Sustainable HandCraft Podcast

14/09/2022

I wanted to carry on with the issue of waste after coming back from my holidays. However, I spoke with some creatives and they have another issue that they are worried about. Please, share with me what is the most important now- for your craft. How will the energy crisis influence you?
I will prepare a big post about how to save energy for next week.

29/06/2022

🌊 From the 12th of June till the 1st of July Lisbon is a host of the UN Ocean Conference. 🌊

If you would like to learn more you can watch the live stream and read about it: https://www.un.org/en/conferences/ocean2022

The UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced yesterday the “Ocean Emergency”. You can read about that here: https://unric.org/en/un-secretary-general-declares-an-ocean-emergency/

We are talking about the state of our oceans for many years now. I remember lots of discussion on that subject in the 90s. Unfortunately, nothing has changed.

We are exposed to pictures of oceans full of plastic waste. But! This is not the only dangerous pollution that is putting life in oceans in danger. A higher level of CO2 in the atmosphere means that more CO2 will dissolve into the ocean and that will lead to **the ocean becoming more acidic. During the last 200 years, ocean water has become 30 per cent more acidic. Is that bad? Yes, because of that influence all the life in oceans. That and higher temperature of the water.**

On top of that whole biodiversity of oceans is in danger because we are overfishing water.

So what can we do?

1. We can make sure that our CO2 footprint is getting smaller.
2. Save water.
3. Try to produce as little as possible plastic waste. Go zero waste and dodge plastic. Change the way you are shopping and the way you are shipping.
4. Do not buy products made of red coral and other endangered species.
5. Pick up some rubbish when you visit the beach.
6. Support sustainable fisheries and eat less fish.
7. Support action like - stopping shark killing.
8. Support organisations that clean oceans and help to regrow corals.
9. Support small businesses that are upcycling ocean waste.
10. Read a book by Lucy Siegle: **Turning the Tide on Plastic: How Humanity (And You) Can Make Our Globe Clean Again**

Start today!

28/05/2022

Sustainable Procedures - why do you need them?

With bigger public pressure to address climate change, we started to see changes in laws- on a national and international level. Ongoing socio-political changes, the transition to renewable energy and other issues are speeding up. Having written sustainable procedures will help you to stay on top of the law changes in your company. It is evidence for you and others that you implement the changes and work towards sustainable targets. Together with Annual Sustainability Report, it will be a big part of accountability and transparency. It will help you to write your annual SDG or Sustainability Report.

There are a couple of questions that will help you with Sustainable Procedures.
Do you have Sustainable Procedures or Environmental Sustainability Policy?
Are they written down?
Do they include specifics and do they have time-bound targets?
Have you shared them publicly?

As many of us here are small businesses that handcraft products I will try to show you what you can do in this area.
There are lots of areas needed to be taken into consideration. So let’s start to form a small list:
Energy usage
Air pollution
Water
Waste
Biodiversity
Sustainable product development
Packaging

Choose one of the topics and think about how you can improve this sector of your workshop/company.

For example:
Energy usage.
Replace light bulbs with low energy LEDs
Switch off the machine at the end of the workday from the plug, so that they do not take energy during standby mode
Solar panels on the workshop roof
Now, how can you put all the information together?
This is an example:
To start with, you can write what are your company’s ethics, mission and vision. What are your response to climate change and sustainability in general?
With every chapter you can write:
Sustainable HandCraft Company (your company’s name) recognizes that I/we can have a negative impact on the environment. Therefore I/we are committed to:
Replace light bulbs with low energy LEDs
Switch off the machine at the end of the workday from the plug, so that they do not take energy during standby mode
Put solar panels on the workshop roof to reduce CO2 emissions.

26/05/2022

How Company Procedures can help you in being sustainable?

Many small businesses and companies have business documents that are Financial & Legal documentation and Privacy Policy. Unfortunately, not many of them prepare Procedures Documents.
So firstly, let’s just explain what are those.

