Environment Policy
The wood we use comes from sustainably managed forests and we source our timber mostly from the UK, occasionally using imported timber from Europe or North America where appropriate. All imported timber we use and most of our UK sourced timber, will have an accredited certification of sustainability such as FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) or PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification), however we also source UK timber through other sustainable means such as windfallen trees or trees needing to be felled through disease from private or public clients, properties or woodlands which may not carry a certification.
Our materials factory is not a resource greedy industrial mine or a refining plant, it is the
biodiverse woodland and forest which is an intrinsic part of the health and balance of the planet. Done right, we can be improving this all the while the trees are growing their timber and maintain and manage it through the sympathetic harvesting and processing of these materials into long-life objects, enhancing our lives and that of the planet’s.
Whilst the furniture we make is predominantly made from wood, there are other components and consumables that have to be used or go into the making process, such as hinges, handles, screws, glues and finishes. We consider and select these carefully, using minimal amounts, always thinking of its suitability, end of life and responsible sourcing. We use low VOC PVA glues and low or no VOC natural oil and wax finishes. We endeavour source only from ethical companies and those which share our values.
We produce zero wood waste, instead we produce a number of products and by-products from the timber we bring in. The large boards of wood that enter the workshop will be as long slices through the length of the trunk. There are parts of these boards which cannot be used in our furniture or smaller items, such as the bark edge or cracked and split areas (although we use even these sometimes), and offcuts too small to utilise. These are used as firewood, a renewable fuel, and as they are very dry, they are much more clean burning than most other fuels. Any offcuts from the processing of furniture parts that are not too small, are kept to be reused in smaller items and homeware objects. Some of our designs aim to use numerous smaller parts which means we can use wood from the boards more efficiently as well as use up some of the offcuts in these pieces. Our workshop is based on a farm in Warwickshire and all our sawdust goes to provide bedding for the animals before ultimately being composted and back to the ground. As a result of our conscious efforts of sourcing and production, our other waste materials are at a minimum with most things such as excess packaging being re-usable or recyclable.
We design our furniture to be timeless and functional so that they stay relevant for many lifetimes, meaning they can be handed down from generation to generation and never needing to be thrown away. Their very make-up means they are forever repairable, or their materials can be re-used in another way, and we happily offer a repair and re-finishing service of our furniture to keep it lasting at its best.
We are members of a sustainable business directory called Blue Patch, a national social enterprise promoting and aiding British sustainable businesses. We are currently on a programme with Blue Patch called ‘Let’s Do Net Zero’, which helps their members to audit and reduce their carbon footprints. As we progress through this, we will be able to count our carbon use and more effectively reduce our carbon footprint. We monitor and enact upon our electricity usage and are pressing our landlord for a change to a 100% renewable energy supply.
Based in Warwickshire, we are centrally located within the UK with good access to major roads in all directions. This is good for both sourcing of materials and supplying furniture across the UK. We deliver our furniture in a variety of ways with small to medium items delivered by DHL and larger items either crated and palletised or delivered using a specialist service or by ourselves. Wherever possible we try to balance the most appropriate delivery option with the greenest option which is not easy at the moment. We are always looking for new solutions to a more environmentally friendly delivery solution.
Our future goals and ambitions are to continue on the path of becoming increasingly more environmentally friendly. We aim to accurately calculate our carbon use across our business and use that to target reductions and to eventually try and achieve a carbon negative company. That seems a long way off for a very small business at this stage but as more and more small businesses continue in the same fight, and technology improves, we will keep getting closer.