How I value Sustainability at home and in my Crochet business
Like many I am very conscious of my impact on the planet. In our house we have been making small but significant changes over the last few years. We use eco-friendly cleaning products and toiletries where we can (I read an article a couple of years ago which drew attention to the fact that every plastic toothbrush we have ever used is still around somewhere - I haven’t bought one since and we’ve swapped to bamboo). We try to reduce the amount of single use plastic in our grocery shopping and recycle and compost. Making these changes one at a time has worked well for us and although we have a long way to go (our list is long!) I feel that we are doing what we can without being completely overwhelmed and breaking our budget.
I am currently reading a book by Jay Shetty called ‘Think Like a Monk’. In the first chapter he encourages us to assess our values. He suggests that where we spend our money and where we spend our time are an indication of what we currently value. It’s well worth reading if you are interested, but the reason I have mentioned it here is that often the sustainable options are more expensive. Some are out of our budget, but where we can we opt for these because sustainability is something we value.
Sustainability is obviously echoed as a business value alongside Inclusivity (and others which I will talk about another time). These two can prove a tricky balance when it comes to yarn. There are some beautiful sustainable yarns being produced - I love reading the inspiring stories of the people behind them, and using them in my own projects. Understandably these yarns are expensive to produce and are therefore more expensive to buy than the commercially produced yarns that a lot of us are used to. Consequently they do not suit all budgets. This is where I struggle a little because I passionately believe that crafts like crochet and knitting should be accessible to all. I also think there is a place for some of the man made yarns. I use yarns with acrylic in them for some of my own projects, so no judgment from me there.
The way I am choosing to address this in my business is by seeking out the commercially produced yarn companies who are, like many of us, conscious of the impact they are having, and committed to making changes and improvements. I am in the process of requesting and gathering information on the sustainability policies of the yarn companies I use. There are many factors to consider including animal welfare, the ethical treatment of workers, packaging, air miles, water consumption and chemical usage. When I am better educated I will share what I have learned with you.
In the mean time I am committing to;
Make use of the yarn I have in stock and in my yarn stash.
Choose any new yarn I buy carefully.
Continue to use recycled boxes and envelopes as my packaging
Use bamboo or aluminium crochet hooks in my kits
Sell sustainably sourced bamboo hooks in my webshop
Introduce some new kits and patterns which use recycled yarn - this one is exciting!
Please note this content appeared in my the March issue of ‘Notes from the Nest’ my monthly newsletter. Please feel free to subscribe if you would like to receive the next issue 💛
