Caring for our planet
The Problem
To understand what motivates us to focus on sustainability, you need to understand how broken he fashion industry is. We have a multi-trillion dollar fashion industry that is impacting its people and the planet in a way that is one of the most pressing challenges facing the world today.
Sometimes it can be easy to think that we have no power to make change. We are committed to showing you that you can make a difference. The #1 way that we can change the impact of the fashion industry on the planet and future generations is to produce and consume less as a society. By choosing brands that are committed to sustainability and moving away from the worst offenders of the fast fashion world.
The simple steps we take matter
- Let’s take care of what we already own and buy pre-loved options when available.
- When we must buy something new, let’s strive to support brands who embrace a holistic approach to sustainability
- When we purchase, be conscious of what the product is made of, how long it will last and how it will break down after we have finished using it
Future generations matter
We have 5 children between us and are committed to making sure that we can tell them truthfully that we are doing our best to give them a future that isn’t full of rubbish. We are unwilling to compromise on our values, so we partner with suppliers across the world that are just as committed as us to create high quality products designed to last, made from sustainably-sourced and ethical materials.
Materials matter
Determining a product or raw material’s sustainability is, of course, not a black and white matter. There are a variety of factors to consider, and its important that we are always asking the right questions so that they are top of mind when we select our materials.
- Integrity: what is the makeup of the material? Fossil fuel or natural? Is it made from recycled or virgin materials?
- Land impacts: What impact does the creation of this raw material have on the physical environment? How does extracting this material impact biodiversity? Does it contribute to deforestation?
- Durability: How long will this raw material last? What is the cost per use or wear?
- Carbon footprint per use: How carbon-intensive is it to make this raw material? What are the CO2 emissions per wear?
- Care: Does washing and maintaining this product have an environmental impact?
- Animal welfare: For materials that derive from animals, how are the animals in the supply chain treated? Is it a byproduct or coproduct of another industry?
- Processing & manufacturing: what resources are used to take this raw material to a finished product? What chemicals are used? What is the social impact of the manufacturing process?
- Post-use product lifecycle: Is this raw material repairable? If it isn’t, how should it be disposed of? Is it up-cyclable, recyclable, biodegradable or compostable?
People matter
We are committed to ensuring that all the people that bring our Silver Lining products to life, those we employ directly, and those we partner with are living their best lives. That means fair conditions, living wages, inclusivity, empowerment and opportunity to thrive.
Packaging choices matter
We are at the outset of our journey towards sustainability and we are exploring different options and innovations to reach our goals, we are working to make good choices right across our supply chain, one of which is our packaging. Our swing tags are printed on paper that is from renewable forests that hold the highest standards of responsible forestry, our new dust bags will be made from organic cotton and are intended to be reused time and time again. We are thinking about all the steps, all the way to you- that includes our courier packaging to both our retailers and to our website customers.
The next generation matter
We create pieces from materials that will biodegrade or find a new purpose in life after they have gone the first ‘go-around’. We choose brass for our hardware so that it can be melted down and reused over and over again without comprising its performance and we choose leather because it biodegrades, just as nature intended it to. Natural leather can take up to 50 years to biodegrade, depending on how it was tanned, but synthetic materials can take up to 200 years and some plastics, well who really knows how many generations that stuff might see.
Your choices matter
By choosing a durable, hardwearing natural product such as leather and by making sure you take care of it, you will have your Silver Lining lady for many seasons to come. We encourage you to give her some love and care for her to extend her life and keep her looking her best, and if she comes a cropper for some reason, get her repaired so that she can carry on at your side for many years to come.
Thank you for coming on this journey with us, we look forward to sharing more with you as we discover how we can do better for a sustainable future.