Ethics in retail: Sacet

The topic of ethics in retail is one that is becoming increasingly popular, with 81% of consumers feeling that purchasing ethically sourced and/or produced products matters.

This shift represents an opportunity for ethics in retail to make a difference, as well as meeting consumers’ preferences. Modern Retail spoke with Ecommerce and Marketing Expert at Sacet, Lucile Rouvarel, about the ways that they have combined incredible products with ethical and sustainable practices.

Meet Sacet

Sacet is a creator of beautiful, affordable and, most importantly, ethical jewellery with talented artisans bringing generations of experience to the realisation of lab-grown diamond jewellery. Be it a stunning ring, an elegant necklace or beautiful earrings, the company’s jewellery-making workshop uses exclusively lab-grown diamonds. This makes them the first retailer to sell lab-grown diamonds in the UK.

Sacet is now on a quest to become the first producer of a 100% carbon neutral jewellery-making workshop. The workshop’s energy is fully supplied by solar panels and the brand is currently looking into more ways to offset their impact on the planet.

Understanding ethics in retail: Sacet’s approach

1. How important is an ethical approach to sourcing products and how are consumers’ expectations changing?

Sacet has designed its business model with a focus on ethics in retail, from the very beginning.

“Sacet was born out of the following mindset: people, planet and then profit, meaning that we always had a conscious approach in mind in every aspect of the company, right down to the sourcing. 

“We only source certified lab-grown diamonds, as well as using exclusively recycled metals. Lab-grown diamonds don’t come with the same social and environmental issues that you can have with natural diamonds. They put less strain on the planet and their provenance is very easy to track. We’re committed to responsible sourcing and work with the most advanced technologies and skilled scientists to grow our diamonds ethically. 

“Our metals, from gold, silver and platinum, are 100% recycled so we can avoid large gold mines, where working conditions and environmental practices often aren’t ethically and sustainably sound.

“Over the past few years, the customer mindset toward sustainability has been shifting greatly. Consumers are very well informed and expect transparency – especially when it concerns diamond jewellery, as earth mined diamonds are linked to social and environmental issues. It is now important for customers to know that their purchase doesn’t hide a negative impact.”

2. Tell us more about how you found a solution to a common problem.

One of the greatest challenges for retailers is to find a niche. From the beginning, Sacet has been clear on its goals and has worked to ensure they implement ethics in retail.

“We knew that if we wanted to create a jewellery brand that championed longevity, uniqueness and beauty, we needed to transition away from the man-mined traditional diamond industry. 

“Uninspired by the lack of availability of sustainable, designer jewellery, we have created Sacet, to carve out a new future for lab-grown diamond jewellery. Lab-grown diamonds are true diamonds, without the added negatives.”

3. What has the reception been like when customers realise your diamonds are lab-grown?

Sacet has always been set on delivering in line with their beliefs, offering ethically created diamond products.

“The brand has always been very clear from the start that we would only sell lab-grown diamonds. When we first started the brand, lab-grown jewellery was fairly unknown, so we had to build trust around the concept. Ethical diamond demand is now increasing rapidly and many traditional brands are now offering them alongside natural diamonds, growing ethical diamond awareness. 

“Customers who land on our website are usually familiar with the concept of lab-grown diamonds, but we built an education section addressing the most common questions regarding lab-grown diamonds, to guide our users and help with any gaps in their knowledge. Our team is also available to answer any questions that customers may have. Lab-grown diamonds represent an excellent alternative to earth-mined diamonds, so customer feedback is really positive.”

4. Your ‘Our Story’ section does a brilliant job of engaging readers. How important is it to highlight your key values and messaging?

Another key aspect of implementing ethics in retail is getting the message across to prospective customers, explaining the benefits of choosing to make a purchase. Sacet does this brilliantly, dedicating an area of their website to sharing their inspirational story.

“Our story is what makes us different from our competitors, Sacet has been created as a conscious brand from the start and all the processes are carefully thought through to reflect our core values. 

“Communicating this through our ‘story’ section helps build trust with our customers by being transparent, and allows customers to create an attachment with the brand. 

“Sustainability is at the core of Sacet’s brand.”

5. Tell us more about your eco-friendly packaging and how you decided which type to use.

Packaging can play a key role in helping customers to make ethical purchases. Knowing that the packaging is less damaging to the environment can make a difference when it comes to capturing the attention of ethical consumers.

“The choice for sustainable packaging a few years ago when the brand was created wasn’t as large as today. At the time, the team carried out a lot of research to ensure that most of the materials used were FSC certified and recyclable. The objective was to use as little plastic as possible. We also wanted to make sure that we were minimising the amount of packaging we used for our products to reduce unnecessary waste. We’re now transitioning to a new, improved type of packaging that further improve our environmental impact.”

6. What is next for Sacet and how can our readers stay up to date?

Sacet is continuously working to improve customer experience, with plenty to look forward to in the near future.

“We’re very excited for this year as we are conducting a brand refresh and web redesign so readers should expect a brand new website by this autumn.”

Ethics in retail: A summary

It is possible to prioritise ethics in retail, particularly when the business model is designed to consider impact on the environment and people throughout.