Gold mining is often framed as a local problem—something that happens “somewhere else,” in remote areas, informal camps, or deep in the forest. In an interview with Martina Burger, a research associate at the Wyss Academy, this framing is challenged from the outset. While “the issue manifests locally,” she explains, extraction is only one part of the broader gold value chain and of a far more complex system.

With a background in climate science, Martina now examines the gold supply chain from a holistic perspective. Her research traces the journey of gold from its point of extraction, such as artisanal mines in Madre de Dios, Peru, to refineries, banks, and luxury industries in Switzerland. In her work, these places are directly connected, not only through the exchange of a commodity, but also through a web of economic, political, and social relationships that shape the impacts of gold along the entire chain. 

Gold mining cannot be understood only at the site of extraction. Artisanal and small-scale mining in places like Madre de Dios, Peru, is part of a much larger global system that connects distant regions through trade, demand, regulation, and finance. While the environmental and social impacts of mining are most visible in the Amazon, many of the forces shaping these activities lie far beyond the region.

As Martina Burger, research associate at the Wyss Academy, explains in the interview, these distant places are directly connected through the gold value chain. “We have two faraway places, Peru and Switzerland, and they are connected through a topic,” she notes, referring to artisanal and small-scale gold mining.

Researchers describe this relationship as a teleconnection: processes in one part of the world directly influence outcomes thousands of kilometers away. The destruction linked to gold mining in Peru, Burger explains, is also shaped by actions that are “far, far away — not in Peru,” making it impossible to understand mining without looking beyond national borders and examining the global system in which it operates.

If gold connects distant places, Switzerland is one of its most powerful nodes. Martina explains that Switzerland happens to be one of the major hubs for gold trading and processing, despite its small size. The country is home to four globally important refineries, and about 15% of the gold mined every year is processed there. When previously refined gold imports are included, she adds, around one third of the annual global gold trade passes through Switzerland. 

This central role did not emerge by chance. Martina points to historical developments, favorable regulations, strong refining capacity, and proximity to industries such as watchmaking and jewelry. Once refined, gold leaves Switzerland again, embedded in products exported around the world. Given the country’s size, she says, this concentration of influence is “really astonishing.” 

Globally, Martina explains, gold flows into three main sectors. Almost half goes into jewelry and watchmaking, around 5–10% is used in technology such as electronics, and the remaining 40–50% ends up with banks, including both retail and central banks. Which sector dominates at any given moment depends on geopolitics, financial uncertainty, and price volatility. 

When asked whether buyers care about clean gold, Martina insists the question needs to be dissected. On one side are consumers purchasing small quantities of jewelry. The average gold buyer, she explains, does not know or does not think about the impact their purchase has, with price as the main concern. On the other side are companies buying gold at scale — refineries, watchmakers, jewelry brands, and banks — and in this case there is a slow but changing trend. 

Among large buyers, Martina observes a growing shift in behavior. Some companies, she explains, go beyond what is required by law, and sustainability managers and responsible sourcing experts are often deeply engaged with the issue. Some of this engagement is intrinsic: these companies benefit significantly from the gold value chain and, as Martina puts it, arguably disproportionately, leading some to feel a responsibility to give back. 

At the same time, external pressure plays an important role. Reputation, she explains, has become a central concern. While price still matters most, companies increasingly fear public scrutiny, regulatory change, and reputational damage. This, Martina notes, was probably not a major topic a few years ago, but it is “most definitely a trend now.” 

Still, she cautions against overstating progress. Interest in clean artisanal gold exists, but it remains niche and difficult to scale within the current market structure. 

One of the biggest barriers to responsible sourcing is traceability. Martina explains that it is very difficult to trace gold back to the mine of origin, particularly in artisanal mining, where gold from different operations is often aggregated before entering formal markets. 

There are emerging solutions — document-based systems, forensic methods such as DNA markers, and even blockchain — but each comes with limitations. There is always a critical point, she explains, where gold enters the system, and at that moment trust still plays a central role. Because gold is valuable, mobile, and easy to conceal, the sector remains highly vulnerable to money laundering and corruption. 

Martina Burger is very careful not to overstate the role of research. Research, she explains, is only one component in a broader system. It cannot solve everything, but it can push change in the right direction. 

One contribution lies in technology, such as supporting mercury-free extraction methods like shaker tables. Another lies in data. The gold business, is quite secretive, with information often inaccessible. Producing and translating data can help reduce information asymmetries along the value chain. 

Perhaps most importantly, research has convening power. Researchers are often perceived as neutral, she explains, and this neutrality allows them to bring together actors who would otherwise never sit at the same table. Storytelling also plays a role. Media coverage of artisanal mining is often negative, and while not unjustified, these narratives can discourage engagement. Showing that success stories exist can make people more open to change, argues Martina.

Martina returns repeatedly to one central idea: disengagement makes things worse. Gold production, she says, will not stop, and demand is expected to grow in the coming decades. Walking away does not prevent harm, it simply shifts it elsewhere. 

Engaging, she argues, is better than saying the issue is too complicated, because mining will happen anyway. The real question is how responsibility is distributed across the system, from miners and refiners to companies, regulators, and consumers. For Martina, that responsibility begins with seeing gold not as an isolated product, but as a shared global system, one that can only change if all its parts are taken seriously.