Sustainability
Art Prints
Starting with the design in which I use a computer to create everything home based, therefore, electricity. The company I use offers 100% renewable electricity, a British energy company and a subsidiary of the German one with same name.
The company I source the prints from claims to have the following solutions to reduce waste and carbon footprint:
Recycled paper at no extra cost | Paper is PEFC certified | Re-use boxes and packaging | Use Energy Save mode for equipments | Return spare parts for refurbishment or recycling | Using industry-leading green technology.
The packaging to ship the art prints in is a triangular tube using nothing but cardboard and one paper strip for the glue, two tissue papers to protect the print front and back and one strip of ribbon to tie it, meaning it's 100% recyclable, all materials. The company I source the cardboard tube from has a sustainability page informing that "we have been accredited by the FSC™ and use board and papers sourced from FSC™ approved forests". They are also members of Ecovadis, Get Nature Positive Campaign and GreenFinder Partnership.
Shipping method is Royal Mail.
Clear Stickers
The company I source the stickers from is located in Sweden and the US. It claims to have the following solutions to reduce waste and carbon footprint:
"When printing, we use a highly developed algorithm that arranges every order to minimize the material waste when printed. 95% of our products are printed using the HP Indigo system. A carbon-neutral printing method with several environmental certifications".
The stickers go on envelopes to get to you. The company I source it from is in Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom, and claims these envelopes are made of eucalyptus paper and are fully recyclable and sustainable. Their website informs customers they are PEFC certified - Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification.
I add some tissue paper to wrap it all together along with a card. The tissue is "white acid-free and dyed all over in white. The dyes are water based and the paper is fully recyclable making it a great eco-friendly option". Other topics the company informs it's customers are:
Comply with all relevant environmental laws, regulations and standards | Ensure that all of our waste is disposed of in a safe and responsible way | Endeavour to source all of our products from organisations who work towards minimising their environmental impact | Review our environmental policy on an annual basis.
They have set up Bags to Trees initiative, donating money to various foundations depending on how many paper bags they sell. The Tree Council promotes the planting and conservation of trees in towns and country sides. The lead UK tree campaigning partnership, it is an umbrella body for 150 organisations working together for trees.
Shipping method is Royal Mail.
Tea Towels
The company I source the fabrics from is located in Leek, Staffordshire.
"Use of reactive inks conforms to Oeko-tex standard 100, meaning they contain no harmful chemicals and in no way animal products are used. The waste water is then processed through an effluent plant and released back to public water treatment processing plants. Everything we make is bespoke and to order, meaning we don’t have redundant stock sitting around which would eventually be thrown away".
The tea towels are shipped in cardboard boxes, made of recycling material, single wall corrugated boxes. The company only has a profile shop on a huge retailer's website. I add tissue paper to protect the towels and a paper belly band that can be recycled.
Shipping method is Royal Mail.
Crystal Pouch
A reusable little fabric pouch bag has one paper tag - meant to keep it to get instructions on how to care for it - and a clear tag - meant to explain how the pouch was created, with tissue paper filling the pouch.
The company I sourced the pouches has a profile on the website of a huge retailer from Asia. This smaller company is a manufacturer and trading company. According to wbcsd.org - World Business Council for Sustainable Development based in Geneva - the retail and manufacture company is pledging the following: "The company has joined a group of over 200 of the world’s leading sustainable businesses as the newest member of WBCSD. The initial focus of the collaboration between the two will be on Climate Action, particularly in finding innovative ways to leverage the platforms for broad decarbonisation and work with WBCSD members on the Avoided Emissions framework and methodologies."
"ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) is a cornerstone strategy for the company, with a vision to not only achieve its own sustainability goals but also empower consumers, merchants, and partners to create positive social and environmental impacts through its platform."
Packaging to ship the pouches in is a tiny cardboard box sourced at a company that has a profile on a huge retailer website. Currently chasing information as to whether the company has any pledges about caring for the environment, waiting for a reply at the moment.
Shipping method is Royal Mail.