De Beers plc
DBG
Established in 1888, De Beers Group is the world’s leading diamond company with expertise in the exploration, mining, marketing and retailing of diamonds.
ID: 792842452094-08
Lobbying Activity
Meeting with Isabelle Perignon (Director Justice and Consumers)
25 Nov 2025 · Exchange of view on the Digital Fairness Act (DFA); Marketing of synthetic diamonds, application of EU consumer law
Response to Digital Fairness Act
24 Oct 2025
The DFA has the key objective of preventing misleading marketing by influencers and in social media campaigns, which is where misleading advertising on synthetic diamonds often occurs. To help protect consumers and support the health and integrity of the diamond industry while addressing unfair marketing practices, De Beers recommends that the Commission: 1. Introduce EU-wide labelling requirements for synthetic diamonds. This could be achieved by bringing ISO standard 18323 into EU binding law to ensure proper consumer information and differentiation between natural diamonds and synthetic products; 2. Ensure companies can quickly and efficiently exercise their right to request online platforms remove or correct online information that is clearly misleading or false, or otherwise contrary to EU-wide mandatory standards; 3. Introduce an impactful, stringent regime for online retailers and social media influencers that repeatedly provide misleading or false advertising content. The Commission should introduce clear, EU-wide rules that differentiate between natural products and synthetic products, to make full, prominent product disclosures of all components of the product, including its origin, compulsory at the point of sale. Natural is an important marker of the origin and sourcing of a product and should be protected from misleading claims that deceive consumers. This is a crucial principle to preserve consumer confidence in all industries that are engaged in the sale of goods of natural origin, whether it is diamonds, wood, stone, or other natural materials. The Commission should transpose ISO standard 18323 on diamond classification into enforceable EU law. Among other things, the standard specifies that the synthetic nature of a diamond in the retail sector should be made immediately apparent and unambiguous, which would protect consumers and reduce unfair marketing practices. This would ensure that the entire diamond industry operates under consistent, transparent, and recognised standards. ISO standard 18323 has also been adopted as an EU standard by the European Committee for Standardisation: CSN EN ISO 18323 - Jewellery - Consumer confidence in the diamond industry. Additionally, the World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO) has recently updated its Blue Book, which specifies how to classify and define what makes a natural diamond and a synthetic diamond, with reference to commercial usage. The Commission may also take examples from the CIBJO classification to determine a legal distinction between the two products at retail. Notably, neither ISO standard 18323 nor the CIBJO Blue Book endorses the use of 'mined diamond' as a term for natural diamonds, and the Commission should follow this precedent to avoid consumer confusion, protect market integrity, and enhance consumer trust in the industry. Clearer mandatory standards that require unambiguous disclosure of synthetic diamonds will better protect EU consumers online by reducing the scope for unfair and misleading business practices and disinformation. Mislabelling practices and the provision of false or misleading information are prevalent in online markets and social media, potentially confusing consumers into thinking that synthetic diamonds are the same as natural diamonds. This can lead to consumers paying highly inflated prices for a product (synthetic diamonds) relative to the inherent value. Natural diamonds (i.e. those created by natural geological processes within the Earths mantle which are then subsequently recovered) and synthetic diamonds (i.e. those that are man-made or laboratory-grown) are fundamentally different products, with distinct origins, characteristics, and market values. Despite this, some existing marketing practices, especially online and on social media, do not make this distinction clear, which is misleading for consumers and can lead to consumer confusion, and potentially to consumer harm.
Read full responseMeeting with Chiara Galiffa (Cabinet of Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič) and Hanbury Strategy and Communications Limited
24 Sept 2025 · EU – US relations
Response to Consumer Agenda 2025-2030 and Action Plan on Consumers in the Single Market
29 Aug 2025
Natural diamonds (i.e. mined and alluvial) and synthetic diamonds (i.e. man-made or lab grown) are fundamentally different products, with distinct origins, characteristics and market values. However, some existing marketing practices do not make clear the distinction between synthetic diamonds and natural diamonds. In some instances, marketing practices can misrepresent these differences, leading to consumer confusion. To preserve consumer trust and enable consumers to make properly informed choices, the Commission should adopt clear, harmonised rules distinguishing natural from synthetic diamonds and mandate full disclosure at all points of sale. Clearer guidance and/or mandatory standards that support the differentiation between synthetic and natural diamonds can better protect EU consumers by reducing the scope for unfair and misleading business practices and disinformation, which ultimately harm EU consumers. Mislabelling practices and the provision of false or misleading information has the potential to confuse consumers into thinking that the two products are the same, creating the risk that they could pay a much higher price for synthetic diamonds relative to the inherent value of the product due to them possessing inadequate or misleading information that is essential to understanding the characteristics of synthetic and/or natural diamonds. Policy Recommendations The Commission can take measures to protect consumers while ensuring the competitiveness and growth of its luxury industry: - Transposing ISO standard 18323 into EU binding law to ensure proper consumer information and differentiation between natural diamonds and synthetic diamonds; - Introducing EU-wide labelling requirements to prevent false claims and promote fair pricing. The Commission should consider transposing the ISO standard 18323 on diamond classification into mandatory and enforceable EU law. Among other things, the standard specifies that the synthetic nature of a diamond in the retail market should be made immediately apparent and unambiguous, which would protect consumers and reduce unfair marketing practices. This would ensure that diamond businesses operate under consistent, transparent and recognised standards. ISO standard 18323 has also been adopted as an EU standard by the European Committee for Standardization: CSN EN ISO 18323 - Jewellery - Consumer confidence in the diamond industry. Additionally, the World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO) has recently updated its Blue Book, which specifies how to classify and define what makes a natural diamond and a synthetic diamond, with reference to commercial usage. The Commission may take examples from the CIBJO classification to determine the legal distinction between both types of products in retail markets. Neither ISO standard 18323 nor the CIBJO Blue Books endorse the use of 'mined diamond' as a term for natural diamonds, and the Commission should follow this precedent to avoid consumer confusion; protect market integrity; and enhance consumer trust in the industry.
Read full responseMeeting with Koen Doens (Director-General Directorate-General for International Partnerships) and
16 Apr 2025 · Exchange of views on sustainable investment, ethical and responsible diamond sourcing, and economic resilience in Southern Africa