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Sustainability permeates every aspect of Chopard’s ethos. The Genevan jeweller sets the stage for performer Inch Chua, and entrepreneurs Leanne Robers and Olivia Lee, on how to live consciously, mindfully, and combat burnout
In 2013, when sustainability (in the green sense) was not yet the buzzword that it’s become today, one brave woman stood her ground and completely shifted the values of her family-owned business. This woman was Caroline Scheufele, artistic director and co-president of Chopard, the Genevan watch and jewellery brand that's been in her family since the 1960s.
Recognising that the jewellery industry needed to step up and reduce its impact on the environment, she began Chopard’s Journey to Sustainable Luxury in 2013, committing resources and research into how to make the process of mining stones and gold more environmentally sound, while protecting and preserving the communities impacted by this vocation.
For Scheufele, sustainability is not just seen in the journey the brand has undertaken to reduce its carbon footprint. It’s also ingrained in the way the brand approaches its creations. Back in 1993, Scheufele mooted a revolutionary idea to her family: she wanted to produce a timepiece in stainless steel with dancing diamonds ensconced within the watch face—it was unheard of that time, because the seemingly mundane and accessible steel had never before been paired with a precious stone like diamonds. The result was astounding, as evinced by the enduring popularity of the Happy Diamonds collection. It cemented the maison’s reputation for inventive design, but also had a broader objective: that of making its wearers happy.
The brand has long pursued this ethos of creating jewels and moments that are designed to enhance our mental wellbeing. Sustainability, for them, is not just about reducing one's carbon footprint—it’s about making decisions that have a profound, positive and long-term impact on our lives.
