Little Steps: The Process of an Eco Friendly Packaging

Sustainability has been the ongoing thrust of @artinjewels. As part of our efforts for sustainable enterprise, we produce one-of-a-kind designs at an artisanal scale, employing local Filipino talents to uplift the livelihood and skills of our craftsmen. Gems are ethically sourced and cut overseas through our friends at Safir Gems who have extensive connections with small-scale mining families from Brazil, Sri Lanka, and other localities.

With social and economic factors considered, a third factor is often overlooked in the pursuit of sustainability. That factor is the environment. As producers and consumers, each one of us leaves a "footprint" on the earth. Our carbon, water, and plastic footprints have lasting effects on our quality of life, thus we are actively reducing waste in our operations. Just to give an example, we have not purchased any new plastics and bubble wrappings for six years now. We have been reusing plastics we receive from normal deliveries (e.g. online shopping and groceries) and we haven't run out of packaging material. That's just how much plastic is already going around without us adding much more to it.

For our packaging, we reached out to @jacintoandlirio, a Filipino company that specializes in handmade vegan leathergoods. Jacinto & Lirio utilizes water hyacinth, a pest plant that has been clogging Philippine waterways, to produce plant-based leather that is both sturdy and nature-degradable. Each @artinjewels box and pouch is made by hand. And we are happy to report that vegan leather boxes produced longer than 3 years ago are still being used by clients to this day. This means they are staying out of our landfills for much longer than lower-quality plastic boxes and pouches.

Mindful practices that consider social, economic, and environmental impact are the ways in which we enrich the meaning of our wearable art pieces. Luxuries you love; luxuries that love back--small steps are the beginnings of larger ripples of change.

This vast expanse of green may look lovely, but the truth is that this is an overgrowth of the notorious water hyacinth in Taytay, Rizal. It is an aquatic plant whose burgeoning growth has been choking the natural movement that supplements oxygen into freshwater.

When freshwater becomes stagnant, it not only starts to produce putrid gasses, it also kills fish and other lifeforms that depend on freshwater to survive. This becomes a perfect breeding ground for harmful insects and bacteria.

Process of creating vegan leather, from harvesting, to drying, to leatherization.