When we started up our business, I was adamant that we had to work harder to embed sustainability in everything we do. I work as a Sustainability Consultant as my full-time job, so it's something I'm hugely passionate about. I believe progress in the world is going to be driven by more people imperfectly trying to be better, than a few people being perfect, and I'd say we're imperfectly learning as we go and doing the best we can. 

Suppliers:

When considering our suppliers, it's crazy how quickly you realise just how many suppliers you have. We have of course all our material suppliers, but we also have our web domain, the energy providers we use to power our homes, the way we travel to see each other and more. 

Our general rule is that we aim to shop with UK-owned businesses, ideally with UK-produced stock, to support small UK businesses, as well as reducing international shipping of supplies. We always check the sustainability policies and ambitions of businesses and this is a key factor for us in deciding who to work with.

Polymer Clay:  

We know that working with Polymer Clay means we have the sourcing footprint and end of life process to consider. We are focussed on quality, and design our products to last as long as possible rather than being a disposable piece. We also aim to have zero waste in our production by remixing in all our off-cuts into new designs. 

Metals: 

We already use recycled metals for many of our earrings, but we are looking to transition to using 100% recycled metals in our designs as soon as possible. We already have a high volume of stock which we will use first (to avoid waste) and then we will switch to a recycled material supplier.

Packaging:

We’re aiming for packaging that’s reusable, recyclable, and as minimal as possible, to reduce the environmental footprint of every order. We want to offer a range of packaging options; with the more premium being something we hope you can reuse over and over again, and with the recyclable option being something that we intend to be sourced from recycled materials, and as close to 100% recyclable as possible.

We have just placed an order with Tiny Box Company for our packaging and love their commitment to sustainability and recycled materials. Check them out here! https://www.tinyboxcompany.co.uk/

Energy Usage:

Both Karen and I work from home studios powered by renewable energy through Octopus energy. We aim to only heat the rooms we work in through the winter and I have also been using a co-working space within walking distance of my home (Spark in York) to benefit from shared energy usage.

Postage:

Royal Mail has been rated as the lowest footprint delivery service in the UK, so depending on availability and price, we aim to use the Royal Mail service as our primary delivery partner. We also encourage people to visit us at local craft markets to reduce on packaging materials and transportation.

Fashion:

We talk a lot about matching our jewellery to fashion, however we're also acutely aware of the carbon footprint of the fashion industry, particularly in the UK. We both love shopping and we love our clothes, but we aim as much as possible to buy second hand (in charity shops, eBay or Vinted), we also swap clothes a lot to give us that new feeling without the impact on the environment. We're not perfect and every now and then we'll get something new, but we try our best to keep this to a minimum and donate all clothes to charity shops or Thrift+ once they're not of use to use any more.

End-of-Life:

We design our products to last you as long as possible, however we know that fashions and styles change. We hope you can continue the life cycle of our products by donating them to charity or second hand jewellery stores. If you have any issues with your jewellery or it becomes damaged or broken within the first year, please contact us and we'll do our best to repair or replace as quickly as possible.

We know there’s always room for improvement, and we’re committed to being transparent about the steps we’re taking, the challenges we face, and the progress we’re making. We believe that creating beautiful, fun jewellery doesn’t have to come at a cost to the planet – and we’re proud to be on this journey with you. By shopping from our small business, you're already doing a really cool thing by making the choice to support an independent, female-owned brand with a focus on getting started on the right foot from the beginning. If you want to chat further or have any suggestions for us please contact us as we'd love to hear more.