Is It Greenwashing to Call a Lab-Grown Diamond Eco-Friendly?
By Cora Gold
When shopping for an engagement ring, tennis bracelet, or classic diamond stud earrings, you might’ve seen laboratory-grown diamonds marketed as the eco-friendly choice over mined stones. The claim is enticing, but not exactly accurate.
Before a green label sways your decision, it helps to understand what eco-friendly means in this industry and how regulators draw the line between marketing and misrepresentation. This guide will help you make an informed decision before buying your next jewelry piece.
What Counts as Greenwashing in Diamond Marketing
Greenwashing happens when a company implies a broad environmental benefit without evidence to back it up. The Federal Trade Commission has formally addressed this in the diamond sector by sending warning letters to jewelry marketers for the unqualified use of terms such as “eco-friendly” and “sustainable.”
The agency’s position is that sellers need a reasonable, documented basis for any environmental claim. Vague language that lets you assume far-reaching benefits is a problem, regardless of the product.
Common red flags that a claim may not hold up include:
- Vague terms like “eco-conscious” or “earth-friendly” used with no supporting specifics.
- No data provided on energy source, water use, or emissions.
- One facility’s certification applied to an entire brand or product line.
- No independent way for you to verify the claim.
Why Energy Source Drives a Lab-Grown Diamond’s Footprint
Growing a diamond in a lab uses either high-pressure high-temperature (HPHT) or chemical vapor deposition (CVD) equipment, both of which use substantial electricity. They may run 24/7 for weeks at a time, depending on the size of the diamonds being grown. The environmental impact of lab-grown diamonds varies greatly depending on the source of the electricity.
Research shows a polished carat grown on a coal-reliant grid can generate several hundred kilograms of CO2, a figure that shifts dramatically with solar or hydropower. In other words, lab-grown is not automatically low-carbon. The energy mix at the specific facility matters more than the growing method itself.
What Life Cycle Data Shows When You Compare Both Origins
Because energy sourcing varies widely between facilities and countries, an apples-to-apples emissions comparison is challenging. According to The Plumb Club, a jewelry association that works with the Responsible Jewellery Council, lab-grown diamond producers rarely publicly disclose verified emissions data.
“Few laboratory-grown diamond companies transparently disclose or verify such data, and the truth is, there is no single agreed-upon figure,” it states.
That disclosure gap cuts both ways. Natural diamond mining has its own well-documented land, water and energy impacts, and reputable comparisons should account for both sides rather than treating either origin as automatically clean.
A useful comparison looks at:
- Verified energy source — grid mix, renewable contracts or offsets — for the producer.
- Water use and waste handling disclosed by the facility.
- Independent audits or certifications behind any stated carbon figure.
- Whether the claim is scoped to one facility or applied to the category as a whole.
Why Supply Chain Transparency Still Falls Short
The natural diamond trade has decades of voluntary auditing frameworks, such as the Responsible Jewellery Council, to certify sourcing and labor practices. The lab-grown sector has grown quickly, and equivalent third-party oversight has not kept pace everywhere.
Coverage of the industry notes that lab-grown production often lacks the same level of consistent, independently audited reporting that natural mining has built over time, making it harder for you to verify a seller’s claims without a certification to point to.
That stewardship work is already visible at the mine level. De Beers Group has set science-based emissions targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative, aiming to cut direct and purchased-energy emissions by 42% by 2030, alongside a research program to store carbon in mine tailings rather than purchase offsets.
That gap does not mean lab-grown producers are acting in bad faith. It means that, without third-party verification, you must take a brand’s word for it.
How Third-Party Verification Changes the Equation
Independent certification is the deciding factor between marketing and a substantiated claim. SCS Global Services, a third-party sustainability verifier, developed the SCS-007 standard to audit diamond producers against criteria for carbon impact, traceability and labor practices.
It explains, “Certified Sustainably Produced Gemstones establishes unprecedented benchmarks of performance and transparency at the product level, backed by an independent, third-party audit. No other standard provides this level of assurance to retailers or their customers.”
Producers that pursue this route show what verification looks like in practice. A specific, audited claim tied to one producer’s actual energy sourcing is fundamentally different from an unqualified eco-friendly label applied to an entire product category.
For instance, ALTR Created Diamonds became the world’s first lab-grown diamond producer to reach a perfect SCS-007 score of 100.
“ALTR’s journey towards this certification marks a significant milestone, making it the first-ever SCS-007 certified lab-grown diamond producer to achieve this recognition while operating on 100% renewable energy,” it states.
The Verdict on Calling Lab-Grown Diamonds Eco-Friendly
Since growing diamonds is energy-intensive, the environmental footprint isn’t as small as marketing claims would have you believe.
According to the Natural Diamond Council, a global not-for-profit representing the natural diamond industry, “Lab-grown diamonds are produced using electricity and machinery to recreate Earth’s conditions and generate temperatures of 2,700 Fahrenheit and pressure of 1.5 million pounds per square inch. They also need large amounts of water to cool down the reactors.”
A blanket statement that lab-grown diamonds are eco-friendly, with no disclosure of energy source, no audit and no facility-specific data, fits the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) definition of an unqualified environmental claim. You could reasonably call it greenwashing.
A specific, certified claim tied to verified renewable energy and a recognized standard is different because it can be verified.
Your best move as a shopper is to ask sellers to name their energy source, their certification body, and the scope of their claim, then treat anything vaguer than that with healthy skepticism.
Key Takeaways for Evaluating an Eco-Friendly Diamond Claim
Whether a lab-grown diamond deserves the eco-friendly label comes down to evidence, not origin. The energy source, producer transparency, and independent verification tell you far more than the growing method alone.
A stone grown on a certified renewable-powered line is a genuinely different product from one grown on an undisclosed coal-heavy grid, even though both can be marketed as lab-grown.
Frequently Asked Questions About Lab-Grown Diamonds
These questions cover questions you should ask to dig past the marketing language.
Is calling a lab-grown diamond “eco-friendly” greenwashing?
Not all lab-grown diamonds are greenwashed. Some producers hold independent certifications backing specific, verifiable claims about renewable energy and emissions. The greenwashing risk applies to unqualified, unverified claims, not to every lab-grown stone.
Does the FTC actually regulate sustainability claims for diamonds?
The FTC does regulate sustainability claims for diamonds. The FTC’s Green Guides require a reasonable, documented basis for environmental claims, and the agency has sent formal warnings to jewelry marketers over vague language.
Can a lab-grown diamond’s environmental claim be verified?
You can verify a lab-grown diamond’s environmental claims through independent standards such as SCS-007, which audits a producer’s energy sourcing, emissions, and labor practices before allowing sustainability claims tied to that certification.
Making Sense of Eco-Friendly Diamond Claims
Calling a lab-grown diamond eco-friendly is not automatically greenwashing. The evidence behind the growing method is the deciding factor. If you ask about energy sourcing, request documentation and look for a recognized third-party standard, you are better equipped to tell the truth from a marketing shortcut, whether the diamond came from the earth or a lab.
About the author: Cora Gold is a sustainability writer who aims to live a healthy, low-waste lifestyle. Read more from Cora in Revivalist magazine, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
