Sustainability.
If you’ve been around for a while, you’ll know that I’m a huge advocate when it comes to taking care of our planet; I believe we should all be doing what we can to protect the environment, and create as little an impact as possible.
Over the past few years I’ve learned a lot about living mindfully, and along with it, shopping mindfully too; It’s so important to be aware of what you’re purchasing, and why you’re purchasing it! It’s taught me to question my own shopping habits, by making me ask myself if I really NEED something before I press buy, and when I do need to purchase something, I want to know exactly what impact it has had on the planet.
However there are aspects of this way of living (and shopping) that I find more difficult to navigate! A lot of minimal design, with minimal impact on the planet, is just that; minimal. As a creative and artist, I don’t want simple and plain homewares and stationery - there’s nothing wrong with it, it’s just not my style! I want everything to be bright, colourful and full of joy! So I started designing things for people like me, who want to be more aware of the impact they’re having, but don’t want to miss out on boldness and brightness because of it.
Everything I design is carefully created to look great, and have a purpose (so you’re not just shopping for the sake of it) AND it’s designed to be as eco-friendly as I can make it - using recycled and recyclable materials, and not a single bit of single-use plastic in sight!
But I don’t just want to say I’m trying my best. I want to show you! Here, you can find more information on all of the products I sell, helping you be mindful about what you’re buying too!
Suppliers;
I believe that my standards are quite high when it comes to find a method to bring each project to life.
Before any of my products go to print, I’ll get in touch with each supplier to discuss their sustainability practices and I’ll always check that recycled materials can be used wherever possible. When I place each order, I also request that it gets sent out to me Plastic Free, to prevent any unnecessary waste at this stage of the process.
Almost all of my current suppliers are based in the UK, but I’m currently looking to switching to printers more local to me here in Cornwall. My aim is to reduce the miles a product travels before it reaches my shop whilst of course supporting local businesses!
Greetings Cards;
I work with an FSC and ISO certified supplier to produce all of my greetings cards. If you’d like to read about those certifications in more detail you can click here and here, but in short, it means that they are committed to responsible production of paper goods (at every stage of the process), and they’ve passed the required checks on how they process waste.
I also choose to use paper made from 100% recycled materials for all of my greetings cards. And of course, they can all be recycled again after you’ve sent off your soppy messages to your loved ones (and displayed them in pride of place on the mantle piece of course!).
Prints;
My two motivational mantas are printed on paper made up of recycled coffee cups! Not only is this paper using up what would have just gone in the bin; it’s also super sturdy, so with your care, it will last for years to come. Perfect for the renters moving home-to-home, or the serial redecorators who can’t help changing round their house each week.
There may be some flecks in this deliciously textured paper, but don’t worry, it’s probably just a stray coffee ground making a reappearance!
Planners;
The Planners in my Superstar Collection are printed on 100% recycled paper, and they’re entirely recyclable too - right down to the grey board backing. They’re also printed by a CO2 Neutral Press, onto 100% recycled paper using Vegan Approved inks! Honestly, I’m not sure you could even get more eco than that!
All other planners are printed on recycled paper, in the UK, and are produced in small batches so I only stock as much as I need - nothing goes to waste around here!
All of the planners are packaged 100% plastic free, with paper belly bands holding the pages together, and they’re carefully wrapped in tissue before they head out to their new homes (or desks?!)
Stickers;
The stickers I have on sale are made of paper! And while this means they might not be ideal for sticking on your water bottle or surf board, it DOES mean that they are 100% recyclable. Even the backing paper is Glassine, (which is made from 100 wood pulp,) and can be put out with your normal paper recycling.
Cushion Covers;
This fabric for both my cushion covers have been digitally printed; a process that requires a precise amount of ink and material to vastly reduce the amount of waste.
Both the fabric and ink are also OEKO-TEX certified, ensuring thorough testing has been carried out to ensure the materials don’t contain any harmful substances.
The Blue Birdsong Cushion covers are extra special, as they’ve been made using Recycled Polyester, made from plastic bottles!
These cushion covers are sewn by my mum, Helen, in her home studio (aka, her living room) in Hertforshire. Produced in small batches, we have taken extra care to ensure we collected any waste fabric to be reused in future projects!
Post and Packaging;
Since my small business started, I’ve known that I want to avoid using plastic wherever possible and now a few years on, I’m fully committed to this. All the packaging you receive orders in is completely recyclable - I use cardboard boxes and card envelopes, safely sealed with paper tape that can all be popped straight into the recycling (or re-used if ya fancy it!)
In the unlikely event that you do receive any plastic in with your order (sometimes in the form of bubblewrap), it will be re-used from an order than I’ve received and never brand new! (But if you have any doubts, please get in touch!)
No Cello Sleeves?
In the creative industry, we’re seeing so many small businesses swapping out the traditional plastic wrap that cards and paper goods travel in, and replacing it with the more eco friendly, “Biodegradable” or “Compostable” Alternatives. This is such an easy swap, and it’s so fab to see so many businesses committing to this change, especially when we’re all well aware of the impact plastic is having on the environment.
So why am I not using them?
Here in Cornwall, we don’t have composting provided by our local authorities (a conversation for another day) and without this, there is no way for even the Biodegradable Sleeves to be disposed of safely. Because I can’t guarantee that all my customers have home composting, or will go out of their way to find an alternative, I decided to ditch the (compostable) plastic all together. Instead, my greetings cards are posted out ‘Naked’, with only small paper sticker holding them together, and all items are wrapped up safely in recyclable tissue paper for their journey out to you.
Seconds Sales;
Mistakes happen, and every so often I’ll receive an order from a supplier that just isn’t quite perfect. The goodies that I don’t feel are fit to sell at full price, I hold on to, and every so often I’ll hold a seconds sale. Hosting these sales means that nothing usable gets thrown away or wasted, and each not-quite-perfect piece finds a home. If you’re on the lookout for a bargain, follow my instagram where I’ll keep you update on when the next seconds sale will be.
I really hope after reading this you feel that you can count on me to make the choice that won’t compromise on people or the planet, wherever possible.
I’m always looking for ways to improve, and reduce my impact, and I don’t ever want my business to be seen as a waste-generating-machine, so if there’s anything you think I can do better on, please do let me know! I would absolutely love to hear your ideas and eco-friendly alternatives.