{"id":49847,"date":"2025-09-05T10:42:36","date_gmt":"2025-09-05T13:42:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/redept.org\/blogosfera\/italian-jewellery-sector-blames-brazil-for-illegal-gold-entering-the-country\/"},"modified":"2025-09-05T10:42:36","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T13:42:36","slug":"italian-jewellery-sector-blames-brazil-for-illegal-gold-entering-the-country","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/redept.com.br\/blogosfera\/italian-jewellery-sector-blames-brazil-for-illegal-gold-entering-the-country\/","title":{"rendered":"Italian jewellery sector blames Brazil for illegal gold entering the country"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the world\u2019s major centres of jewellery design and manufacturing, Italy this Friday (5) hosts Europe\u2019s foremost gold fair, Vicenzaoro. Among the pieces on display at the event, which brings together the Made in Italy<\/em> jewellery, watchmaking and goldsmithing industries, some of the gold originates from Brazil. In 2024, European countries received 42% of Brazil\u2019s gold exports, according to official trade data.<\/p>\n

Across the Atlantic, authorities report that gold illegally mined in the Amazon continues to cross the ocean and arrive in Italy, Europe\u2019s leading jewellery exporter. At least three major Italian refineries \u2013 Italpreziosi, Safimet and Chimet \u2013 have been named in investigations by Brazilian police and customs over the past three years (details below).<\/p>\n

For representatives of Italy\u2019s jewellery sector, however, responsibility for failures in the traceability of gold lies with Brazil \u2013 a position disputed by environmentalists within Italy itself.<\/p>\n

The Confindustria Federorafi (National Federation of Gold Jewellery, Silverware and Jewellery Manufacturers), which represents the sector, told Rep\u00f3rter Brasil<\/strong> by email: \u201cIf there is a flaw in the control and traceability systems, this is due to the lack of reliable mechanisms on the part of the Brazilian authorities.\u201d<\/p>\n

The federation stressed that Italian companies \u201ccomply with current legislation\u201d and said it had no knowledge of refineries in Italy purchasing illegal Brazilian gold. \u201cAs far as we are aware, all companies purchase gold accompanied by regular documentation certifying the legal origin of the metal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The
The Vicenzaoro fair brings together the leading names in the gold and jewelry sectors in Italy every year. Europe was the destination for 42% of the gold exported by Brazil in 2024 (Photo: Disclosure\/Vicenzaoro)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For Martina Borghi, Greenpeace\u2019s representative in Italy, the problem lies precisely in the documents that accompany the gold. \u201cIf they are falsified or based on fraud \u2013 as frequently happens in Brazil \u2013 the entire European system becomes complicit by accepting them without genuine checks,\u201d she said. \u201cThe Italian industry profits directly from Amazonian gold. But when it comes to transparency, it hides behind bureaucracy.\u201d<\/p>\n

History of irregularities<\/h2>\n

Recent investigations by Rep\u00f3rter Brasil <\/strong>have revealed how European refineries, particularly in Italy, have been supplied with gold suspected of illegal origin.<\/p>\n

In June, a report showed that Italian refinery Italpreziosi acquired the mineral from an importer under investigation for involvement in an illegal gold mining scheme in Par\u00e1, a state in the Amazon biome. According to police findings, the criminal network included Brazilian firms that issued fraudulent invoices \u2013 sometimes in the names of deceased people \u2013 to disguise the real source of the gold. Investigators said part of the gold came from illegal mining on Munduruku Indigenous Territory.<\/p>\n

In May last year, Rep\u00f3rter Brasil<\/strong> also reported that another Italian refinery, Safimet \u2013 specialised in precious metal refining \u2013 had bought a consignment of 5kg of gold dust hidden within 15 tonnes of charcoal. Customs officers at the port of Santos in S\u00e3o Paulo discovered the undeclared gold and blocked the shipment to Italy. Although the gold accounted for just 0.03% of the total cargo, its value was estimated at R$1.9 million \u2013 almost three times higher than the declared value of the charcoal.<\/p>\n

Two years earlier, Chimet, another Italian refinery, was cited in police investigations as a buyer of gold illegally extracted from mines inside the Kayap\u00f3 Indigenous Territory, also in Par\u00e1. Rep\u00f3rter Brasil<\/strong> revealed that Chimet was listed among the suppliers of tech giants such as Apple, Google and Microsoft.<\/p>\n

\"\"
A 2024 study found that the Kayap\u00f3 Indigenous Territory in Par\u00e1 was the most invaded by illegal gold mining, with more than 13,000 hectares occupied (Photo: Marizilda Cruppe\/Greenpeace)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When approached at the time, all three companies denied wrongdoing. Italpreziosi claimed it had found no evidence of illegality in the gold acquired from the Brazilian importer under investigation. Safimet said it had made only a single purchase from the Brazilian firm targeted by customs and broke off the deal after the seizure. Chimet maintained that its gold purchases were accompanied by documentation certifying legal provenance, while acknowledging \u201cthe risk that negative impacts may be associated with the trade and export of minerals from high-risk areas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Imports from \u2018high-risk\u2019 areas<\/h2>\n

