(IDEX Online News) – Cred Jewellery founder and industry activist Greg Valerio has been honored an MBE for his work with Fairtrade gold in the New Year Honours list. The award rewards work with charitable and welfare organizations and public service.

“This award belongs to all of us and I hope that it will embolden us all to keep fighting for fairness in the jewelry trade,” said Valerio in a press statement.

“Jewelry and justice are not incompatible and lost to each other. The great challenge we now face is to forge a new luxury jewelry narrative that connects the aspirational emotion of the purchase with the dignity of the source. This is true luxury jewelry, a legacy of peace, justice and prosperity for the communities at the source and a continued celebration of design, creativity and love in the gift that is given.”

Valerio founded Fairtrade jewelry company CRED Jewellery in 1996. He has worked with The Fairtrade Labeling Organisation (FLO) and other national Fairtrade organizations from 2010 to 2014 coordinating their International Gold program and advocates for social and environmental mining in the Colombian rainforests, among his other work.

In 2010, along with US ethical jeweler Marc Choyt of Reflective Images, he cofounded FJA (Fair Jewellery Action), which promotes ethically sourced jewelry and acts as acts as a voice for marginalized communities affected by injustices around the mining industry.