Once seen as just another mall brand, Pandora has been quietly, and steadily, shaking off that image in recent years. Case in point: its unexpected partnerships with Tyla and Pamela Anderson. Or its presence at Copenhagen Fashion Week. Or its collaborations with Disney and those wildly popular personalized charms. But there’s more happening behind the scenes. We went straight to the source—the brand’s state-of-the-art facility in Lamphun, Thailand—to explore what might just be Pandora’s most ambitious frontier yet: sustainability.
To make a single piece of jewelry, it all starts with silver and gold. And as of last year, 100 percent of the silver and gold used in Pandora’s production processes is recycled. That means every charm, clasp, and link could have had a past life—maybe as an old necklace, or even a scrap of industrial metal. At the factory, rubber “trees” are carefully crafted to hold the shapes, silver is melted and cast, and intricate components are formed. Then comes the sparkle: crystal accents, colorful enamel, and Murano glass are added, followed by nearly 30 rounds of rigorous quality testing. The result? A piece that feels new, but carries a trace of history.
Sustainability in jewelry isn’t necessarily an easy feat to accomplish. Conversations around lab-grown versus mined diamonds and the traceability of raw materials remain hot topics. But Pandora is charging forward. In 2024, it hit a major milestone: 100 percent renewable electricity across all its own operations. In its Thailand factories, 98 percent of material waste is now being reused. Maybe it’s the Danish influence—Copenhagen is known for its rigorous sustainability standards, including those required of every brand showing at fashion week. And it makes sense: Pandora was founded in 1982 by Danish goldsmith Per Enevoldsen and his wife Winnie, with the idea that jewelry should be wearable, accessible, and joyful. Now, it’s the biggest jewelry brand in the world by volume.
“[Sustainability] is easier when you have a small facility,” Pandora’s chief marketing officer Berta de Pablos-Barbier exclusively tells ELLE. “We have to make sure that the environment we operate in is sustainable for 12,000 people.” Getting to 100 percent recycled silver and gold took four years, with the help of over 100 employees. But the payoff? Avoiding 58,000 tons of CO₂ emissions per annum. The Lamphun facility has run entirely on solar power since 2020, and de Pablos-Barbier says the next sustainability targets are packaging and water usage—with a goal to become a net zero waste company by 2040.
“With leadership comes great responsibility,” she adds. “The message we’re sending is that it’s the right thing to do—it’s the responsible thing to do. And as the leaders, we can’t do otherwise.”
Shop Our Favorite Pandora Charms
Pandora Blue Pansy Flower Charm
Pandora Band of Hearts Safety Chain Charm
Pandora Sparkling Dice Charm
Pandora Be Love Engravable Heart Charm
Pandora Blue Murano Glass Dolphins Dangle Charm
Pandora Sparkling Pavé Triple-row Charm
Pandora Sparkling Monstera Leaf Dangle Charm
Pandora Green Mini Murano Glass Charm
