Sustainability Statement
For us, the concept of sustainability means considering how our business negatively affects the planet's ecology and then making an effort to minimise our impact. Yet, claiming to be sustainable seems faddish and prone to greenwashing because of how difficult it is to genuinely achieve. Nevertheless, every little action can combine to make a difference, so this is why we feel it's worth making an effort.
In the 1970s, scientist James Lovelock put forward the 'Gaia hypothesis'. In essence, this proposed that the Earth, along with all its living and non-living components, behaves like a single, self-regulating organism. Regardless of whether you subscribe to the idea of interconnectedness, it’s difficult to argue that actions don’t have consequences. For example, if a water supply is contaminated and someone drinks from it, they may get sick. This is why we believe it's important to try and keep ecosystems healthy and in balance. If the planet is healthy, people will be healthy.
However, as a small creative business striving to create beautiful products, we sometimes use less sustainable materials because of how they look or function, or because of availability. But we can't help but feel compelled to favour locally sourced ethically produced materials, such as timber or bio-resins, over materials such as metal and glass, primarily because of their embodied sustainability.
Finally, we view our little studio in Wanaka as a microcosm of the issues of sustainability. 5KW of solar power provides clean energy for our tools, our wastewater flows into an on-site treatment system, and our off-cuts are sent to a local landfill. We like being directly affected by our actions because it forces us to consider the consequences of our choices. For example, putting too much toxic waste into our sinks could contaminate our water supply and creating too much material waste only adds to Wanaka’s landfill challenges. These tangible consequences serve to keep us honest and to remind us of the wider unseen impact of our choices.
There you have it, our sustainability statement. We are not perfect, but we are conscious of the need and value of living in balance with our planet, so we are making an effort where we can.