For the past decades, diamond mining has been frowned upon by many because of its detrimental impacts on our environment. This is the primary reason why a number of companies are slowly transitioning to the production of eco-friendly jewelry using novel techniques. One of their biggest feat to date is the development of an environmental friendly diamond that is as stunning as those that are mined.
Although creating lab grown diamonds is not a hundred percent sustainable, recent studies reveal that it consumes less water and fossil fuel, and it doesn't emit an alarming amount of carbon. This is worth noting because mining, especially those that are illegal, causes an infinite amount of destruction that can no longer be undone.
Below is a detailed explanation of why choosing lab-grown diamonds not only guarantees quality jewelry but also helps you save our environment in your own little way.
Carbon Emission
It is reported that for a single carat of diamond mined, 57 kilograms of carbon are freed to the atmosphere. This is significantly higher than the carbon emitted by lab-made diamonds, which is only a few grams.
Why does this matter? Carbon emissions that are trapped in the atmosphere cause climate change, global warming, and other extreme natural phenomena.
Water Consumption
The water usage of lab grown diamonds is way lesser than mined diamonds. To illustrate, lab-made only consumes 18 gallons per carat while mined consumes 126 gallons. This is considered the biggest difference between the diamond sources we are discussing because it reflects how much natural resources can be saved if we choose lab grown.
In addition to consumption, mining diamonds result in a continuous discharge of wastewater and pollutants that are harmful to marine creatures and humans.
Fuel Usage
According to Better Diamond Initiative, the electric consumption of mining companies can power a million households for one whole year. This is quite alarming because there are already several reports about our dwindling energy sources.
Lab grown diamonds are still the better option because creating these gems doesn't consume much power since their growing facilities use renewable energy.
Waste Generation
In order to mine a single carat of diamond, 5,798 pounds of waste is created, which can cause chemical reactions that are harmful to humans and animals. To be specific, these wastes make the water acidic, which quickly dissolves zinc, lead, and copper. This may be the cause of water contamination and lead to a multitude of health-related problems.
Lab grown diamonds, on the other hand, do not cause this much danger because the process of making them only creates one pound of mineral waste. It also saves up human effort because no waste is collected and stacked after making them.
Land Disruption
Mining renders land unusable and it offsets biodiversity balances. In fact, for every carat of diamond mined, an average of 100 square feet of land is disturbed. Meanwhile, the disruption made by lab-grown diamonds is only 0.07 square feet per carat because the facilities where they are grown are often located in areas with less to no impact on the environment.
