Key points
- If they are hypocrites and are unethical, they are the last kind of liars that you want to get involved with irrespective of how big their companies are.
- It is a calculated deception designed to preserve their prestige and maintain their dominance in the market, while misleading customers into thinking they are dealing with environmentally responsible companies.
- Each page is a slap in the face to the very ideals of “green business practices” these companies claim to uphold.
Bangkok Gems News: Certain Indian diamond wholesalers and dealers loudly proclaim on their websites that they are champions of sustainability, climate responsibility, and environmental care. They boast about social initiatives, claim to respect the planet, and present themselves as pioneers of ethical practices. Yet, when one digs deeper, their actions paint a glaringly different picture. This Bangkok Gems News report uncovers how these very same companies pour millions into flashy advertisements in glossy jewelry magazines and national newspapers—mediums that are among the most environmentally destructive forms of marketing in today’s world.
Many Indian Gem and Jewellery companies claiming to be proponents of sustainability and green initiatives are still advertising in print media
Image Credit: AI-Generated
Bleached Paper and Toxic Inks
The jewelry magazines so heavily funded by Indian diamond dealers are not produced on recycled or eco-certified materials. Instead, many are printed on bleached paper, a process that relies on harmful chemicals and increases the carbon footprint of every copy. The inks used are petroleum-based and often non-biodegradable, further compounding the damage. Each page is a slap in the face to the very ideals of “green business practices” these companies claim to uphold.
Gems and Jewellery Fairs and Jewellery Printed Media
Go to any of the various gems and Jewellry fairs around the world and you can find these jewellery trade magazines popping up. Most are run by Indians themselves that have no concerns for the environment or about sustainability. In most of these printed media, you can find ads of many Indian gems and jewellery companies who make claims about their green practices.
If you go to Gems and Jewellery fairs and come across companies that are advertising in such magazines, give them a miss and avoid any business transactions with such entities. If they are hypocrites and are unethical, they are the last kind of liars that you want to get involved with irrespective of how big their companies are. Their days are numbered.
Exposing the Greenwashing
This is nothing short of greenwashing. On one hand, Indian diamond giants use polished language about their supposed eco-consciousness to lure climate-aware buyers. On the other hand, they willingly bankroll print media platforms that are notorious for waste, deforestation, and pollution. It is a calculated deception designed to preserve their prestige and maintain their dominance in the market, while misleading customers into thinking they are dealing with environmentally responsible companies.
Profits Over Planet
The truth is ugly—these companies care more about image than impact. By clinging to outdated advertising methods, they not only expose their hypocrisy but also confirm where their real priorities lie: profits and appearances. Their campaigns in glossy magazines are less about sustainability and more about stroking egos, projecting elitism, and keeping up appearances in an industry that thrives on perception.
The jewellery industry still has so many dinosaurs promoting print media when it is detrimental to the environment and green initiatives
Image Credit: Public Domain Open Sources
The Rotten Core of the Trade
What makes this hypocrisy worse is that these are not small, uninformed businesses. Many of these Indian diamond firms are billion-dollar enterprises with global reach. They know exactly what they are doing when they purchase ad space in wasteful magazines. They choose to ignore the consequences, hoping consumers will be too dazzled by glossy spreads to notice the damage being done. By continuing this double-dealing behavior, they drag down the reputation of the global jewelry trade and insult genuine efforts by others in the industry who are working toward real sustainability.
A Call for Exposure and Boycott
The time has come to name, shame, and hold these dealers accountable. Consumers, industry professionals, and regulators must call out the contradictions. Every dollar spent on a glossy print ad exposes the hollowness of their “green” promises. Buyers should think twice before supporting companies that masquerade behind sustainability pledges while financing one of the dirtiest and most outdated forms of media. Boycotts, pressure campaigns, and full exposure are the only ways to force these companies to live up to their words.
The Final Word
The jewelry world cannot allow such shameless greenwashing to go unchallenged. If Indian diamond wholesalers and dealers truly want to be seen as leaders in sustainability, they must stop funding print media waste and redirect their resources into transparent, genuinely eco-friendly practices. Until then, their lofty claims about climate and social responsibility remain nothing more than marketing lies, designed to manipulate consumers and protect their bottom line. It is time for the industry to wake up and refuse to tolerate this deception any longer.
A major press release to various environmentally conscious media around the globe and NGOs will be disseminated in a few weeks’ time, detailing the hypocrisy of these identified companies with a call for retailers and consumers to boycott these companies along with request to officials around the world to impose certain penalties against such companies.
For the latest on green practices in the Gems and Jewellery Trade, keep on logging to Bangkok Gems News.
