Swiss Better Gold Association
A Swiss non-profit association of refiners, watch and jewellery houses and financial institutions, building responsible gold value chains from artisanal and small-scale mines to the Swiss market since 2013.
More responsible gold, sourced from the mines that need it most.
Artisanal and small-scale mining employs millions of people and supplies a meaningful share of the world's gold, yet its producers are routinely cut off from formal markets. The Association exists to change that: it connects artisanal and small-scale producers to the Swiss gold value chain, against verifiable social, environmental and governance criteria.
Launched in 2013 as a public-private partnership between Swiss industry and the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), the Initiative completed its transition to a self-sustaining, private-sector association in July 2025.
A premium with a paper trail.
- 01AccreditArtisanal and small-scale producers join the programme and progress against the Better Gold criteria step by step, with technical support on the ground. Accreditation is continuous improvement, not a one-off audit.
- 02SourceAccredited gold travels short, direct supply chains: from the mine, through Swiss refiners, to the member brands and institutions that buy it.
- 03ReinvestFor every gram purchased, members contribute an impact premium of around one US dollar, channelled back to mining communities as technical assistance and development projects through the SBG Fund.
Published results since 2013.
Figures as published by the Association across Initiative reporting, 2013 to 2025.
From pilot to standing institution.
- 2013
Founded by six Swiss gold-sector companies in partnership with SECO; first operations in Peru.
- 2014–2020
Expansion across Peru, Colombia and Bolivia as more refiners, brands and banks join the buyer side.
- 2021
Phase III launches: scale-up, climate and gender priorities, and preparation for private-sector continuity.
- 2025
Transition completed: the Initiative becomes self-sustaining, and civil-society representatives join the Board.
- 2026
Cooperation with the Bank of Mongolia opens a new geography; further extensions under review.
Thirty companies across the Swiss gold value chain.
Membership as published by the Association, 2026.
Industry-led, with independent voices.
The Board is elected from the membership and its presidency rotates on a two-year cycle; it is currently held by Olivier Demierre of MKS PAMP. The executive is led by Diana Culillas as CEO.
Since 2025, two civil-society representatives sit on the Board and on its Accreditation and SBG Fund committees, anchoring external scrutiny inside the Association's own governance.
Four countries, one framework.
The Initiative's first and largest country of operation, including a dedicated sourcing model for processing plants.
Formal mines and barequeros: manual panners brought into responsible sourcing through their own model.
In programme scope since the Initiative's first phase.
The newest geography, in cooperation with the Bank of Mongolia.
See the Association in its own words.
Membership, news and programme publications are on the Association's own site.