Sustainability statement

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Sourcing materials

 

• I make my jewellery from ethically sourced silver, 9 carat solid gold and powder coated stainless steel. I am unable to use 100% recycled silver anymore, but what I use is a pretty good alternative (if you’re curious, have a read of my blog post).

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• I use powder coating to colour my steel pieces. Powder coating is safer and better for the environment than using paint. It doesn’t contain any fluids to evaporate and doesn’t emit any VOCs.

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• I produce art prints from my own illustrations which are foil press printed in Australia on recycled paper.

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Making jewellery

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• My silver comes in plastic zip-lock bags. I make sure to re-use the bags first, and when I have no need for them, they go into soft plastics recycling. 

 

• Old saw blades, drill bits and other steel tools I can no longer use get recycled.

 

• I melt down and re-use my silver until I can’t melt it down anymore. I then send it back to my supplier, who is able to refine the silver to give it a new life. 

 

• I use a safe, non-toxic pickle (a solution the metal goes in after soldering). I neutralise the pickle with bi-carb before discarding it down the sink so that it doesn’t cause any acidification problems in waterways.

 

• I do use emery paper to smooth out my jewellery, which can be toxic if you breathe in the silicon dust. I manage this by using a face mask when working and sweeping up after using emery paper to avoid contamination.

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Packaging

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Boxes

• Westpack, a Danish company, make the jewellery boxes in their on-site factory. The boxes are made from FSC®-certified paper and organic corn production by-products. This by-product replaces as much as 15% of the wood pulp. The boxes are 100% plastic free and even the glue is eco-friendly. They can be re-used for years to come, and can also be composted and recycled.

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• The foam inserts are not made from plastic either! They are made from Tall oil, a by-product derived from pinewood from paper production.The foam inserts are made without unwanted chemicals and are tarnish tested so your jewellery will not get discoloured when stored. I'm currently testing to see how long it takes to compost the eco foam inserts.

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• UPDATE: 80% of the foam inserts I received in my first order of boxes are not part of my stockist's sustainable collection and contain plastic. When I reached out to Westpack, they dealt with it well. They responded quickly and apologised, offering to send me the sustainable foam I ordered. After much thought, I've decided to keep the non-sustainable foam. It would be more wasteful to produce more product and ship it from Denmark to Australia.

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• To help fight plastic pollution, I am donating 50 cents for every non-sustainable box insert to the Australian Marine Conservation Plastic Pollution campaign.

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• The FSC® mark on the boxes guarantees that all materials come from an FSC® forest, where no more wood is cut down than the forest can reproduce. This means better protection of the animal- and plant life, and all foresters have proper training, safety equipment and a decent wage. Find out more at www.fsc.org. 

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Postage

• I use NoIssue mailing boxes for mailing out jewellery. These boxes are made from 100% Recycled Kraft material, and printed with earth-friendly inks. I use these with over 90% of my orders. If the jewellery order doesn't fit in the boxes, I use recycled mailers I've collected, or use Australia Post bags.

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• The tissue paper I use is printed with earth-friendly dyes and made from 30% recycled material and 70% new acid-free virgin pulp. The tissue paper is compostable and can be recycled after use. Made by NoIssue.

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• I use plastic-free, compostable brown Kraft tape made from a mix of recycled materials to keep boxes secure.

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Miscellaneous

• Art prints are presented in 100% compostable cellophane packaging. They are printed in Victoria by Stitchpress.

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• I send out postcards made by NoIssue from 100% Recycled Uncoated Paper / FSC Mix Uncoated Paper, which uses earth-friendly inks.

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• I use plastic-free, paper stickers made from 100% recycled paper using earth-friendly dyes. These are made by Print Together in Victoria.

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• My business cards are made from 100% recycled card and are hot foil-pressed. They are made in Victoria by Stitchpress.

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• The jewellery cards I'm phasing out are made from 100% post-consumer recycled paper and digital-printed with environmentally friendly inks and toners at Print Together in Victoria.

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Giving Back

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• I donate $2 from each piece in my Tassie range to the Australian Environmental Defenders Office. 

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• To help fight plastic pollution, I am donating 50 cents for every non-sustainable box insert that was accidentally sent to me to the Australian Marine Conservation Plastic Pollution campaign.

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