What: Kering is expanding its Generation Award — originally launched in 2018 to advance innovation and sustainability in fashion — into the jewellery sector.

Why it is important: The aim is to support “visionary” talent to drive forward sustainable design and practices in jewellery making.

The theme for the inaugural award is ‘Second Chance, First Choice’, calling on contestants to transform waste into value and beauty. The award is open to both students and startups; two of each will be selected as finalists to present to a jury chaired by Kering CEO François-Henri Pinault.

Kering is not new to the concept of transforming waste into jewellery. By bringing the Kering Generation Award, which was launched initially in China before expanding to Japan and Saudi Arabia (the jewellery version is not region specific), into the realm of jewellery, the hope is to drive innovation, as well as more attention to the environmental challenges inherent to jewellery production and that the sector still has to grapple with, including resource consumption, pollution and waste generation.

Kering’s new jewellery award promotes waste as a valuable resource