Walking the Walk

“This is not philanthropy. This should be a cost of doing business. It’s paying rent for our use of the planet.”

~ Yvon Chouinard, Founder of Patagonia and 1% for the Planet

1% for the Planet — We have been certified members of 1% for the Planet since 2021, donating 1% of our annual sales to environmental causes. From food insecurity and hazardous pollution to crippling natural disasters, the negative impacts of the environmental crisis affect people of color at much higher rates than other communities, and our donations go to partners that fight for both social and environmental justice. Right now, the majority of our support is going to these non-profit organizations:  World Central Kitchen, Steep Rock Association, and Housatonic Valley Association.   

BIPOC in Fiber — We were among the first supporters of the crowdfunding campaign for this website and resource portal. Created in 2019 by Jeanette Sloane, Britain's most prominent black knitwear designer, she is also one of our favorite authors and a regular contributor to Finnish publication Laine. We continue to support Jeanette and her efforts to amplify and celebrate the work of Black, Indigenous and People of Color working in the fibre industry.

Renewable Energy. We've selected a third-party energy provider to supply our shop with electricity generated from 100% renewable energy sources, like wind, solar, hydro, and biomass. 

We believe that reforestation is crucial to creating a more sustainable future. With your help we are planting more trees every day to combat climate change. Learn more about our work with TheGoodApi here. 

Sustainable Packaging. After a great deal of research, we choose to source our shipping and packaging supplies primarily from EcoEnclose*, a family-owned and operated business in the US. They help us select among myriad options to create a plan geared specifically to our business needs, ensuring we can ship as sustainably as possible. EcoEnclose prioritizes building a domestic supply chain and chooses domestic partners whose eco values align with theirs as part of their Sustainable Packaging Framework. 

Coffee Coffee Coffee! Yes, even our coffee is sustainable! We offer (and drink) coffee from Nespresso, a company that believes coffee can be a Force for Good. Recently certified as a B Corporation, reflecting 30 years of commitments to sustainability, Nespresso is "building a better future with a regenerative approach." From their fully recyclable capsules, coffee grounds are transformed into renewable energy sources or compost, and capsules become new aluminum objects like new capsules, a pen, a bike, or a watch case (did you know aluminum is infinitely recyclable?)!

Some of the companies that reflect our core principles and values, with whom we have chosen to partner:

As you walk through our doors, natural and organic fibers will surround you. They range from American-grown Merino, Targhee/Columbia, and Jacob sheep from local farms — to fair-trade Cashgora, spun by rural women in some of the most isolated, traditional communities in the world. 

Our chosen partners support education; they empower women and help them become financially independent in places where that is often impossible (e.g., Ghana, Uruguay, Tajikistan, Afghanistan). We seek out small businesses that understand the importance of fair trade and encourage personal relationships among producers, buyers and customers...particularly businesses that are family-, women-, LGBTQ+, or black-owned and/or run. We seek out products that are created in a socially, ethically and environmentally responsible way. We avoid the use of chemicals whenever possible and make every effort to support businesses that honor humans, animals, and the planet. 

We believe in karma. 

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world."

~ Anne Frank

*If customers can't easily recycle plastic film, they can ship them to EcoEnclose for recycling through its Poly Film Take-Back Program. For a list of EcoEnclose's sustainable packaging terms, click here.

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