I firmly believe that transparency is key when discussing sustainability, and therefore I wanted to include a breakdown of my sustainable practises as a business, whilst addressing areas in which I’d like to improve. 

Some of my pieces are made from new materials - all of which have been carefully sourced as locally as possible, and use natural fibre fabrics (cotton, bamboo, linen, etc). The fibre content for these materials will always be clearly listed in each item's description.

Many of my bags and accessories are made from second hand textiles, sourced from local charity shops, vintage stores and online retailers such as eBay and Vinted. Where the composition of these fabrics is known, it will always be listed in the individual item descriptions. Because of the nature of buying second hand, the fabric composition information is not always available to me, and therefore you may see 'unknown composition' written in some item descriptions. Some of my second hand fabrics may contain polyester, which is not a sustainable fibre itself, however I think it is more sustainable to give these materials a second life and extend their life span when possible, rather than letting them be discarded and sent to landfill. 

I also operate on a low waste production system, where I endeavour to make the most out of every fabric - using the smallest pieces possible for patchwork to ensure they are not wasted. However, whilst I do my best to cut my fabric in a way to ensure as little goes to waste as possible, there are always some pieces that are just too small to be used. These are all sent off to First Mile to be recycled. 

For specific information on how each piece was made, please see individual item descriptions

Every item in my shop comes packaged completely plastic free. Your order will come wrapped inside recycled tissue paper, inside a paper mailer or cardboard envelope/box. All of the items in my packaging are paper based and can be easily recycled at home or reused once your item arrives. My stickers and tape are both plastic free too, so don't need to be removed before recycling. Where possible, I also reuse mailers/boxes that I have received items in myself, allowing these to be reused multiple times before they’re recycled.

Unfortunately nobody can be 100% perfect when it comes to sustainability. There are always going to be things that get damaged or waste, and there will always be things I need to change/improve. However, I think we should all be doing as much as we possibly can to eliminate waste.

My biggest challenge is finding zips that are not made from polyester. This is something I am continually searching for and trying to improve. I am also looking into sourcing some natural rubber elastic for our hair scrunchies, but I need to use up my current supply of elastic before switching to a new alternative.

If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to contact me at hello@haddavies.co.uk