Sustainability and Ethics

You may have noticed that occasionally I talk on social media about some of the decisions I make within my business to ensure that I am always acting with sustainability and ethics in mind – and I don’t just mean that I recycle my waste cardboard, these principles are ingrained in my actions.

My 4 key principles are

Supporting local manufacturers and suppliers (UK first)
Using 100% recycled cardstock and paper
Reducing, reusing and recycling waste
Carbon offsetting and tree planting

I try to think of these 4 key areas whenever I plan a new product, upgrade a current product or make other strategic business decisions.

Supporting local manufacturers and suppliers

I will always look for a UK manufacturer before I turn to the EU. I almost exclusively use UK manufacturers, with only 2 (currently) that are outside the UK (one in Europe and one in the USA). By choosing to support a local UK manufacturer, I am supporting the local economy, while also reducing my environmental impact. Reducing the need for international transport (especially freight flights) reduces carbon emissions significantly.

I also know that my products are made by people who are paid fairly and in safe working conditions. This is a big reason for why I choose UK manufactured wooden pins instead of Asian manufactured enamel pins (all enamel pins are made in Asia btw), I know that there is less chance of issues with safety and fair wages under the UK law requirements.

This does mean that there are some products I don’t/can’t sell because I cannot get them made in the UK/EU – enamel pins (though see above for all the reasons I don’t do enamel) and washi tape are two big ones you might notice I don’t make.

And yes, some of the materials for some of my products inevitably are likely to come from outside the UK, but I endeavour to keep as much manufacturing and production inside the UK as possible.

I also apply these principles when sourcing materials (UK made is preferable), and I will look for an independent local supplier/distributor even if they cost more than say Jeff Bezos. I am by no means perfect, but I think supporting as local as I can is a key part of building a better world and it means I can feel comfortable about my product origins and components.

Using 100% recycled cardstock and paper

This is a no brainer to me – if a 100% recycled option exists, I WILL pay more for it. I think there is little excuse not to. This sometimes means I have to search high and low to find a recycled option, and I have to pay a premium, but this is such a simple solution for reducing environmental impacts. All my thankyou cards, cards, envelopes, bookmarks etc are 100% recycled cardstock (UK or EU made too). Some of my mailers are not 100% recycled yet and that is because I have yet to find a manufacturer that makes the thin rigid envelopes I use for thin orders, but most of my box mailers and thicker ones are recycled or have a good percentage of recycled content. Using recycled paper/card is such an easy principle to enforce, even if it is sometimes priced at a premium.

I have written a short blog post on this topic too!

Reducing, reusing and recycling waste

If you have a large or unusually shaped order you might end up with reused packaging materials. If you ever get bubble wrap I will never have bought it – I ALWAYS save any bubble wrap or similar packaging I get sent for reuse. If I have soft plastics that I can’t reuse (such as mailers) I will collect them and recycle at my local supermarket (along with any other clean household soft plastics). All of my cello is actual cello – i.e. it is not plastic, and complies with EU regulations to break down in compost conditions. I had to custom order my bookmark packaging out of this material (from a UK manufacturer), but again, I think having compostable packaging is a no brainer, and I will never buy virgin plastic for packaging.

Carbon offsetting and tree planting

Carbon credits can be used to balance out greenhouse gas emissions by funding projects that are proven to decrease or absorb an equivalent amount of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases. The terms carbon credits and carbon offsetting are often used interchangeably.

Investing in carbon credits allows a business to support carbon saving projects elsewhere in the country or world, the aim being to neutralise or even reverse one’s carbon footprint by supporting carbon reducing projects that may otherwise not be funded.

That is why I choose to offset emissions monthly with Ecologi, and also support tree planting/revegetation projects through them. I think this is an important step in supporting global progress, and I am comfortable the standards applied to carbon credits I purchase through Ecologi mean my money is supporting a shift towards a low carbon economy.

If you are interested in Ecologi check them out here.

So there you have it, some of the key ethical standpoints I have when thinking about turning my art into products and selling them to you. I aim for transparency while doing the best I can.