📌Company Procedures are documents created by you that list a set of internal guidelines that establish the rules and expectations of your company. They will help you to remember many different details. If you employ someone to help you, this documentation will be a guide for that person. This way you can be sure that they will perform tasks correctly and provide consistent customer service.

📌What type of procedures can you document?
Big and medium companies often have all types of employee policies like- how to book vacations, benefits, complaints, remote work, etc. But those are not the only ones that you should or could do.

Helpful are all those procedures connected to your production, packaging and suppliers. All those can be written down stage by stage. Once written, they will be a great source of information and instruction, if you need to employ someone temporary (e.g. during Christmas time).
You can write down where all the products are from- what suppliers, quantity, the catalogue number.

📧Another help would be to have Procedures for the Customer Service. All those information will make your life a little bit easier. Try to write down all the answers to different customers’ questions. Have them ready in one folder. It will be your basic answer which you can tweak for every customer. That will save you time and stress of writing it every time. How can you find them? Some of them you have already done. Check all the customer’s inquiries and your answers. Some of them you might find on different craft or sales groups like Etsy Sellers. Do a database with all that can be useful for you. Like this, you will save yourself time.

♻️The ready procedure will save your time and electricity. It will save you some stress as well.
♻️What about creating Sustainable Procedures? They would be helpful in many different ways. More about that tomorrow.

26/05/2022

Small NEWS info for all of you =D

♻️ News! Future Changes in the law on the EU level ♻️

Last week EU announce the project that will make The Union independent from the Russian fossil fuels.

♻️ EU will work on three levels:

1. saving energy
2. diversifying energy imports from fossil fuels
3. accelerating the clean energy transition

So what are the changes?

Solar panels on new build houses will be mandatory by 2029. However, some countries like France or UK- England are already doing that.

♻️ So if you are living in England UK you can find more information on that under the Part L building regulation that covers the “Conservation of Fuel and Power”. This law is coming into force on June 15th, 2022 and it concerns both- new construction projects and some refurbishment work.

For all interested in English and EU law- I will pop the link to some publications in the comments. I know, you cannot click and read but the info will be there. As soon as I will finish my website I will make a post about solar panels with all the info that is necessary to know.

20/03/2022

Is this the end of Plastic Pollution?

New Un resolution was signed by 175 countries.

We all know that as great as plastic is at this moment we have a huge problem with recycling and utilization of it. The law is changing.
A ban on single-use plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds has come into force in England in April 2020. A further single-use plastic like plates, cutlery and polystyrene cups are set to be banned in England from April 2023. But all that won’t solve the problem of plastic. So what happened?

🌍175 nations’ representatives endorsed a historic resolution at the UN assembly to end plastic pollution. The new resolution is called: End Plastic Pollution and it refers to all cycle life of plastic - production, design and disposal. I can feel circular economy approaching ;) 👏
💚

The Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) will start to work on a draft legally binding agreement by the end of 2024. So we still need to wait for the legal changes but a big transformation is coming.

20/03/2022

Working with waste. Using something what others don't need anymore.

https://fb.watch/bSJr6Yg_oi/

09/03/2022

Most of you know that I love jewellery and sustainability in jewellery industry is very important to me.
This is a little post on how "Gemstones can fuel military conflicts".

25/02/2022

10 substitutes for Bubble wrap - part 1

I know many of you are trying to make the packaging perfect- sustainable, strong but also appealing to your customers. This is a hard job. Every product is different. Every product needs different, specific packaging. Please, don't be sad/irritated/angry with yourself that you can't do it quickly. It's one of those things that is a long-term change. To help you find a better substitute for bubble wrap, I prepare 10 different solutions. Your choice will depend on your product characteristics.
Here are 10 substitutes for bubble wraps.

