News: The Scottish Goldsmiths Trust expands Ethical Making Pledge UK-wide empowering the next generation of makers
The Scottish Goldsmiths Trust (SGT) has officially launched the expansion of the Ethical Making Pledge to art colleges and training providers with jewellery and silversmithing courses across the UK. On Wednesday 8th June 2022, The Goldsmiths’ Centre, the UK’s leading charity for the professional training of goldsmiths, was the first education provider outside of Scotland to sign the Ethical Making Pledge, denoting a promise to embark on a journey towards ethical making.
Director Peter Taylor MBE, Luke Potts, Ethical Making Student Ambassador and Goldsmiths’ Company Apprentice at Ottewill Silversmiths and Jewellers Limited and Karen Westland, The Scottish Goldsmiths Trust’s Ethical Making Programme Manager, present the signed Ethical Making Pledge committing the Goldsmiths’ Centre to support ethical making as the first training provider outside of Scotland (Left to right)
The Ethical Making Pledge is a collaborative and community-based initiative encouraging education providers to embed practical and theoretical learning about ethical making into their curriculum, workshop practice and sourcing of materials, with the aim to empower the next generation of makers and apprentices. Since 2022, The Scottish Goldsmiths Trust’s Ethical Making Programme has partnered with The Goldsmiths’ Centre sharing an ambitious plan to extend the Ethical Making Pledge beyond Scottish higher education institutions to a variety of training providers, spreading awareness of environmental and social responsibility in the making of jewellery and silver across the UK.
We are thrilled that The Goldsmiths’ Centre will be the first institution outside of Scotland to become a signatory of the Ethical Making Pledge. This will strengthen our efforts to ensure the Pledge is fit for purpose for students and makers across the UK and support more jewellers and silversmiths to enter the trade with an ethical practice as their foundation.
Karen Westland, the SGT’s Programme Manager for Ethical Making
The Scottish Goldsmiths Trust’s Ethical Making Programme is a fantastic initiative encouraging education providers to make small, manageable steps towards ethical making. Since 2022, we’ve supported The Scottish Goldsmiths Trust’s Ethical Making Programme through funding and collaboration. By signing the Ethical Making Pledge, we’re fully committed to raise awareness, share knowledge and resources in order to create an environment for our team and the next generation of makers to critically explore and learn about the topic of ethical making.
The Goldsmiths’ Centre’s Director Peter Taylor MBE
If you are a jewellery or silversmithing training provider interested in signing the Ethical Making Pledge in the UK, express your interest by contacting the Programme Manager for Ethical Making at karen@scottishgoldsmithstrust.org or visit