Values and Sustainability

Environment and Sustainability

I grew up in the 1970s and 1980s in a household where the natural thing was to reuse, upcycle, mend and save ‘in case it came in handy’. These choices weren’t motivated by principles or political activism, this was a way of life.

Then as a young teen I remember a few events that shaped the way I have thought for a lifetime. My eager mind at that age picked up particularly on the decisions we make in daily life that affect others, not just ourselves. The first event I remember was that of the ozone layer. Chloro-Fluoro-Carbons, CFCs, were in every-day household items. And it was myself and my peers who knew everything about how damaging they were and how we could take a stand together as humanity to right the wrong. It worked. 30 years later, the hole has closed significantly, proving that time and choices made together can create history. 

Secondly, and possibly more profoundly, I was a young teen when recycling bins were distributed to households in councils around the UK for the first time. We became responsible as a family for making better choices around consuming and alongside many, wherever possible we opted for recycling over discarding. As I’d seen with the CFCs event, choices made on mass can make a difference. I knew this could too. 

I’ve not changed. I’m even more aware of the way I consume, make choices about what I bring into the home, give to others and support humanity environmentally.

Now that I run a business, and as I know it will grow over time, I have begun as I mean to continue.

In all parts of my business I use recycled paper. In the office, for packaging, printing, note-taking and any paper that I would sell too.The materials that I choose for patterns and kits are only there after a great deal of contemplation, not just on the suitability for the finished item, but on the environmental impact. I take care to recognise how yarns and tools have been sourced and the consequent impact once a knitter wants to pass them on to family members, or upcycle them.

Whether a yarn will be washed easily and last through many years of wearing are the first things I consider. Then also if it can be recycled, if it will biodegrade without leaving microplastics in the ground for centuries, and if the dyes will harm the land it rests in too.

I go through the same thought processes when selecting needles and knitting accessories. And also find out as much as I can about the manufacturer’s values and long-term environmental choices too.

Knitting without making a damaging impact on the world for generations to come will always be important to me.

To see the choices I have made beyond the business, to those items I source from outside, these values and sustainability pages will give more information:
Knit Pro: Sustainability
Knit Pro: Social Responsibility

Rowan: Brand Values and Sourcing Policy

Values

Everyone can knit. No matter how they make their way in this world. Love, compassion, acceptance and equity are all important to the way I live.  I welcome all knitters, as long as they follow those same humanity-embracing values too. I live to remember our similarities, not find fault or disillusion in our differences. (You like to crochet - ack! You’re a yarn lover, just like me!)