♻️1. Different types of tissue and paper- Whether it's branded or just plain unbleached tissue, they are good to use if your products are small. Many jewellers use those.
♻️2. Compostable mailer & Jiffy Green Padded Bags. If you need to use a bubble or padded envelope you can change it for one of those. Mailer is a plastic-like material that is compostable. Jiffy padded bag has mixed of recycled fabric and paper between two layers of paper.
♻️3. Speedman paper wrap - that one long sleeve of paper that you pool from the special machine/box. This is good to fill up spaces in a box.
♻️4. Paper bubble wrap and green wrap. They are usually sold in sh*ts. The second one you need to stretch to make it take 3D form. They are good to protect ceramic and glass if you include extra paper around them.
♻️5. Corrugated paper sheets. Everyone knows those. They are sold in sheets.
♻️6. Corrugated paper. If you have extra money, you can buy a machine that will make paper like this in the photo, from cardboard boxes. That will help you to save money on buying packaging fillers.
♻️7. Shredded paper is sometimes used in many gift baskets. It comes in different colours. Many jewellers use it to fill the void in their shipping boxes.
♻️8. Eco Flo or Biodegradable packing peanuts. We remember those plastic ones but now we have an eco substitute. They can be made from corn starch. You can find them in different colours.
♻️9. Flexi Hex and honeycomb packaging paper. Those are the latest replacement for bubble wrap. I like that some of them are made into "pipes". You can put them around bottles, cups and long vases. If you are a ceramic or glass artist you should check this out.
♻️10. Wood wool fillers. This is A light, bio-degradable void fill made from shredded timber. It is dry and very light.

So here you have 10 different products. You can check which one is the best for you and your product. If you have any questions, please ask in the comments. I’m preparing a list of UK-based sellers of eco packaging. As soon as I will have I will share it with you.

09/02/2022

February is the eco-packaging month here I Sustainable HandCraft. So today, rethinking packaging...

RETHINK YOUR ECO PACKAGING

1. Check how your packaging matches the product. Is it too small or too big? Should you change that and find something matching your product better. If you reduce packaging that will cut the waste. It can as well save you money on shipping.

2. Do the list of items you use in your packaging. Remember to write everything: shipping box, bubble wrap, void fill chips, honeycomb paper wrap, plastic bag, satin pouch, cotton bag, jewellery box, cellar tape, paper tape, take care flyer, business card, postcard, extras that you gifting to your customers. To make your life easier have a folder with the Packaging Process where you have information about the name of each item, the supplier info for orders, and the quantity. That will make your life easier.

3. Can you reuse some of the items- like bubble wrap, shredded paper, etc? Some creatives need to use bubble wrap to protect their product (e.g. ceramic). We have a choice of reusing bubbler wraps. You can ask your family & friends to save it for you. Ask about it on FB local groups, Freecycle. You can ask your customers to send it back.

4. Can you reduce some of the items? Can you stop using some of the products? Maybe you can use the packaging space to pass some information onto the customer (stamps, print) so you don’t have to put an extra flyer? Like this, you save money and waste by avoiding printing flyers.

5. Identify what you want to change. Do not change everything at once. Order the samples to check compatibility with your product, durability, weight & size. Remember to adjust your pricing.

Remember that once chosen packaging can be changed. You can constantly look for new solutions. Once per 3-6 months you can research "eco-packaging" or "sustainable packaging". Check what's new on the market. Don't be afraid to talk to your suppliers. Ask them about new/eco-solutions. Subscribe to their newsletter or read the blog (if they have one) about the subject that interests you.
There will be a time when you will get the perfect packaging. Perfect for you. Perfect for your customers and perfect for the
Palnet. =D

07/02/2022

I have a favor to ask.
If you have 5-8 min of your time to spare I would like to ask you to fill out the form about sustainability in the craft.
That will help me to prepare some content and dig more into a subject that you need answers to :)

Many thanks for your help 😁

https://forms.gle/pVGAFc5icKHYXuYX6

Thank you very much for taking your time and helping me with information about sustainability in the craft workshop. All the answers will help me to prepare educational information about sustainability in small businesses and crafts. All information will be used only by me. The questionnaire is anon...

02/02/2022

One man's trash is another man's treasure

You heard that. I heard that too. Can we apply this to sustainable handcraft?
I think we can.

