Sustainability
Our push to be sustainable.
The word sustainability gets thrown around a lot these days. Big corporations use it as a buzzword to greenwash us into thinking what they're doing isn't affecting the planet and there's so many components to making products it can be difficult to truly understand if it's sustainable or not.
Our aim is to be honest and open with you about our practice and materials used, and then it's up to you to decide if what we are doing is sustainable enough for your standards.
But our promise to you is that we will do our best to make our products and practice as sustainable and ethical as we possibly can, even if it does cost more and take more effort to source materials.
These are the steps we are taking...
BIRCH PLYWOOD
All of our products are made using birch plywood which is wood made into a sheet material using resin glues. Birch is felled across FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) forests in Europe and when a tree is cut down it is replaced with new ones making it sustainably sourced. The great thing about Birch is that it's a fast growing hardwood compared to others like walnut.
REDUCING WASTE
Because we laser cut our products we only create a small amount of waste. We can cut shapes very closely together so very little wood gets wasted, and can squeeze smaller earrings into unused spaces.
PACKAGING
Seeing how wasteful packaging has become (how annoying are those plastic air pockets and bubble wrap!) drove us to make our packaging as eco as possible. We’re proud to announce we don’t use any plastic in our packaging, the printing technique used is vegan friendly using only plant-based inks, and all materials used are from the paper and board family making it recyclable once again.
RENEWABLE ENERGY
We're a green energy user and pay more to ensure all of our electricity comes from renewal energy sources such as wind, tidal and solar. This energy is what powers our studio and laser cutter.
ONE TREE PLANTED
Every order you place with us will plant one and so far we've planted over 400 trees with the charity One Tree Planted.
One Tree Planted work with some amazing reforestation partners in North America, South America, Asia and Africa, helping to get trees in the ground to restore forests after fires and floods, which in turn creates jobs, builds communities, and protects habits for biodiversity.
It's a simple step we have taken to try to offset the carbon footprint of your product, and it's something you can feel great about.
ETHICAL
By supporting us you will be doing your bit to support a small independent U.K. business. Producing a high quality product at a competitive price is difficult for any maker, especially when highstreet shops use cheap materials and outsource their production to developing countries where labour is cheaper.
We can’t compete on price but we like to think we can on quality, original designs and the service that we provide. We lovingly make each product from our workshop in Lewes and what you are paying for is a fair living wage for the time taken to make that product.
PRODUCTS THAT ADD VALUE
As William Morris once said…
‘Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful’.
We think about this quote whenever we buy or make a product. The modern world makes it easy to overfill our homes with things, fads and poor quality products. Pieces that are throwaway and aren't valued because they are cheap.
How can we be more sustainable? Buy less and buy better.
We aim to make objects that bring joy to your life. Be it through the uniqueness of the design, the enjoyment of its use, or the satisfaction of how it's been made with love by hand.
Have a question about the sustainability of our products or practice? Feel free to message Ali at hello@studio-mali.com and she will get back to you shortly.