Living a more conscious life
Reducing waste⠀
I’m passionate about this subject as I think we could all live our lives a little more consciously when it comes to waste. In the business we only use paper and cardboard packaging for shipping, I recycle boxes for wholesale orders, I avoid plastic as far as humanly possible, I don’t include things like invoices as that’s all digitised these days...basically it’s always top of mind and I often leave things unbranded so they can hopefully be reused by the recipient. And on a personal level I never ever use single use coffee cups or water bottles and if I don’t have my own with me I go without, I buy at least 80% of clothes second hand and we try to make do and mend as much as possible at home.
But don't you also make consumer products?
Well, yes, yes I do, which you could argue contribute to the mindset of buying 'stuff'. But hopefully, we are fulfilling a corner of the market that has scientific backing as helping with early development. Plus, a big part of the products I make is also about reducing wastefulness in terms of turnover. How often do your kids just look as something and discard it? How many times have you turned into your own parents muttering that things just aren’t built to last these days. ⠀
Our aim is to produce products that are useful and made to last in as sustainable way as possible. Oh and in our opinion they look pretty nice too as beautiful items for the home is important when you have kids and are often drowning under a sea of multi coloured plastic.
Test of time⠀
I believe in buying consciously and buying things that will last. Whether that’s because they are very good quality or that they can be handed down. Or they can be easily recycled and of course manufactured in as ethical and sustainable way as possible using recycled materials. I have been really surprised by the life of my products so far, they were designed for new-borns but I have been blown away by the appeal they have up to 6+. Especially between siblings. And reports from customers are that they are really sturdy, can out up with chucking about, chewing, spills and more.⠀
Books are built for this, contrary to their seemingly flimsy appearance. They are pretty easy to preserve allowing them to be handed down between generations. I have loved sharing my childhood books with my son recently, that are still in pretty pristine condition all things considered. Some are over 35 years old, bought as gifts for my 1st, 2nd, 3rd birthdays.
Reduce, reuse and recycle⠀
I know, you're probably sick of hearing that particular catch phrase. But it really is the only way we are going to have an impact on the planet. We cannot just keep consuming at the same rate but making ourselves feel better by buying 'ethical'. Take bio-degradable bags for example. Did you know that the majority are only compostable in an industrial composter that processes the waste at high temperatures? It doesn't mean you can pop them in your compost or food bin at home, or that if they happened to get discarded into nature they would decompose particularly quicker than plastic.
There are so many myths like this you owe it to yourself and the planet to try and educate yourself on the true impact of swapping out items for what are perceived to be more eco friendly, often they are what they seem at face value.
Changing hearts and minds
Reducing waste and encouraging conscious consumerism is very much at the heart of my brand but also my personal life. I’m certainly not perfect and still have a very long way to go with the choices I make, but I do love the thought that I can help people make a feel good purchase on so many levels. Whether it's because my products are eco friendly, because they are built to last or that they give 25% of profits back to the planet.
Next time you are going to buy something. Stop and think. What can I do differently to have a lower impact? What does true conscious consumerism look like to me?
