For more than a century, De Beers has drawn wealth from the earth's oldest formations; its 2025 Sustainability Report asks whether that extraction can be made to give something lasting back. Released in October 2026, the report documents measurable steps — reduced emissions, protected wetlands, trained entrepreneurs, and blockchain-traced stones — toward a vision in which a diamond's value extends far beyond its carat weight. The effort unfolds across Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, and Canada, where the company's reach into local economies and ecosystems makes its choices consequential for m
De Beers Reports Progress on Sustainability Goals Across Livelihoods, Nature and Climate
Every diamond creates lasting impact for people, communities and the environment
Mark
So De Beers is saying it cut carbon emissions by 14 percent since 2021. That's real progress, but how close does that put them to their 2030 target?
Mimi
They're aiming to cut their carbon footprint by one-third by 2030. Fourteen percent in four years suggests they're on track, but they'll need to accelerate—the remaining work is typically harder than the early cuts.
Luke
The 14 percent is Scope 1 and 2 only, right? That's direct emissions and purchased energy. What about Scope 3—the supply chain, transportation, all the indirect stuff?
Mimi
They mention Scope 3 as a priority for the next phase. They're focusing on supplier engagement, but they haven't published numbers yet on that category.
Mark
What about the conservation work? Three hundred seventy-five thousand acres sounds substantial.
Mimi
It is. They've been managing nature reserves in Southern Africa for over 130 years. The Okavango Eternal partnership with National Geographic is particularly significant—protecting the water source for the Okavango Delta, which is the world's largest inland delta.
Luke
But here's the thing: they say they aim to secure three times more land for nature than they impact by 2030. That's a ratio, not an absolute number. We don't know how much land their mining actually impacts.
Mark
Fair point. What about the jobs claim—2.6 offsite jobs for every onsite job?
Mimi
They're tracking that metric and working toward four offsite jobs per onsite role by 2030. The EntreprenHER programme trained 3,900 women since 2016, and Stanford Seed has supported 128 small businesses.
Luke
Those are real programs with real numbers. But "supporting" a job is different from creating it. We should know what that support actually means—is it training, capital, market access?
Mimi
The report doesn't break that down in detail. It's a sustainability report, not a labor audit.
Mark
What about the Tracr blockchain platform? Five million diamonds tracked sounds like a lot.
Mimi
It's a milestone, and it's growing. They're integrating it with scanning data from Sarine to create end-to-end traceability. That's genuinely innovative infrastructure.
Luke
But five million diamonds is what percentage of global rough diamond supply? We don't have that denominator, so we can't assess how comprehensive the traceability actually is.
Mark
So the report shows real commitments and real progress, but there are gaps in what's measured and how it's measured.
Mimi
Exactly. It's transparent about what they're doing, but like any corporate sustainability report, it's selective about what it emphasizes and what it leaves to interpretation.
O Pulso
- A 14% cut in carbon emissions since 2021 and zero workplace fatalities in 2025 signal that De Beers is translating sustainability pledges into operational reality, not merely rhetoric.
- Angola's first Ramsar Wetland designation — protecting the headwaters of the Okavango Delta — marks a rare moment when corporate conservation partnerships produce irreversible legal protection for a globally significant ecosystem.
- The EntreprenHER programme's 3,900 women trained since 2016, combined with a $70 million commitment to Botswana's Diamonds for Development Fund, reflects pressure on extractive industries to leave diversified economies behind, not just depleted ground.
- Five million diamonds individually registered on the Tracr blockchain represent a direct response to consumer demand for provenance certainty, yet the platform's reach into midstream supply chains remains the unfinished frontier.
- With targets set for 2030 — a third less carbon, four offsite jobs per onsite role, and three times more land protected than impacted — the company has staked its credibility on a timeline short enough to be verified and contested.
For more than a century, De Beers has drawn wealth from the earth's oldest formations; its 2025 Sustainability Report asks whether that extraction can be made to give something lasting back. Released in October 2026, the report documents measurable steps — reduced emissions, protected wetlands, trained entrepreneurs, and blockchain-traced stones — toward a vision in which a diamond's value extends far beyond its carat weight. The effort unfolds across Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, and Canada, where the company's reach into local economies and ecosystems makes its choices consequential for millions of lives and acres of wilderness.
De Beers released its 2025 Sustainability Report in October, presenting progress across its Building Forever framework — a set of commitments covering climate, conservation, livelihoods, and diamond traceability. The company, which has mined diamonds since 1888 across Botswana, Canada, Namibia, and South Africa, positioned the report as evidence that natural diamonds can generate value well beyond their price at market.
On climate, De Beers reduced its Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 14 percent since 2021, working toward a science-based target of cutting its carbon footprint by one-third before 2030. The company backs Envusa, a renewable energy initiative adding 520 megawatts of solar and wind capacity to southern Africa, and supports Kelp Blue, a startup cultivating giant kelp off Namibia's coast to sequester carbon and create local employment.
