By Andrew Cochineas, CEO Pallion 

2021 marks 70 years since the founder of Palloys Felix Parry (a polish war hero who fled to Australia as a refugee after World War II) incorporated Palloys. At Palloys and within the broader Pallion group, we see this milestone in the eyes of our clients – our partners in precious metal. Their returning custom is a privilege. Our success comes from their trust in us to execute their vision as a “brand behind brands”. And it is from their perspective that we plan for our next 70 years.  

ESG – the new market mantra 

Prior to 2018, words like “environment”, “sustainability” and “governance” (collectively referred to as “ESG”) were barely heard outside corporate boardrooms. Fast forward to today and ESG has become the catchcry for almost every industry. But ESG is not a “nice to have”. Solid ESG credentials are an essential requirement for economic success. Put simply, ESG is a baseline requirement of an increasingly educated consumer. It is from that perspective that Palloys and the broader Pallion group plan to celebrate this inauguration milestone.

That’s why in the next 70 years of Palloys’ development, our focus will be on delivering to our clients a solid, verifiable foundation on which they can market their ESG credentials to the world. We are committed to ensuring that when you deal with Palloys orbany Pallion group company, you can be assured that our precious metal products are some of the most highly externally ESG accredited products globally. 

ESG – mere claims don’t cut the mustard

The problem is that ESG has become – of itself – just a marketing tool. It is all too easy for companies to slap a slogan on their website, expecting a consumer to simply believe that a claim to ESG is equivalent to meeting the rigorous standards which come with attaining external ESG accreditations. But ESG is not just a slogan. Your clients will require you to verify your ESG claims. So, you should require that your suppliers provide proof to you of their claims. Because if you just blindly accept a supplier’s ESG claims and later find out that the claims just don’t reflect reality, what was your supplier’s problem suddenly becomes your problem. 

Transparency, not lip service

Our focus on the provenance of precious metals means that we have complete control over the chain of custody of our products that we supply to our customers. We don’t rely on the assurances of third party suppliers. We are the supplier.
It all begins with the refinement of the precious metal that is contained in all of our products.  Palloys precious metals are sourced from another Pallion group company, ABC Refinery.  ABC Refinery is one of only 68 refineries globally that are accredited as good delivery refiners by the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA). As such, the provenance of our precious metals is subject to strict annual independent Responsible Gold Guidance (RGG) Audit as well as OECD and World Gold Council Conflict Gold Policies (all available for download at pallion.com/about/responsibility). 

There is no other independent precious metals refiner in Australia that can give you that assurance – period. So, when our clients buy precious metal products from us, we can say with absolute certainty where that metal came from. We know the mining, labour and governance conditions of those precious metals. We know workers have been paid a living wage. We know our miners are acting ethically and with best environmental practices. We actually refine our precious metals ourselves, we also know how our precious metals have been refined. ABC Refinery is the only refiner in the Southern Hemisphere to utilise acidless separation (ALS) technology to refine its precious metals (unlike traditional refining technologies). It is indisputably the most environmentally friendly refining technology available today.

All Palloys products incorporate precious metals that have been refined utilising ALS technology. Complementing our investment in sustainable practices and provenance, are our precious metal laboratories. We don’t rely on guesswork or XRF hand held guns. Our precious metals are verified as to purity and caratage by the most accredited independent precious metals laboratory in Australia.

For full details of ABC Refinery’s laboratory accreditations, see pallion.com/about/accreditations. When it comes to product, we only give our clients the very best alloyed precious metals – made daily with 100% fresh bullion. No Palloys product is made with casting tree residue, jewellery scrap or wedding ring swarth. That’s why fabricated metal products are renowned for being easy to work, clean and the best of their kind.  All of these initiatives and more are why we’re not just members of the Responsible Jewellery Council (RSG) – we are the only Australian Wholesaler and Manufacturer accredited by the Responsible Jewellery Council. Full details of our Pallion ESG initiatives are detailed in the annual Pallion Sustainability Report, available for review at pallion.com/about/responsibility. 

Pallion Provenance™, Pallion Australian Gold® and Pallion Australian Silver®

Our investment in and assurance of superior supply chains, production processes and environmental protections, benefits all of our client partners. We call that supply ecosystem, Pallion Provence™. It’s the reason why major international luxury jewellery and watch houses, central banks and international mints specify our precious metals. It’s also the reason why we are the only Australian independent precious metals supplier that can verify our claim to supply all Australian mined precious metals.

And as part of Palloys’ 70th anniversary celebrations, we are launching two new registered hallmark trademarks — Pallion Australian Gold®and Pallion Australian Silver®. Only Palloys clients will be able to engrave or stamp their products with this trademark
to evidence the source of their precious metal creations and the veracity of the ESG credentials behind them. 

Commitment to industry

In our 70th birthday year, Palloys remains steadfast in its commitment to the Australian jewellery industry and resolute in determination to give our clients every tool to give their clients the best that the precious metals industry can offer. We are honoured to continue to support new jewellers in their studies at TAFE, university and during apprenticeships. We are proud to promote the Australian jewellery industry at home and abroad through our partnerships and significant donations to entities like Worldskills Australia.

Together, I hope these things mean that Felix Parry is looking down on all of us with a smile on his face.  Proud to have been a part of the development of a dynamic, responsible Australian jewellery industry. Happy birthday Palloys! And thank you to all of our valued customers past, present and future. We’re in this together.