Our Ethical Sourcing Criteria
Redefining Ethics in the Crystal Industry
In an industry flooded with unverified claims and superficial buzzwords, Beyond Bohemian sets a new standard for ethical sourcing. Our rigorous 10-pillar approach is a testament to our commitment to fairness, sustainability, and integrity—practices that go beyond industry norms and deliver meaningful change.
Every partner, product, and process must meet our strict criteria, ensuring that every crystal aligns with our core values.
1. Fair Wages and Safe Working Conditions
We require all our suppliers and partners to uphold humane labor practices, including:
Paying livable wages that support workers and their families.
Providing and maintaining safe working environments to prevent workplace injuries and long-term health issues.
Prohibiting exploitative practices such as child labor, forced labor, or bonded labor.
Through evaluations, open dialogues, and rigorous documentation, we ensure compliance and uphold human dignity.
2. Full Compliance with Laws and Regulations
Every supplier we work with must comply with:
Labor laws to safeguard workers' rights.
Environmental permits and licenses to certify responsible extraction methods.
Legal excavation permits to ensure materials are mined lawfully.
This transparency ensures we only support legitimate operations while actively avoiding illegal or exploitative practices.
3. Conflict-Free and Responsible Sourcing
We avoid sourcing materials from regions where mining contributes to violence, instability, or human rights abuses. For instance:
We refuse to source lapis lazuli from Afghanistan, which has documented ties to funding armed conflict and the Taliban.
Similarly, we do not purchase jade from Myanmar, where mining practices are connected to environmental devastation, forced labor, and unsafe working conditions.
However, the challenges don’t stop there. Some regions make it impossible to verify ethical claims due to lack of transparency, unstable political climates, or unregulated industries. In such cases, we choose not to source materials, even if demand for these products is high.
As part of our commitment to integrity, we continually monitor the socio-political and environmental conditions in the regions we source from. This often means suspending or discontinuing the import of certain products when conditions change and ethical verification is no longer possible. This proactive approach ensures that Beyond Bohemian maintains the highest standards in conflict-free sourcing.
4. Sustainability and Environmental Responsibility
Mining, by its nature, impacts the environment, but we strive to mitigate these effects by partnering with suppliers who prioritize sustainability through:
Rehabilitation Projects: Land must be reforested, restored, or converted into sustainable agricultural use after mining.
Traditional Techniques: Mining and lapidary practices should employ low-impact methods that minimize resource depletion.
Offsetting Environmental Damage: Partners in Madagascar and Brazil actively fund reforestation efforts to repair damage caused by industrial mining.
Through partnerships with reforestation initiatives and local cooperatives, Beyond Bohemian ensures that every mining project contributes to long-term environmental restoration.
5. Transparent Supply Chain
Transparency is central to our sourcing process. We ensure:
Every product has a documented journey, from mine to market, with a clear paper trail. This includes mining licenses, permits, and compliance certificates to confirm legal operations.
We maintain direct relationships with all suppliers, ensuring open communication and frequent inspections. Worker-owned cooperatives also verify compliance on the ground.
By prioritizing suppliers with legal frameworks and tax compliance, we avoid the shadow businesses that dominate much of the industry.
Our ownership of a lapidary in Lima, Peru gives us unparalleled oversight of sourcing, polishing, and production. By insisting on thorough documentation, we guarantee that every crystal meets our standards of legality, sustainability, and ethics.
6. Commitment to Worker-Owned Cooperatives
Worker-owned cooperatives are the backbone of our sourcing model, making up over half of the products we carry. These cooperatives offer a sustainable and equitable alternative to corporate mining operations by:
Providing access to larger markets: Individuals and families in rural, remote areas can sell their goods collectively through cooperatives, improving financial stability.
Empowering communities: Cooperatives offer educational programs, vocational training, and business opportunities, enabling members to learn skills like lapidary work, marketing, and business management.
Democratic decision-making: Every member has an equal vote, and profits are distributed equitably, keeping wealth within the community.
Cooperatives also prioritize sustainable practices by:
Restoring mined land through reforestation or converting it into sustainable farmland, such as agroforestry projects in Brazil.
Using low-impact, small-scale mining techniques that preserve the environment and reduce biodiversity loss.
Through these partnerships, we help create long-term stability for communities while ensuring transparency and accountability in our supply chain.
7. Ethical Product Standards
Every product we offer adheres to strict authenticity standards, ensuring it is:
Natural and unaltered, free from synthetic, lab-grown, or heat-treated materials.
Untouched by artificial enhancements, such as dyes or irradiation.
Independent of harmful industries, such as byproducts from large-scale gold mining.
By maintaining these high standards, we ensure every item retains its natural beauty, energy, and integrity.
8. Accountability Beyond Ethical Sourcing
For us, ethical sourcing extends beyond the products to include broader social and environmental impacts. We prioritize:
Collaborating with small, family-run businesses and cooperatives that share our vision.
Enforcing compliance: In Peru, we’ve required suppliers to meet strict ethical standards before partnering with us.
Building long-term relationships based on trust, respect, and mutual growth.
This level of involvement reflects our dedication to meaningful change.
9. Minimizing Our Carbon Footprint
The packaging and shipping of crystals should reflect the same ethical values as their sourcing. Unfortunately, many companies that claim to be “ethical” still rely on plastics or environmentally destructive materials. This should be a clear red flag to customers, as it directly contradicts the values of sustainability.
At Beyond Bohemian, this is non-negotiable. We actively reduce our environmental impact through:
Plastic-Free Packaging: All bulk products are packaged in 100% natural cotton bags for reuse, and we never use single-use plastics.
Compostable and Recycled Materials: Our boxes, labels, and tape are made from sustainable materials like plant-based cellophane and post-consumer recycled products.
Tree-Free Paper: We use sugarcane-based paper for printing, eliminating demand for timber-based products.
We also prioritize efficient shipping practices to reduce carbon emissions, such as consolidating shipments and utilizing ocean freight wherever possible. By aligning our packaging and logistics with our ethical sourcing principles, we ensure that every step of your crystal’s journey reflects care for the planet.
10. Positive Community Impact
Every product we source contributes to improving the communities where it originated. Our suppliers and partners actively:
Build schools, healthcare facilities, and clean water projects.
Establish sustainable agricultural systems to ensure food security.
Provide vocational training in areas like lapidary work, marketing, and business management.
By fostering self-sufficiency and empowerment, we’re breaking cycles of poverty and dependence, fostering long-term stability.
Insights from Our Journey
Over the years, we've built unparalleled knowledge of the crystal industry. From navigating complex legal frameworks to forging relationships with cooperatives and small-scale producers, every step of our journey has been rooted in a commitment to transparency and ethical growth.
When you choose Beyond Bohemian, you’re not just buying a product—you’re investing in fair wages, environmental restoration, and sustainable growth for communities worldwide.
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