1. Think about your waste. What is left when you are working on your products? Is it raw material? Can anyone use it?
2. Go on the "makers/craft FB groups" [or any other platform where you can exchange ideas with creatives] and ask in post- who can use this?
3. Start conversation. Ask question.
4. Cooperate with other creatives.
5. Think about your workshop. Is there anything that you need that can be substituted by "waste" from someone's workshop?

Examples?

One of my friends is using saw shavings for her packaging. She starts to cooperate with a woodworker and now her customers can put those savings into their compost. No bubble wrap is needed.

Some jewellers who work with soutache use scraps of leather from upholstery workshops to finish their jewellery**.**

You can go even further and create a whole new product from material that other people do not needy anymore.

Some textile artists use scraps of fabric to make new bags, clothes.

use wax from used candles to make a new one.

make absolutely beautiful bags from fire-hoses and parachutes

So what can you reuse or offer other people? Can you look at waste as at starting material for your products?
What do you think?

26/01/2022

Do you agree with this statement? I thought recently about >>designing with the end of the life of the product in a mind

10/01/2022

I have got questions from Creatives on different topics. They are writing to me and asking about -where they can find this type of packaging or how to talk to the suppliers to know how sustainable are they.
That is why I would like to start a monthly question post, where you can ask any questions about the sustainable workshop and sustainable creative business.
I will try to answer them all in posts, blogs, and podcast episodes.
So every first Monday of the month I will make a space here and on FB where you can ask a question.

08/01/2022

If one of your goals for 2022 is sustainability in your art and workshop, I would like to congratulate you.
It’s a noble and very much-needed change.

Now, how to start the journey? I need to tell you, it is a journey. You won’t make all the changes in a month or two as many things won’t depend only on you.
So I would start from something easy - like eco-packaging or/and finding sustainable suppliers. Those are the things that we can do quite quickly.
During this time you can:
▪check what type of waste you are creating
▪where is your waste going (from the office one, packaging station, supplier deliveries)
▪how are your energy/gas bills (take notes)
▪check your chain supplier in general (do you know where they are taking the products from? how they are treating their employees? who the board of the company supporting?)

All that you can do during the next 3 months. I would suggest to take notes on that subjects, as we are busy we tend to forget a lot of things. At the end of the 3 months, you can decide what part of the company you would like to take care of next.

If you have any questions, please leave them below.

30/11/2021

For everyone how is looking for "plastic-free / green alternative document pockets (for the outside of parcels)" I have a small list of alternatives.
Remember to go through the list and check which document enclosed for parcels is the best for you. You need to remember that biodegradable isn't the same as compostable.
1. A6 Fully Bio Document Enclosed Wallets Plain or Printed x 1000
https://www.getmepackaging.co.uk/.../a6-plain-and-printed...
Extra points for the Get me packaging company for writing clearly what the "pocket" is made of:
**Materials:**
Top paper: White Cristal paper ( Glassine paper ) 35gsm (± 5 %)
Bottom paper: White Kraft paper, chlorine-free bleached 35 gsm (± 5 %)
Glue type: Permanent HOT MELT(solvent-free) -deposit 20gsm (± 2 g)
transit or storage: 5°C up to 30°C
The same document enclosed you can find here:
https://www.priorydirect.co.uk/.../a6-biodegradable...
2. Another company advertise those pockets as "made from the eco-friendly biodegradable film". As there is no more information about that I would assume that the front of this document enclosed is made of cellulose triacetate (CTA or TAC) that is marked as recycling - ♻️ 23. More about that you can read on Wikipedia here: ([https://en.wikipedia.org/.../wiki/Cellulose_triacetate) )
Here is the link to a website with those >>**GoSecure Document Envelopes Plain Self Adhesive Document A6

