“Gold is gold”: Understanding the role of European actors along the supply chain of Colombian gold

Abstract: Gold mining causes various negative social and environmental impacts in countries of extraction like Colombia. Voluntary and legal efforts to tackle these challenges have recently increased in Europe. To understand the complex supply chain and the impact of the newly evolved governance structures better, more research is needed. Based on a literature review and interviews, I identify important European actors involved in the gold supply chain using multi-level governance. Through the lens of telecoupling, I investigate measures and motivation for improvements in sustainability performances. The results suggest that increased expectations pressure large European refineries to increase their sustainability efforts. While EU regulations are enhancing, legal efforts in Switzerland fall behind. Together with other governance gaps, e.g., shortcomings in due diligence approaches, and an overall lack of transparency, this impedes sustainability improvements along the supply chain. The remaining governance gaps reveal the need for further improvements of the evolving governance structures.