In my business, sustainability is more than being conscious of the
environmental impact on our planet.
It’s a key concept that extends beyond my work and creative practice.

‘Sustainability’ can be a bit of an overused term these days, often injected into statements to greenwash consumers. The entirety of the work I do, and want to do, promotes a zero-waste world that not only adopts a more circular model to the way we choose to produce things but is also deeply connected through creativity and community. I aim for the work that I make to hold meaning and legacy. Together we can REDEFINE what it means to be sustainable.

In our society, an endless amount of waste is produced as a result of the fast-paced life we’re expected to live. So when it comes to environmental sustainability, I strive towards reducing and reusing materials through the slow and handmade. I believe that if we aim to design and make for a better world, that we should strive to apply these principles to our way of living. Outside the studio, you’ll often find me within my local community leading projects and advocating for creative expression.

I address sustainability through different elements of my ‘being’ here on our planet. Below are some of them:

Environmental Sustainability
(rethink, refuse, reduce, reuse, repair, recreate, recycle)

• Remaking new jewellery from existing old unloved and broken jewellery
• Taking on repairs that traditional jewellers would dismiss as not worth it, including costume jewellery
• Recycling all of studio metal scrap and excess for reuse, and where possible using recycled metals
• Working with jewellery suppliers who are committed to sustainable environmental practices such as those who refine within Australia and also recycle their own scrap. My main supplier is able to trace the entire lifecycle of their products, from the responsible sourcing to the refinement of their materials. All scrap metal, shards or errors in processing are always re-cast and reused in another area of their business.
• Occasionally there are some limitations when working with suppliers that produce specific components, such as chain and findings, as not all manufacturers have the ability to recycle materials as part of their production processes. I do my best to design jewellery that keeps these to a minimum
• Shipping using old packaging again and again, or biodegradable mailers
• Recycling all soft plastics, paper, glass and metals
• Food waste is fed to the workshop worm farm
• Water waste where possible is repurposed as water for the garden
• Holding community pop-up jewellery repair cafes to help teach repair skills and keep precious costume jewellery out of landfill
• The family home is 100% electric, uses solar hot water, solar energy (plus battery storage), a grey water saving system and we grow a lot of our own food and veggies (including fish and eggs). As part of a local composting network, I also compost other people’s food scraps.

Social Sustainability

• By practicing the ethics of Permaculture (earth care, people care and fair share) and the 12 design principles
• As an official mentor in the UNSWAD Internship program fostering creativity in others, especially younger generations, I believe that to ensure a better future, we must begin at the source
• Being of service – in 2021, and again in 2024, I was elected as a local independent councillor for Lane Cove
• Instigating and co-founding two not-for-profit initiatives within the sustainability/community sector, The Sydney Library of Things and the Sydney Edible Garden Trail, both these projects wouldn’t exist without the belief and passion of an amazing group of volunteers
• Accredited member of Better Business Partnership