Stone Arrow is committed to operating as an environmentally sustainable business on
an ongoing basis. We're currently undergoing accreditation as "Carbon Positive". Our
aim is to be reducing our carbon footprint so that we're giving back to our
environment in a positive way.
We have been a finalist in the New Zealand Sustainable
Business Network awards three times (including being national runner up twice) in
2013, 2015 and 2019.
We have listed here the practices and philosophies behind our approach to
keep everything crystal clear. Please let us know if you see any room for
improvement - sometimes little changes can make a big difference.
Recycled Materials
Our reused glass comes from bottles taken from the waste stream.
Our metal supplier provides Stone Arrow with 100% recycled material. We source some
copper offcuts from a local plumber when possible.
Electric Car
We have a zero emission Nissan Leaf fully electric car for the commute from home to
the gallery.
Courier Bags
We have a label printer for our courier labels and most of the courier bags we send
out are old ones turned inside out. We are always on the lookout for more reused
bags so get in touch if you have access to any. When we are not able to source
enough old bags we use compostable eco bags.
Packaging
All bubble wrap and plastic bags are reused from things sent to us.
Office Paper
Used paper is saved and reused on both sides then shredded and used in our office
worm farm, which is great as the worms love it and the vermicast is then used in our
garden to grow food. Of course food scraps from our lunches at work also go in
there.
Energy Use
We use energy efficient LED light bulbs throughout the Gallery and Workshop and turn
off all appliances at night and when not in use.
We don't have a hot water system (apart from the jug for morning tea!).
The Kiln is always fired totally full of earrings (about 30 pairs at a firing) and it
is a very small efficient bead making kiln using about as much power as an electric
heater going for 1.5 hours. Only a few designs actually use the kiln.
The tumbler is always run full of earrings (several hundred at a time) so the energy
cost per unit is tiny.
Website and Server Energy
Our website is kept lean to reduce the energy usage of our hosting provider. We use
Shopify ecommerce platform
which has carbon-neutral hosting and operations, plus
have committed to investing at least $1 million USD each year into carbon
sequestration.
Shipping
Jewellery, because of its size and weight, has a very low carbon footprint to
transport around the world.