Conservation work spans 375,000 acres managed for biodiversity across Southern Africa. A partnership with National Geographic secured Angola's first Ramsar Wetland designation in 2025, protecting the source of 95 percent of water flowing into the Okavango Delta — one of Africa's most biodiverse regions. Through its Debswana joint venture with the Botswana government, De Beers celebrated the birth of its 70th rhino calf on company reserves since 2012 and relocated 31 rhinos to support broader rewilding. By 2030, the company aims to protect three times more land than it disturbs and help safeguard an additional 13 million acres through funded partnerships.
On livelihoods, De Beers supported 2.6 offsite jobs for every onsite role in 2025, targeting a ratio of four to one by 2030. The EntreprenHER programme, run with UN Women, trained 500 more women entrepreneurs during the year, bringing the total since 2016 to 3,900. The company also committed $70 million to Botswana's new Diamonds for Development Fund, designed to accelerate economic diversification in a country whose prosperity has long depended on a single commodity.
Safety reached a record high — or rather, a record low — with a 19 percent reduction in recordable injuries compared to 2024 and no work-related fatalities. On traceability, the Tracr blockchain platform surpassed five million individually registered rough diamonds, and a new partnership with Sarine integrates source registration with advanced scanning data to create what De Beers describes as an end-to-end provenance solution. The company's Best Practice Principles programme, now in its 20th year, covers roughly 250,000 people across more than 70 countries. CEO Al Cook framed the report as evidence of sharpened focus on targets aligned with partner country priorities and UN development goals, while De Beers Brands CEO Sandrine Conseiller noted that consumers now expect broad social accountability as a baseline, not a bonus.
De Beers Group released its 2025 Sustainability Report on October 12, detailing progress across its Building Forever framework—a set of commitments spanning livelihoods, nature conservation, climate action, and diamond provenance. The company, which has operated since 1888 and recovers diamonds across Botswana, Canada, Namibia, and South Africa, framed the report as evidence that natural diamonds can generate economic and environmental benefit beyond their market value.
On emissions, De Beers cut its Scope 1 and 2 carbon output by 14 percent since 2021, moving toward a science-based target of reducing its carbon footprint by one-third by 2030. The company supports Envusa, a renewable energy initiative bringing 520 megawatts of solar and wind capacity to southern Africa. It is also piloting biofuels, working with Anglo American and Sasol on tyre recycling programs, and backing Kelp Blue, a startup growing giant kelp off Namibia's coast to sequester carbon and support local employment.
Conservation efforts span 375,000 acres of land managed for biodiversity across Southern Africa. A partnership with National Geographic called Okavango Eternal achieved a significant milestone in 2025 when Angola designated its first Ramsar Wetland—a designation protecting the source of 95 percent of water flowing into the Okavango Delta, Africa's largest inland delta and one of its most biodiverse regions. Through Debswana, a joint venture between De Beers and the Government of Botswana, the company celebrated the birth of the 70th rhino calf on its nature reserves since 2012 and successfully relocated 31 rhinos to support broader rewilding efforts. Looking ahead, De Beers aims to secure three times more land for nature than it impacts and fund partnerships to safeguard an additional 13 million acres by 2030.
On livelihoods, De Beers supported 2.6 jobs offsite for every one job created onsite in 2025, working toward a target of four offsite jobs per onsite role by 2030. The EntreprenHER programme, run with UN Women, trained 500 additional women in 2025, bringing the total since 2016 to 3,900 across diamond-producing partner countries. The Stanford Seed programme has supported 128 small and medium-sized enterprises since its launch, providing leadership training and management coaching. De Beers committed $70 million to Botswana's newly established Diamonds for Development Fund, designed to accelerate the country's economic diversification beyond diamonds.
Safety improved markedly: 2025 was De Beers' safest year on record, with a 19 percent reduction in the Total Recordable Injury Frequency Rate compared to 2024 and zero work-related fatalities. On provenance and traceability, the company marked the 20th year of its Best Practice Principles programme, a third-party audited standard covering roughly 250,000 people across more than 70 countries, including all De Beers operations and its Sightholder customers. The Tracr blockchain platform, which tracks diamonds from mine to retail, passed five million rough diamonds individually registered. Tracr also partnered with Sarine to integrate source registration with advanced scanning data, creating what the company describes as an end-to-end traceability solution. De Beers ensured 100 percent of its precious metal suppliers met rigorous sourcing standards for gold, platinum, and silver supplied to its De Beers London and Forevermark retail brands.
Al Cook, De Beers Group's Chief Executive Officer, said the company had sharpened its focus on sustainability targets aligned with partner country priorities and UN Sustainable Development Goals. Sandrine Conseiller, CEO of De Beers Brands, emphasized that consumers increasingly expect companies to consider their wider impact as a matter of course, not exception. The company signaled that future work on provenance will focus on expanding Tracr's reach to additional production sources and bringing more midstream participants into the platform.
Citações Notáveis
Natural diamonds can support jobs, skills development, nature conservation and climate action in diamond-producing countries through the value chain.— Al Cook, Chief Executive Officer of De Beers Group
Consumers increasingly expect the brands they choose to consider their wider impact, not as something exceptional, but as a matter of course.— Sandrine Conseiller, CEO of De Beers Brands
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Climate & Environment