shop notes
This time of year has always felt full of fresh start energy to me and this month's new moon is compounding that feeling in the best of ways. I've been working on so many things behind the scenes this past spring and summer and wanted to share about a few of them as we start to shift towards autumn.
First things first, I'm starting to phase out the outer kraft box packaging on many of our products. This outer packaging gets appreciated for such a short time before being recycled (hopefully!), that I'm just not sure it makes sense any more. Especially since the violet glass jars we use are so elegant and light-protective on their own. Simplifying feels so good. As a tiny one-person business (still!), I'm constantly looking for ways to be not only more efficient, but also to conserve resources and to share my work responsibly. That being said, it can still be useful to prevent some of our smaller items, like the perfume balms + serums from getting lost in the shuffle, so keep an eye out for an update on packaging for those little treasures coming later this season.
I've also made some small updates in the shipping materials I use, also with an eye toward reducing waste and improving my process. The newsprint and tissue paper I use are 100% recycled and I've always reused the packaging materials I receive here at the studio when I place mail orders for various things, including cardboard boxes, biodegradable packaging peanuts and paper void fill material. Anyone I receive a parcel from who is still using styrofoam always gets a note from me asking them kindly to rethink their shipping practices. This year, I also began using recyclable paper tape and biodegradable clear tape (and way less of it, because of another shift I made, details next...) from EcoEnclose. That is so completely a referral link, by the way, as I am such a fan of what they are doing and want to help spread the word. I also tried out their new recyclable paper-backed shipping labels (did you know that most shiny sticker-backing paper is not recyclable?!) and fell in love. I switched over to rolls of thermal paper, which besides being so easy to print on my little Rollo printer, also doesn't smear like inkjet printing, which means I don't need clear tape to cover the label, making our shipping boxes as recyclable as possible.
As we've gotten better at managing our compost bin system at 6&B Garden this past year (shoutout to my sweetheart, who is now an official Master Composter!), I've also begun composting all our used soft paper goods there, just a few blocks from the studio. Hygiene concerns mean that it's not always possible to use reusable towels and wipes around the studio like I do at home. I purchase 100% recycled, unbleached paper towels and tissues for the studio from Seventh Generation, which then find new life as garden soil after their use at the studio.
Still in the works, but I'm also committed to: switching the electricity at the studio over to wind power and accepting pump tops and spray tops for recycling at the studio via TerraCycle soon.
In other exciting news, I'm happy to be releasing a few new products this autumn, so be sure to follow along on our Instagram and subscribe to the newsletter to be the first to know. Speaking of our newsletter, I'm delighted to be offering two special giveaways each month (one each on the full and new moons) exclusively to our subscribers. To find out more and to get yourself entered to win, click here.
Sweetest new moon wishes to you all!
