The Authorship selection process for the Signet/JA study is unethical and a con job!
Time for another small newsletter from me! Why? Because there is news, more evidence
that makes this resemble a planned con job rather than an unbiased, broad-based study.
Three months into my participation, Bonaparte and Bouffard still refuse to provide me
with all the minutes and other important documents. Do the rest of you in the PSMSWG
support this secrecy and lack of transparency? Would it not be best to just come clean?
I apologize in advance for any misinformation below. This is the best I can do without
copies of all the minutes, discussions and contracts that David Bonaparte and David
Bouffard are hiding. If you find errors please correct me.
A short summary is included at he end. The following includes what I knew previously
and the new information uncovered by Chaim Even-Zohar (article copied below, with
permission, for your enjoyment)
First a review:
1. Signet and JA started PSMSWG, claiming it is broad based, transparent and
inclusive. It is not.
2. Signet and JA proposed an independent study to evaluate ethical sourcing and
human rights issues in the Precious Stone Trade (read colored gemstones). It is
not independent.
3. The PSMSWG set up the Communications Committee to oversee the “Study” and
choose the Authorship Team.
4. Documents outlining the Authorship Team requirements and the studies Terms of
Reference were approved by the communications committee. Both these
documents were partially or fully written by John Hall, James Lombe and David
Bonaparte..
5. The Communications Committee chose John Hall to collect all the nominations
for the Authorship Team, create a short list and present it to the Communications
Committee for approval.
6. John Hall chose Sustainable and Responsible Solutions (SRS) as the lead author
with research provided by Estelle Levin and a review of the study by FAFO.
7. Draft of the study is finished. I have read the study and it is so lacking that it is
embarrassing.
8. All of us on the committee have reviewed this study and presented our reports to
John Hall for him to combine and to be discussed on April 29th.
9. Bouffard, Bonaparte et al have already made plane and hotel reservations and sent
out invitations to people and organizations around the world to join them in the
presentation of this study to the OECD in May even if the study is not finished
and approved!
Does this really look ethical and independent? …but wait …there’s more!
Some of the Players:
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Signet – Largest jeweler in the world, US$4.2 billion and the largest contributor
to JA. (read Cash Cow). They are also the largest contributor to the study US$35,000 and donate several of their employees.
David Bouffard - VP Corporate Affairs, Signet Jewelers, co-chair standards
committee of RJC
David Bonaparte – Executive Director & CEO of Jewelers of America and on
the Board of Directors of RJC.
John Hall - works for Signet and is also on the board of directors of
Sustainable and Responsible Solutions, the “independent” company he chose! (I
can find no evidence of anyone ever disclosing his position on the Board of
Directors of SRS)
Matt Runci – Ex-President and CEO of JA and on the Board of Directors of
SRS.
James Evans Lombe – Owns SRS and is employed by JA as their Director of
Ethical Initiatives.
Estelle Levin – Independent researcher and advisor. However Estelle Levin is a
member of the Standards Committee for the Responsible Jewelry Council
(RJC) and works directly with Susan Thea Posnock, David Bouffard and Cecilia
Gardner. (Dave Bonaparte told me the following: “...JA has no relationship of any
kind with Estelle Levin ...other than being on an occasional conference call...”)
Susan Thea Posnock – Communications Director of Jewelers of America a
member of the PSMSWG Communications Committee and on the Standards
Committee for the RJC.
Cecilia Gardner – President, CEO and general council for the Jewelers Vigilance
Committee. She heads the U.S. Kimberley Process Authority and is the General
Counsel of the World Diamond Council (WDC)
Responsible Jewelry Council (RJC) – “...an international standard on
responsible business practices for diamonds, gold and platinum group metals. The
Code of Practices addresses human rights, labor rights, environmental impact,
mining practices, product disclosure...” RJC charges up to US$1,679 per day to
be audited and up to US$102,000 to be a member. RJC was started by JA & Matt
Runci. (A pay for approval scheme?)
Now that you know the history and who’s who, let’s see how they work together:
The communications committee has 21 people today, less when it started. Seven
(7) currently work for JA, Signet, RJC or JVC which is the core group that
runs, manipulates and controls this committee. Remember, you do not need a
majority to control a volunteer organization when most are only observers, you
just need a strong core.
This core group chose John Hall (Signet, RJC and SRS) to create the short list
of Authors. He chose SRS, an organization where he is on the Board of
Directors and Estelle Levin who works closely with Susan Thea Posnock, the
Communications Director of JA, on a RJC committee that was started by JA and
Matt Runci.
The heads of the Authorship team include Matt Runci (JA, RJC, and SRS) and
James Lomb (SRS & JA).
All the evaluations of the “Draft” study will be handed to John Hall (board of
Directors of SRS) to compile and present to the Communications Committee for
discussion on April 29th.
In Summary: Signet and JA start the PSMSWG with enough supporters in position
to control the direction of the organization. They then create a smaller controllable group
called the Communications Committee to oversee the important study.
Signet and JA place one of their employees, John Hall (Signet), in charge of
independently choosing the “short list” - SRS, as the lead member of the Authorship
Team, without disclosing to anyone that John Hall is on the board of directors of SRS.
The owners of SRS, who are supposed to write this independent study are non other than
Matt Runci and James Evans Lombe (past CEO and current employee of JA).
Also included in the “short list” and hired is Estelle Levin who Dave Bonaparte claims to
have no working relationship with. We have discovered that Estelle Levin works with
Bonaparte’s Communications Director, Susan Posnock on a RJC committee while, at
the same time, Dave Bonaparte is on the Board of Directors of the RJC.
JA refuses to provide copies of the contracts with SRS, Estelle Levin or FAFO. Signet
refuses to provide the minutes of the Communications Committee. Signet pays $35,000
(out of $60K) towards the study and JA owns the study and the Brand.
The study was supposed to be ready November 1st, then the beginning of the year. Signet
and JA have now pushed back the earliest release date to April 29 which will not allow
any time for public review and comment before presenting the study on May 26 to OECD
in Paris.
Is there anyone out there who still thinks that this is an independent
Authorship Team selected without bias to write an independent study?
All the Best
Dana