Unaware of Indigenous land concerns, Ellie Goulding admits error over promoting diamonds from controversial Australian mine

Goulding responds to concerns

She said protecting the environment mattered to her and acknowledged that promoting the diamonds did not match the values she tries to uphold. Goulding added that she had not known about the concerns surrounding the mine and was grateful they had been raised.

Environmental work and roles

Goulding has campaigned for years on environmental issues, including the effects of mining on ancestral lands. She received an MBE last year for services to biodiversity and the climate.

She is a global goodwill ambassador for the UN environment programme and an ambassador for WWF. WWF said it takes mining’s environmental impact and its effects on Indigenous and local communities seriously.

Brand purchase preceded event

A week before the Boodles event in London, the company announced it had bought the Argyle Pink Diamonds brand and its inventory from Rio Tinto. A source close to Goulding suggested the timing may have contributed to her falling short of her environmental values.