Anna Mcloughlin Fine Jewellery - Certified B Corp!
…But what does that actually mean?
On the 17th May 2023, lots of happy dancing happened here at AFJHQ as after many months of hard work, Anna Fine Jewellery became a Certified B Corp…but what is one of those?
Well…essentially, a B Corp is a company using their business as a force for good. It’s kind of like an environmental and ethical gold star, and getting here was an incredibly rigorous (and long!) process. Anyone can just say they’re doing good stuff, and there are all sorts of certifications out there where you just have to tick the boxes with no more questions asked, but to become a B Corp, you have to provide hard evidence! If you’d like to read more about the process, I’ve written a longer blog all about it here.
Ethical Policy - A Working Document - Last Update Dec 2024
Having an ethical policy is absolutely essential, but lots of businesses seem to think that simply saying they make everything by hand and do some recycling ticks all the boxes. Yes, I do make everything by hand, including all of my findings, but there’s so much to it than that! Nobody is perfect, and I’m never going claim that there’s not more work to be done, but here’s how I’m doing my best to tackle the big three environmental problems (Energy, Food and Transport) as well as jewellery industry specific ethical issues…
Environmental Stuff
In 2023, I moved into my Eco-Studio. A timber framed building, insulted with recycled plastic bottles, kitted out with reused fixtures and fittings and most importantly, powered by the green energy of the sun! I have an Eco Flow battery to store enough power to keep running when its cloudy, and if I really need it, in the depths of winter, I can also top-up my battery from cheaper (and greener) night time grid electricity.
***Update Dec 2024 - I’m now into my second winter of running my studio on solar and a battery, and I’m very pleased to be able to say that I’ve only needed to “top-up” my battery with grid electricity a small handful of times, and some of those were actually me just being a bit paranoid that I might run out of power when I probably wouldn’t have done!***
My soldering torch runs on the tiniest amount of propane gas combined with oxygen to produce a hotter flame provided by an electric oxygen concentrator.
My water is currently a clean and grey water tank system, but I have plans to improve this in the future to use only harvested and purified rainwater, which will also provide me with drinking water.
My toilet is now installed and so many gallons (sorry I haven’t done the maths yet) of water are being saved that would otherwise have literally been flushed away.
As I‘m in the forest where there’s a plentiful supply of fuel (mostly fallen branches)…for winter heating, I have a small “Eco-22 Compliant” wood burner.
I became a vegetarian when I was 13, and have been vegan since about 2018 (I cant remember the exact date but it’s around then!). In my studio, all snacks and drinks are always vegan, as is any new equipment, tools, and sundries such as polishing compounds.
Since moving into the Eco-Studio, my daily commute is about a one minute walk. When I need to post my jewellery, it’s sent via Royal Mail, who I’m pretty sure claim to currently be the greenest delivery company in the UK! When I do need to travel, I have legs or an electric bike or for longer journeys, we’re a one “electric” car family.
Jewellery Specific Stuff
I’m a firm believer that there is already enough of everything in the world, without having to keep producing new “stuff”! Jewellery is made to be worn, not sit in a box, but so many of us have pieces that we just have to keep due to their sentimentality. Therefore rescuing and recycling old pieces of jewellery from spending life stuck at the bottom of a drawer, never to be worn again, turning them into something new and beautiful is my absolute speciality!
As of summer 2024, I now only work with my clients old jewellery, and recycle everything “in house” at my Eco Studio. This means that I can now guarantee that every piece I make has been recycled, or rather “re-made” directly from a “post-consumer” source.
For gemstones, these too are re-used from the old jewellery that I’m remodelling. Occasionally, I may need to buy in a new stone for a repair, and I’ll always try to find a recycled option for this, but if this isn't possible, I’ll only buy from a small number of gemstone suppliers (mined or lab grown) that can offer full traceability.
Packaging is another constant “work in progress” and over the last few years, I’ve been working hard to find plastic-free, recyclable (in your own compost bin!) and vegan friendly solutions. My current packaging is made either from reclaimed wood or paper, but some of the velvety foam pads inside the boxes are currently proving difficult to find a suitable vegan alternative option for right now. Hopefully though, the box that your jewellery comes in is kept and used to safely store each piece when you’re not wearing it for many years to come.
As far as postal packaging goes, all of this is now plastic free and recyclable in your household collection or compost, or even better, please reuse it first if you can.
Pledge 1%
Pledge 1% is a global movement that inspires, educates, and empowers every entrepreneur, company, and employee to be a force for good. Over 18,000 members in 100 countries have used Pledge 1%’s flexible framework to ignite half a billion dollars in new philanthropy.
I have pledged to donate 1% of each sale to charity. This will be split equally between an environmental and humanitarian charity.
I have also pledged to donate 1% of my time to help others through educational and voluntary work.
My ethical policy is ALWAYS a working document and if you’d like to read a more business like and official sounding version then I do have a PDF one of those that I can send by email. I also really value your feedback and ideas for how I could be doings thing better, so please feel free to get in touch via the form below: