Crafting with the planet in mind

Crafting + The Environment

Peer pressure works, just saying. I grew up in a household that recycled every single thing. If it wasn’t recycled, it was re-used. Today, small brands across the UK are demanding alternatives to plastic, looking to avoid single-use altogether and trying to find creative ways to still run a business, without damaging the environment, make a profit and design a product that ticks all the boxes, including affordability. It’s tough, I’m not going to lie… because plastic is the easy solution.

The truth is, plastic doesn’t disappear when it’s put into the recycle bin. It gets re-processed and made into something else out of plastic. This process is great because it gives the plastic another life but as the pressure grows to say no to single-use plastic, and even move away from plastic entirely, I realised that we cannot wait for the big corporations to make the first move. The move starts with us, the little independent businesses.

Can you craft while still being conscious about the environment? Yes. I’ll expand a bit more on that later.

After hours of research, sourcing new materials, I’ll be bringing you some new content about crafting with the environment in mind. I haven't always done things perfectly, and even now as I research alternatives, they come with a higher price tag and no solution is completely without its faults.

Understanding that, these are some of the things The Sewcial Circle does to minimise impact on the environment and create positive change in the society around us:

• We aim to use completely recyclable mail materials by the end of 2019, once our supply of paper-coated bubble-wrap envelopes have been used up. (Jan 2020 update: I'm down to my last dozen envelopes in a size I rarely use, so they're on their way out!)

• We use 100% natural felt in all our workshops, kits and events which is 30% wool, 70% viscose, a natural fibre derived from wood and plant pulp.It's 100% recyclable.

• We encourage everyone to re-use the re-sealable plastic kit pouches as storage for as long as possible, and then recycle them. Our long-term goal is to package our kits in durable bio-plastic, but so far the costs involved are prohibitive (ie. the minimum order is 1,000 pouches! So waiting for the pom-pom kit market to EXPLODE before we can afford to take the plunge).

• We have made the switch from polyester toy stuffing to CE tested sheep's wool toy stuffing in our range of mini sewing kits and in all our workshops and parties. So far, the kids actually love the fact we use real sheep's wool (although some aren't that keen on the slightly sheepy smell). The Sheep's Wool Natural Toy Stuffing is now available to purchase in our shop if you'd like to also use it for your craft projects at home.

• We are committed to producing more content on the blog that encourages reducing waste, using up scraps and being more resourceful with our crafting projects. Take a look!

As always, the aim of The Sewcial Circle is to inspire the joy of creativity and making, especially in the next generation, but also finding a way to do this and make fun and beautiful projects without damaging the environment.