The gold industry must clean up its act or risk losing new customers after a new YouGov poll for CAFOD, the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development, has found that consumers are now keener than ever to ensure that the gold jewellery products available from catalogues and high street stores have been ethically sourced.

According to the YouGov poll, the consumer shift towards ethical products is now extending to the gold jewellery industry with more than one in four people, or 28 per cent of those polled, claiming they would buy Fairtrade gold on sale, even if it meant paying more.

The findings are particularly pertinent in the run up to Christmas when British consumers are expected to buy a massive six million items of gold.

A considerable one in three people surveyed, or 35 per cent, also agreed that they would choose to shop at stores that were concerned about how their gold is produced.

Sonya Maldar, CAFOD's extractives analyst, said: "The poll results send a clear message to jewellery retailers that they can't afford to ignore their customers' wishes for clean gold.