Last Updated on: 26th October 2025, 05:52 am
A pioneering scientific breakthrough by one of the world’s leading diamond mining companies, responsible for around 30% of global output, has confirmed that natural diamonds can have a negative carbon footprint — a discovery that could reshape the industry’s environmental future.
Over a three-year study led by experts from the ALROSA Innovation and Technology Center, together with researchers from Lomonosov Moscow State University and other scientific institutions, it has been proven that kimberlite ore from the miner’s deposits in Yakutia and the Arkhangelsk region can naturally capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as part of its mining process.
The study revealed that these deposits collectively absorb around one million tonnes of CO₂-equivalent annually — an amount equal to the carbon captured by roughly 400,000 hectares of forest, or four times the land area of New York City.
Scientists found that this absorption is most effective within the company’s production cycle, where ore extraction, processing, and storage accelerate carbonisation — the process by which CO₂ binds with kimberlite minerals to form natural carbonates. Crucially, the study confirmed that this reaction is irreversible, meaning that once captured, the carbon remains permanently trapped within the rock.
Following the results of this work, the company received an internationally recognised verification certificate from TÜV Austria Standards & Compliance Ltd., a third party organisation confirmed the carbon neutrality of diamonds and their negative carbon footprint, which in 2024 amounted to a “negative” 0.71 kg (1.57 lbs) CO₂-eq per 1 carat.
As the company’s production represents nearly one-third of all mined diamonds globally, experts believe this advancement could have far-reaching implications, helping to lower the entire sector’s carbon footprint. The discovery comes at a time when lab-grown diamonds are expanding rapidly, often marketed as the more sustainable alternative — a claim now likely to face renewed scrutiny.
Pavel Marinychev, CEO, ALROSA:
— We became the world’s first mining company to have its products officially recognized as carbon neutral in full annual production volume, not only thanks to the proven ability of diamond-bearing rock to capture and bind CO₂, but also thanks to the company’s systematic efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and use its own renewable energy.
Lin Qiang, president, Shanghai Diamond Exchange:
— This research will surely become a powerful argument in favor of choosing natural diamonds. This development will make natural diamond jewelry even more appealing to consumers, especially younger generations. I see great potential in this discovery for the world diamond industry: it is important that other companies shall also aim to achieve carbon neutrality.
Nosiphiwo Mzamo, CEO, State Diamond Trader of South Africa:
— The findings are significant for the entire diamond industry, particularly because lab-grown diamonds — produced at scale outside of diamond-producing countries — are often assumed to be more environmentally friendly. In reality, the production of most of them requires significant energy consumption; and at industrial scale, this energy often comes from “dirty” sources such as coal and oil.