16/11/2021

What's a sustainable business?
"A sustainable business=green one, is an enterprise that has a minimal negative impact or potentially a positive effect on the global or local environment, community, society, or economy"*
Sustainable businesses need to think about many things: starting from their supply chain ->changing it into more green. They need to improve their processes and manufacturing activities to have a minimal negative impact on the environment. They need to pay good wages to their employees so the local society can thrive (that includes employees involved in the supply chain).
Sustainability has 3 legs: economic, environmental, and social. Many of us concentrate only on economics but we need to start thinking about how to reconcile all of them for better societies and the environment.
Patagonia is one of those companies that is doing this for 40 years. Many of us have just started to change our small businesses into more green companies. It is a wonderful but long road. Sharing it with your customers. Help them understand why you are changing. What does that mean for them and how a big impact do they have.
*wikipedia.org

11/10/2021

Going:
🔸plastic-free
🔸eco packaging
🔸less waste packaging
🔸zero waste packaging

is one of the first things many companies do.
It is quite an easy change. Usually, we are looking for eco alternatives. At this moment, this is not an issue anymore. The world is full of plastic substitutes.
🔹We have paper fillers, alternative Recyclable Antistatic Green Eco-Friendly Bubble Wrap, honeycomb paper wraps, void fill chips, shredded paper, paper bubble wrap, crepe Kraft paper. 🔹There is a lot of them.
Then is the plastic bag, which lately has a couple of different substitutes. There are padded envelopes filled with shredded paper or fabrics.

🔸🔹🔸
So I would like to ask you - What is the most difficult for you in this area? What problem do you have with packaging? What would you like to substitute? What is the hardest thing to find for you?
I will answer all the questions next week.

11/10/2021

Going:
🔸plastic-free
🔸eco packaging
🔸less waste packaging
🔸zero waste packaging

is one of the first things many companies do.
It is quite an easy change. Usually, we are looking for eco alternatives. At this moment, this is not an issue anymore. The world is full of plastic substitutes.
🔹We have paper fillers, alternative Recyclable Antistatic Green Eco-Friendly Bubble Wrap, honeycomb paper wraps, void fill chips, shredded paper, paper bubble wrap, crepe Kraft paper. 🔹There is a lot of them.
Then is the plastic bag, which lately has a couple of different substitutes. There are padded envelopes filled with shredded paper or fabrics.

🔸🔹🔸
So I would like to ask you - What is the most difficult for you in this area? What problem do you have with packaging? What would you like to substitute? What is the hardest thing to find for you?
I will answer all the questions next week.

27/09/2021

"Reduce" in your workshop
Do you remember the "3Rs" of sustainability that we were thought about when we were younger? There is more and more of them. Why? Because we are starting to think differently. We are thinking about sustainability and the circular economy more and more. The "Rs" are helping us with that.
So how many Rs are there now? Depending on the sources, there is up to 10 of them.
The "Rs" are:
REDUCE, REUSE, REFUSE, REFILL, REPAIR, REPURPOSE, REGIFT, RETHINK, RECOVER, RESTORE
So how and what can we "R"educe in our workshops? We can reduce:
the number of tools that we are buying- Don't buy tools just to collect them. Try to buy second-hand tools. They have the history behind them and won't break your bank account.
the amount of stock we are buying (if your stock is filling up your storage, think how you can use it or sell it)
the energy that we are using in your workshop (remember to switch off machines & computers- Don't leave them on standby (in the household that can be between 9-16% of the electricity consumed). Invest in solar panels if you can. Buy machines that saving energy- A++)
the amount of plastic in packaging- Find an alternative or start to use second-hand bubble wrap.
the extra things that we are putting to the parcels -business cards, flyers, invoices, ask your customer- are they using it or throw it away. The answers can surprise you. Make sure that you have all that info online.
paper- You can go e-invoice and stop printing them (check what the law says about it in your country).
water- check the taps. Are they tap leakage, plumbing leaks? By fixing them you can save money and be "greener".
waste in production. Can you minimise it? Can you pass your waste on someone who can use it? Can you recycle it (“e.g. silver)
CO2 footprint- you can support a charity like "One tree planted", "Trees for the Future" or a similar one, to plant a tree for £1. Share it with your customers. You are giving back to the world.

17/09/2021

17/09/2021