensitive to our environmental impact, it is also | | | | -Use sink traps on your all sinks, especially those |
| good business practice. The jewelry industry relies | | | | in which jewelry is being rinsed after tumbling |
| heavily upon mining companies to generate raw | | | | -Wear an apron. Brush the dust off of your apron |
| materials for their products; unfortunately the | | | | at the end of the day. Periodically send your |
| mining process creates significant waste and | | | | aprons into the refinery with your scrap. |
| contaminants, causing harm to the land and its | | | | -Encourage your staff to get involved. Offer |
| inhabitants. | | | | incentives for green ideas or share "green tips" at |
| Here are some tips to make your jewelry | | | | weekly staff meetings so that employees are |
| production studio more environmentally friendly: | | | | actively and regularly brain-storming about ways |
| -Use recycled metal. There are several suppliers in | | | | to become more environmentally friendly. |
| the marketplace that source their metal from | | | | -Recycling basic office materials including paper, |
| scrap. By using recycled metal, less new metal | | | | cardboard, bottles and cans |
| needs to be mined from the earth. | | | | -Replacing disposables with permanent items |
| -Maximize metal scrap collection to be recycled. | | | | (dishes, towels, utensils) in bathrooms and kitchen |
| Most metal refiners will pay you for your metal | | | | -Eliminating single-use water bottles |
| scrap; at current metal prices, this can add up to | | | | -Regularly reusing scrap paper |
| significant savings very quickly! It's also the best | | | | -Using recycled paper and packaging materials |
| way to maximize our usage of a precious | | | | -Replacing incandescent bulbs with energy efficient |
| resource. There are many ways to collect your | | | | bulbs |
| scrap around the workshop: | | | | -Using weather strips |
| -Separate out scrap that cannot be reused in the | | | | -Using water efficient toilets that use 1.6 gallons or |
| production process. Refiners typically offer the | | | | less per flush |
| highest rates if you separate out types of metal | | | | -Switch to biodegradable and "green" cleaning |
| (sterling silver, 14 karat gold, 18 karat gold, etc.) | | | | products |
| -Regularly sweep your shop floor. Pick out larger | | | | -Recharge and recycle batteries |
| pieces of metal that can be reused or added to | | | | Even these small changes that we've instituted |
| the piles you've sorted above. Also, keep all of | | | | make a difference over the long-run. |