In my other world as a geography teacher, I have spent years teaching about the climate and consumption crises to teenagers. It’s safe to say they aren’t best pleased with it. I don’t blame them: this stuff matters.
For too long over-consumption has been seen as a sign of success, wealth and wellbeing. But we have to change the way we live to consume less, consume better things and be mindful. It is hard. When I set up the business I was acutely aware that wall hangings are not a necessity. They are lovely but no one NEEDS one. Yet I was deciding to make it my job to encourage people to buy them from me! The irony!
However I believe that we can lead sustainable lives but still have things we love. By choosing items that bring us joy and that mean something, it improves our mental health. Choosing items that will we love and will last so we don’t need to buy new when trends change. By choosing items that have a life cycle that is long and the materials can be reused or recycled.
So when I started Woven by Eve, I knew I needed to do all of that for you.
1 - Materials take from the planet
At the heart of my commitment to sustainability is the use of lovely, natural materials to weave. Renewable fibres like cotton and wools are great because we can create more of them and they biodegrade quickly. I try to choose organic cottons and British wools where possible, but my priority is that they are renewable first.
Acrylic which makes polyester and our other synthetic fibres comes from crude oil. Not so friendly. Oil is finite, extracting it is polluting and during use it becomes microplastics in the environment. Not so kind. If I do use man-made fibres I use ones that have already been created and I reuse them. For example I might source them secondhand or take them out of circulation as clothing so they aren't being washed and washed releasing more pesky microplastics.
I carefully select materials that are not directly contributing to fossil fuel extraction and that are kinder to the planet.
See my blog post from February all about how I choose fibres.
2 - Waste costs
I’m passionate about minimising waste at every step. The less wasted yarn I have, saves me money so I can keep costs lower for you. But it also lowers the demand for the planet’s resources: a win win!
My system is to sort any scraps by size. I have two categories: re-weaveable and teeny tiny. The larger scraps can be used in a smaller wall hanging or a bookmark. Whereas smaller pieces are collected to either be used in another project like my Christmas baubles. If they can't be reused they are recycled into the textile stream.
The re-weaveable basket is always a bit chaotic but can be a source of inspiration too!
3 - Packaging needs to be responsible
Sustainability extends to how I package your woven goods right up to your door. I only use eco-friendly packaging materials that are almost completely made from recycled materials already. My boxes, tape and stickers are sourced responsibly with no plastic including the sticky-stuff on the stickers or films on the stickers. So your packaging is suitable for you to pop into your home recycling bin as cardboard to continue the good work.
Some of my packaging supplies which are fully recyclable in household waste!
4 - It's not just me
As a small business I need suppliers. From yarn supplies, equipment for workshops to packaging materials and branded items for markets - there's a lot of things I need. So I choose my suppliers carefully. Price is always int he back of my mind, but I think it's more important to support lots of small, independent, female-led, UK-based businesses rather than the big companies.
This means your money that you so kindly spend with me stays in the indie creative industry. Community over competition. I’m proud to support other local makers and creatives in the textile industry.
I do use some wholesale suppliers for larger orders but these are some of my fave small indie suppliers and I love that they share my ethos!
It’s not finished:
I’m a long way from perfect. Some of the biggest challenges are travelling around to markets and heating my studio renewably which I can’t do well yet. But sustainability remains at the forefront of everything I do and I hope to make shopping more mindfully easier for you along the way.
When you support Woven by Eve you are making a better choice for the planet and the people in it. So, let's weave a more sustainable future together. (Yucky pun intended…!)
Love Eve x
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