A study published last August by Brazilian think tank Instituto Escolhas, which researches sectors such as mining, energy and food systems, found that 94% of Brazilian gold imported by European Union countries came from areas classified as \u201chigh risk\u201d for illegality.<\/p>\n

According to the institute, \u201chigh-risk\u201d imports are those originating in the states of Par\u00e1, Amazonas and S\u00e3o Paulo. In Par\u00e1 and Amazonas, gold production is largely driven by small-scale mining operations with weaker environmental licensing than industrial mining. S\u00e3o Paulo, which does not produce gold itself, acts as a channel for production sourced from these mining areas.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn these regions, there are strong indications of illegality in the extraction and trade of gold, and it is difficult to certify the lawful origin of the metal,\u201d the report stated.<\/p>\n

Switzerland: the \u2018laundry\u2019 of gold<\/h2>\n

Despite repeated allegations, Europe\u2019s gold industry continues to operate largely unchanged, experts told Rep\u00f3rter Brasil<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Italian and European legislation has so far acted more as a smokescreen than a real barrier, argued Greenpeace\u2019s Martina Borghi. \u201cThe gold supply chain is opaque. It is very easy for illegal gold to be mixed with legal gold and cross borders with apparently proper documentation,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Last year, Italy was the eighth-largest buyer of Brazilian gold. Much of the gold entering Italy and other European countries, however, first passes through Switzerland. Although not part of the European Union, Switzerland functions as a hub. In 2024, it was Brazil\u2019s second-largest gold export destination, behind Canada.<\/p>\n

Buyer with natural gold dust in a store in Par\u00e1, in the heart of the Amazon (Photo: Fernando Martinho\/Rep\u00f3rter Brasil)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It is in Switzerland that gold is refined, reclassified and, according to experts, often \u201claundered\u201d. \u201cSwitzerland operates as a laundry for gold extracted from conflict zones or protected areas,\u201d Borghi said. \u201cIt leaves Brazil dirty and arrives in Europe with a new face.\u201d<\/p>\n

A missed opportunity<\/h2>\n

Hopes for change rested on the new EU anti-deforestation law (EUDR \u2013 the European Union Regulation on Deforestation-free Products), which comes into force in December 2025.<\/p>\n

The regulation requires importers of commodities such as timber, cocoa, coffee, soy, palm oil, rubber and cattle to prove that these products are not linked to deforestation. Gold, however, despite also being extracted from areas of forest destruction, was left off the list.<\/p>\n

Environmentalists argue that the omission represents a missed opportunity and a dangerous loophole in one of the few concrete tools the EU has created to curb deforestation in supplier countries.<\/p>\n

For Italian MP Angelo Bonelli, of the Green and Left Alliance (Alleanza Verdi e Sinistra), this absence undermines any genuine attempt to slow the flow of illegal gold. \u201cItaly should be leading the fight against deforestation gold. Instead, it does the opposite: it protects the industry and abandons the forest,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Rules exist, but enforcement is weak<\/h2>\n

Greenpeace is also pressing for stronger enforcement of the EU\u2019s 2017\/821 regulation, known as the Conflict Minerals Regulation. In force since 2021, it sets due diligence requirements for the supply chains of gold, tin, tantalum and tungsten from conflict-affected or high-risk areas.<\/p>\n

According to Borghi, one of its weakest points is the list of high-risk countries. Switzerland, for instance, is not included. \u201cOf course Switzerland is not a country in conflict, but it is a high-risk area. We want companies, including Italian buyers of gold sourced there, to be compelled to carry out stricter due diligence and to press the country harder to trace the origin of its gold,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Italy\u2019s national legal framework is also fragile. Only in 2022 did Article 518 of the Italian Penal Code introduce specific penalties for the illicit trade of precious metals. Yet even this legislation makes no reference to protected territories.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe rules exist, but enforcement is weak,\u201d Borghi explained. \u201cAnd there is insufficient political will to change that. On the contrary, what we are witnessing is a coordinated effort to weaken environmental laws in Europe. It is as if the ambitious promises of the European Green Deal were being quietly rolled back.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe system was designed not to work,\u201d summed up MP Bonelli. \u201cUntil Europe \u2013 Italy first and foremost \u2013 acknowledges its share of responsibility in this cycle, illegal gold will continue to cross the ocean and the Amazon will continue to bleed.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The post Italian jewellery sector blames Brazil for illegal gold entering the country appeared first on Rep\u00f3rter Brasil.<\/p>\n

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