Metals may be next on the list of consumer products guaranteed to conform to high environmental and human rights standards. Some of the biggest mining companies...including Newmont...BHP Billiton and...Falconbridge Inc., as well as retail giants ranging from Wal-Mart to Tiffany...met in Vancouver recently to consider creating a seal of approval for sustainably produced metals. They met last week with leading environmental and human rights groups such as Oxfam America, the World Wildlife Fund and U.S. mining watchdog EarthWorks. News of the initiative emerges as Canada's federal government opens landmark talks today in Vancouver on whether to impose an ethics code on Canadian mining and oil companies operating overseas. [also refers to some member companies of Council for Responsible Jewelry Practices: Piaget (part of Richemont), Cartier (part of Richemont), Rio Tinto, Newmont, BHP Billiton]