De Beers Group reports progress made towards ‘Building Forever’ sustainability goals

Diamond business De Beers has achieved its ‘Building Forever’ target to engage 5,000 women and girls in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) two years early, as per its new report. The business has also undertaken various renewable energy projects and other sustainability related work.

“Every stage of a natural diamond’s journey presents an opportunity to create a positive impact,” said De Beers Group’s CEO Al Cook in a press release. “We’ve long understood this at De Beers and it’s why our sustainability efforts are so closely aligned with the sustainable development priorities of our partner countries. Natural diamonds are a vital source of economic development for many millions of people. Through Building Forever, we’re working to ensure that every diamond we discover benefits the people and place it came from, with a priority focus on supporting community resilience, advancing women and girls and protecting nature.”
 
De Beers established its Building Forever initiative in 2020. Along with its STEM work, De Beers has agreed to set up a flagship Diamonds For Development Fund in Botswana to promote renewable energy projects and emission reduction targets as well as expanding its diamond traceability platform ‘Tracr’.
 
“We continue our efforts to reduce our carbon footprint in line with our recently validated science-based emission reduction targets and are progressing investments in renewable energy to power our operations,” said Cook. “Our leadership in diamond transparency and traceability also continued throughout 2023, underpinned by leading technologies, so that we can increasingly connect consumers with the provenance of their natural diamond and all the benefits it has delivered along its journey.”