Whenever products are created, there will some sort of impact on the environment, whether it be through mining for raw materials such as clay; gasses and waste being produced through manufacturing and packaging not breaking down in landfill. The environment and my impact on it is something that I constantly think of as I create and produce new products. Here is a few of the decisions I have made to make my products as sustainably as possible.
Mixing the concrete
I make sure to use all the cement that I mix by using silicone tools that scrape up every last drop of the mixture. This means that there is hardly any waste concrete with this method of mixing and also significantly reduces the amount of water needed to clean up my tools.
What happens if I create too much mixture? I know roughly the amount needed to fill my moulds so I don't create too much concrete. Every so often I do have a little left over which then goes into creating layered abstract pots and the cloud pot collection.
Not quite right
Sometimes things don't go as planned during the creation process. Pots get warped during pouring, get dropped or their colour seems off. That's no problem for me - any pots that are not quite right and that I don't feel comfortable selling (even at a reduced price) get broken down into small pieces and used in concrete mixtures for my Terrazzo effect concrete plant pots.
Packaging
I am working on new packaging ideas for shipping that are more environmentally friendly than standard packaging options. I use environmentally friendly tape to secure cardboard boxes; Oxo-degradable bubble wrap that is fully recyclable; biodegradable packing peanuts that break down when added to water!
These are a few things I am currently doing to reduce my environmental impact. There are always more things that can be done and that I am working towards implementing in the future.
