The ICAN Mark is a certification label issued under the International Cobalt Audit Network (ICAN), designed to verify that cobalt within a given supply chain has been sourced and processed in accordance with defined standards covering labour rights, environmental stewardship, and chain-of-custody traceability. Although cobalt is most prominently associated with rechargeable battery manufacture — where it is a critical cathode material — the metal and its compounds intersect with the jewellery and decorative-arts trades in several specific contexts, making the ICAN framework of genuine relevance to responsible-sourcing practitioners in those sectors.

Cobalt in the Jewellery and Decorative-Arts Context

Cobalt enters jewellery supply chains through at least three distinct pathways. First, cobalt-bearing alloys are used in certain white-gold formulations and in some hard-metal tool components employed in gem cutting and setting. Second, cobalt aluminate (cobalt blue) and related cobalt-based pigments have historically been used in enamel work, vitreous glazes on jewellery, and decorative metalwork. Third, cobalt is a trace constituent in some natural gemstones — most notably the rare cobalt-blue spinel from the Luc Yen district of Vietnam and from certain Sri Lankan localities — though in these cases the cobalt is a geological feature of the stone rather than a sourced industrial input, and the ICAN framework does not directly govern gem mining of this kind.

For jewellery manufacturers who use cobalt-containing alloys or enamels at commercial scale, the provenance of that cobalt is a material supply-chain consideration, particularly given that a substantial proportion of the world's cobalt originates in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a jurisdiction with well-documented risks of artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) under hazardous conditions, including child labour.

Structure of the ICAN Audit Framework

The ICAN audit process is structured around three principal pillars:

• Labour and human rights: Assessment of working conditions at mine sites and processing facilities, with particular attention to the prohibition of child labour, forced labour, and unsafe working environments. This pillar draws on internationally recognised standards including the ILO Core Conventions.
• Environmental impact: Evaluation of waste management, water use, land rehabilitation commitments, and the handling of cobalt-processing by-products, some of which carry toxicological risks.
• Traceability and chain of custody: Documentation requirements that allow a downstream user — including a jewellery manufacturer or enamel supplier — to trace cobalt back through the refining and smelting stages toward its mining origin, reducing the risk of commingling with non-compliant material.

Audits are conducted by accredited third-party bodies rather than by ICAN itself, following a model common to other responsible-sourcing schemes. Certified entities are entitled to use the ICAN Mark on relevant documentation and, where appropriate, on product communications directed at business-to-business customers.

Relationship to the Responsible Jewellery Council

The Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) operates the most widely adopted responsible-sourcing certification framework within the fine jewellery industry, covering gold, platinum-group metals, diamonds, and coloured gemstones under its Code of Practices. The RJC's scope does not, however, extend in a granular way to cobalt as a standalone commodity. The ICAN Mark therefore functions as a complementary instrument: a jewellery business that holds RJC certification and also uses cobalt-bearing materials may seek ICAN certification to address the specific due-diligence gap that the RJC framework leaves around that metal.

This complementary relationship reflects a broader trend in responsible sourcing, whereby sector-wide frameworks such as the RJC, the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) Responsible Gold Guidance, and the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas are increasingly supplemented by commodity-specific audit schemes that address the particular risks of individual materials.

The DRC Context

The Democratic Republic of Congo accounts for a dominant share of global cobalt production — estimates from the United States Geological Survey and the Cobalt Institute have consistently placed the DRC's share above sixty per cent of mined supply. Within that production, a meaningful proportion derives from artisanal and small-scale mining, which operates largely outside formal regulatory oversight. Investigations by human-rights organisations and journalists have documented the use of child labour, exposure to toxic dust, and the absence of basic safety infrastructure at a number of ASM cobalt sites in Katanga and the broader Copperbelt region.

The ICAN framework was developed in part as a response to these documented risks, providing a mechanism by which downstream buyers — including those in the jewellery and consumer-goods sectors — can demonstrate that their cobalt procurement does not contribute to these harms. For jewellery brands with public sustainability commitments, the ability to point to ICAN-certified cobalt sourcing offers a credible, audited basis for such claims, as opposed to self-declaration.

Practical Relevance for Jewellery Businesses

For most fine jewellers working exclusively with precious metals and gemstones, cobalt is not a primary procurement concern, and the ICAN Mark will not form part of their certification portfolio. The framework becomes directly relevant in the following circumstances:

• Manufacturers producing jewellery with cobalt-chrome alloy components, which appear in some contemporary and industrial-design pieces.
• Ateliers and studios engaged in significant enamel production using cobalt-based pigments at commercial scale.
• Luxury-goods conglomerates whose broader supply chains include accessories, watches, or decorative objects incorporating cobalt-bearing materials alongside fine jewellery.
• Retailers and brands subject to extended producer responsibility legislation or supply-chain due-diligence regulations — such as the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive — that require documented traceability for a wider range of materials than traditional jewellery standards cover.

Limitations and Considerations

As with any third-party certification scheme, the ICAN Mark attests to compliance at the time of audit rather than providing a continuous real-time guarantee. The robustness of the mark depends on the rigour of the accredited auditors, the frequency of audit cycles, and the integrity of documentation at each stage of the supply chain. Critics of cobalt certification schemes more broadly have noted that the complexity of refining and smelting — where material from multiple origins is frequently blended — makes genuine mine-level traceability technically challenging and costly to maintain.

Jewellery businesses considering ICAN certification or specifying ICAN-certified cobalt from suppliers should review the current audit standards and accredited auditor lists directly with the International Cobalt Audit Network, as the framework continues to evolve in response to regulatory developments and industry feedback.