July 2021 | Lab Grown Magazine

July 2021 | The Lab Grown Diamond Resource Book 22 To advertise call (888) 832-1109 | July 2021 23 Enter the ICROA Pandora now bears the CN “stamp of approval,” but it is many years away from achieving a zero- carbon footprint. For the record, National Capital Partners owns and operates CarbonNeutral.com and is closely aligned with Pandora. They have also partnered with many other similar anti-carbon groups including one of the largest non-profits in this space, The Geneva-based International Carbon Reduction and Offset Alliance (ICROA), that was started in 2008 and relies on volunteer reporting. Before you dismiss the ICROA as a non-start- er because of its 100% volunteer-based reporting program (via the honor system), you should know that it was powerful enough to change the UK Government’s Quality Assurance Scheme (QAS) for Carbon Offsetting. In June 2011, the British government issued a statement specific to the members of the QAS Advisory Board (that now includes the ICROA): “The carbon market has moved on substantially since the introduction of the QAS and we now believe it is for the market to set best practice for carbon offsetting.” ICROA is now its lead partner and England has done its part so well that Pandora selected two UK- based LGD companies as their exclusive partners. One will grow their diamonds and one will cut them. Be on the lookout for an M&A deal with Pandora and/or National Capital Partners and both unnamed UK LGD companies within the next two years. (see: http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-re- leases/decc-quality-assurance-scheme-for-carbon- offsetting-to-end-on-june-30th-145337855.html) The U.S. Government’s “No Carbon Certificate” (aka “We’re working on it… Stand by, please”) Ask anyone at CarbonNeutral.com and they will give you their refined definition of “Carbon Neutral.” But ask leading non-profits or key U.S. government agencies to define it, and you will get something like this: “Carbon neutrality means the level of your carbon dioxide output has a net neutral impact on the environment. For example, burning fossil fuels [about 63% of U.S. electricity is from fossil fuels] means the release of carbon diox- ide into the air. These vapors are one reason we’re experiencing an increase in global temperatures, which contribute to erratic and devastating climate change.” If we’re using carbon neutral as a noun, fine. If it’s used as verb (which is often), things get very cloudy very fast. The Federal government leader in “no carbon footprints” is the National Climate Task Force Alexander Lacik, Pandora’s CEO and “corporate chess mastermind” openly embraces diamond growth as a group. He knows isolation is proven to be self-defeating. Mined and lab-grown together would be remarkable and mutually triumphant. (Photo: Pandora) The cover of Pandora’s coffee table-like investor art book is loaded with chart-topping numbers and lush pages of fashionable creativity wrapped in a “fake it ‘til you make it sort of way” luxe lifestyle. (Photo: Pandora) Vogue, indeed. Need we say more? (Photo: Condé Nast/Vogue) >>