Here at Powell Craft, we strive to be ethical and environmentally responsible wherever we can. We believe in offering high-quality products at affordable prices whilst putting the planet and products above profits. We have been making small steps over the years. Please read below to see what steps we have been accomplishing to make this world a better environment to live in.
REDUCE, REUSE AND RECYCLE
At Powell Craft HQ, we believe in the ‘3 Rs’, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Wherever we can we recycle, may it be at our Brighton office or warehouse in Cornwall. We are also making tracks to change all our packaging and mailing bags to recycled paper by 2020, making it easier for our customers and stockists to recycle. We’ve also removed the individual plastic garment bags from our all online orders, which we collect and recycle through our partners.
Cardboard and plastic from our Cornwall warehouse and Brighton office are collected by our recycling partners. We only use recycling companies that recycle waste in the UK. Our recycling partner, Paper Round, in Brighton take all our paper and cardboard waste and turn it into recycled paper. This is very important that all our recycling is dealt with-in the UK and not dumped in another country.
At HQ we have been looking at ways we can change materials in certain products. One of our best-selling products is the children’s melamine dinner sets and this year we came out with 2 new designs ethically made in sustainable food-grade bamboo. They are also BPA, PCP and phthalate free. Bamboo is a much better sustainable eco-crop as it grows and replenishes very quickly, making it a very ideal material to use. Also, fewer chemicals are used than melamine. We hope to be changing all our melamine designs to bamboo eventually.
100% COTTON
We use 100% cotton for all our products. Why 100% cotton?
- Cotton is hypoallergenic and is rarely the cause of an allergic reaction of the human skin
- Cotton lasts longer as it is more durable than most materials. Perfect for passing on
- Cotton products are softer and gentler on your skin, making it perfect for babies!
- Cotton is better than synthetic fabrics when it comes to washing. Unfortunately, polyester, acrylic and polyester-cotton release microfibres into wastewater which are so small that they get released into the environment.
- Cotton is a durable, absorbent, soft and breathable material compared to other man-made fabrics. It is also static resistant.
PVC AND LEATHER FREE
All our rainwear and bags are made from PU (polyurethane). Making them very vegan-friendly. You will never find us make anything out of PVC (polyvinyl chloride). You can find out why below. . .
- PVC is the single most environmentally damaging type of plastic around.
- PVC plastic is the only plastic made with chlorine, but the toxic footprint doesn't end there. In order for it to be made into a stable and usable consumer product, it also requires toxic additives, including heavy metals such as lead, phthalates, and flame retardants. These additives are released during the use and disposal of these PVC products, which spells disaster for the environment, for humans and animals.
- When making products we are not hurting any animals
- PU doesn’t need to be tanned like leather.
- The tanning of leather can create considerable pollution from the chemicals used to create it, such as chromium and ammonia.
- PU can be produced in a wide variety of colours and styles.
AZO FREE DYES
We only use natural, low-impact dyes in all our clothing, and this is why. . .
- Azo dyes contain compounds called Amines, which can become carcinogenic
- Azo dyes can also include chlorine bleach which is also not very good for delicate skin
- Natural and low-impact dyes are gentler and better for children’s skin
TOY SAFETY
Here at Powell Craft, we are serious about product safety tests. All our toys are put through a 9 standard gold test, EN71, which makes them suitable from birth. This also means they have the CE label which is a requirement to sell any toy in the EU.