Anna Calvert Jewellery is passionate about sustainability and protecting the environment. Being eco-friendly is something I have naturally always considered as part of my business from day one as it’s something I personally care deeply about.
Nature is very important to me and it plays a big part in my overall wellbeing. I live in the countryside and I love nothing more than to go for a walk with the dogs straight from my front door. A lot of my inspiration is drawn from the changing seasons, plants and flowers.
If I’m not at home making or out walking, I can be found at my allotment, planting and digging. There is nothing quite like bringing home your own freshly picked fruit and veg! Nature is remarkable and I do feel that we all have a responsibility to do everything we can to preserve it.
So as business owners, I think we all have a responsibility to do our bit, and more, when it comes to sustainability. In fact I’d go as far as to say that our customers expect it – and quite rightly so!
So what do I do at Anna Calvert Jewellery to promote sustainability and ensure that I’m being as eco friendly as possible?
Eco Silver
Firstly, I spend a little more on silver than most jewellery businesses because I only use Eco Silver.
Eco Silver is of exactly the same grade as normal silver, it’s simply recycled so far more sustainable. It can be treated and worked with in exactly the same way as silver, and produces the same quality results.
The difference is it’s more environmentally friendly. Eco Silver is relatively easy to get hold of so there really is no excuse for a jewellery maker NOT to be using it.
The Eco Silver I buy is from reputable sources and comes with a certificate of authenticity.
Packaging
No one likes the amount of packaging they receive in the post and so I have tried to keep my packaging as friendly to the environment as possible.
My packaging boxes are made from 100% recycled material and completely recyclable.
All of the jewellery is wrapped in tissue paper that is recycled and acid-free.
When I started Anna Calvert it was ‘the done thing’ to send out parcels in pretty metallic padded envelopes. But realising how bad environmentally this actually was, I ditched the fancy packaging and now send all of my orders out in unbleached brown postal boxes which can be re-used or recycled.
I don’t use any nasty plastic Sellotape either – which people often forget to remove from cardboard which results in the carboard ending up in landfill.
Instead I now use paper brown tape which can go straight into your recycling.
Where I can, I use small local businesses for all of my packaging supplies to keep my carbon footprint to an absolute minimum and I keep it under regular review.
I also send some of my jewellery out in little branded pouches made from recycled materials. These can be used to keep your jewellery stored safely or re-used for any other small items you have.
So there you have it!
Some of the ways I work in order to reduce my carbon footprint as a business owner and promote sustainability.
Is there anything that you would like to see a business doing in order to improve or show their commitment to the environment?
Would using Eco Silver be a deciding factor in who you purchased your jewellery from? I’d love to know.
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