Jewellery- something so beautiful that comes from an industry so ugly. Not over here.
I want to share my journey of sustainability and what it means to me. As a brand I strive to create high quality, ethically made jewellery using methods that do not negatively impact our environment.
The unfortunate truth about the majority of the jewellery industry is profits are always put first. This means the planet and its people comes second. It's not just the jewellery industry, this includes fashion, bags, shoes & accessories. The dark side of these industries that create so many beautiful items is the connection to sweatshops, child labour, destruction of resources and landscapes and impossible amounts of excessive waste.
All in the name of fashion. Items designed to be worn for a season...then what?
Small artisan designers are fighting a big fight against the throw away society. To us it’s one of the most important things about our products.
Consumers hold all the power. You vote what matters to you with your $
The way we are living cannot go on. By the literal definition, it is not sustainable. Our landfills are overflowing and are oceans are full of chemicals. Seeing the remains of our discarded purchases scattered around us on the side of roads and along every coastline doesn’t seem crazy anymore.
Each individual must get to the point where they realise they have a choice. We can’t sit back and complain about the giant companies and do nothing ourselves.
Sure, individually we don’t have the impact large corporations have to fix our problems, but as a collective we can do something!
At the VERY least not contribute more
If you start right now with yourself. What small parts of your life can you look to change?
Here are a list of things I have personally changed in my life in the past 12 months which haven't been difficult to implement
- Carrying a metal straw
- Shopping with canvas bags
- Cutting out deodorant completely- I’m a freak and never sweat so what was the point?
- Use a vacuum sealed metal water bottle (stays ice cold for hours)
- Reusable coffee cup (these sometimes get you discounts in some coffee shops)
- Buying loose tea leaves and use a beautiful bamboo tea strainer
- Only buying bars of soap rather than bottled shower gel and hand soap
- Carrying bamboo cutlery (very handy for someone who enjoys the street food and night markets of Thailand)
- Investing in a Ruby cup to eliminate the use of tampons and pads
- Donating all unused clothing and household items to local Burmese workers
- Within Thailand having crates of glass drinking water bottles delivered- no more plastic!
I am far, far from perfect and have so much further to go on my sustainable journey. These may only seem small but if we all did it surely we can reduce our personal negative impact on the planet.
As someone who has spend that last 6.5 years living in foreign lands, I have witnessed first hand the stark contrast in how much the environment matters to society within different cultures. Much of this is down to lack of education and available waste & recycling services. SE Asia is the hub of quantity over quality, and unfortunately this means the throw away mentality is deeply ingrained.
As Amy Jennifer Jewellery has developed in Thailand it became more and more important to me to steer clear of the convenience using plastic. Because that's what plastic is really - convenient. I don’t believe in short cuts just to increase profit margins which come at the cost of the environment.
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Here are the ways AJJ as a business has changed to become a more sustainable brand
- Committed to 100% plastic free packaging
- The jewellery boxes are made from recycled materials and once used can be recycled if desired.
- The package contents are wrapped in acid free tissue paper- no bubble wrap here!
- The box will be sealed with paper tape (which is actually much easier to open- no more stick mess)
- Contents of my workshop such as desks, shelves, tools come from second hand & antique shops
- The metal we will use from April 2019 is recycled eco silver & gold
- All gemstones come from sustainable sources that use ethical mining practices
Again, I still have a long way to go. My transition from Thailand to the UK will give me an opportunity to begin the next chapter of my business with a clean slate and every decision I make for my business will come under strict sustainability scrutiny. I will be as transparent as possible with all my new changes and welcome any support and ideas to help me achieve this important goal of being a truly eco-conscious brand full of beautiful jewellery.
