RESPONSIBILITY
A statement from Founder, Lauren —
THE PILLARS OF ARA
ARA the altar is founded on four core pillars —
I) RESPECT FOR THE EARTH and those who inhabit it.
II) SLOW AND CIRCULAR approach to design, production & consumption.
III) DESIGN FOR LONGEVITY not trend.
IV) GENUINE ASSURANCES about where & how ARA products are made.
Living my personal life in a way that is mindful of my own impact on the environment, this awareness and approach are also intrinsic to ARA as a responsible brand. My values concerning ethics and the environment inform every business decision. My aim is to provide assurance for like-minded individuals who are looking to make long lasting, purposeful purchases that strive for minimal impact on our only planet.
A key environmental issue that fuels me is the need to minimise waste and excess, and to promote a circular economy. ARA’s commitment to ethics and sustainability does not stop at the use of recycled precious metal or recycled packaging materials. Careful considerations are made at every step of the production process, and thereafter, to manage the entire journey of an ARA piece.
Whilst I remain small in operational size I strive to make the most impactful decisions within my power. Here, I recognise that there will always be potential for improvement and, as I grow, I look forward to continuing to learn and to invest in greater improvements throughout my business.
When it comes to managing and reducing our environmental impact, we as humans are all in this together; the more we can do to share knowledge and support one another, the better. I am keen to provide a transparent operation; if you have any questions about my practices, or suggestions for considerations to further support my ethical and sustainable commitment, please do not hesitate to contact me - I would love to hear from you.
SOLID PRECIOUS METAL ONLY
For longevity, all of my pieces are made from solid recycled silver or gold, never plated or gold filled.
Upon reaching the end of its life, a piece of ARA adornment can be passed onto another or melted down to be repurposed again.
RECYCLED GOLD AND SILVER
My foundation offering is created from only 100% recycled precious metal, to reduce waste, environmental impact and repurpose existing material into something beautiful, with a conscience.
ARA does not support environmentally damaging practices that pull precious metal out of the earth. With plenty of material already in circulation, for me, there is no justification for contributing to the level of harm caused by the irresponsible aspects of the precious metal and mineral mining industry.
In addition to using only recycled precious metal in my own production practices, I also commit to using only recycled precious metal chains and findings (earring scrolls, earring posts and jump rings) to accompany my pieces.
ECO FAIRMINED GOLD
Over the last few years, awareness of the issues with virgin mining (poor traceability and significant environmental impact) alongside an increase in consumer demand for repurposing what’s already in circulation, has resulted in recycled silver and gold becoming much more accessible for jewellers.
Now being offered more commonplace at casting houses, and sheet, wire and findings also being offered through various suppliers. You may even have noticed some bigger companies are offering ‘recycled’ silver and gold, claiming this to be less impactful.
Whilst on the face of things this can (and should) be considered an extremely positive shift within both the industry and consumer demand, the nature of this shift also poses two problems:
The issue with an increase in recycled gold
1) It has opened up an avenue for greenwashing related to the label of recycled precious metal.
The silver and gold that Ara uses is certified recycled, this includes utilising medical waste for silver, and electronic waste or even tooth fillings for gold!
Often however, only a percentage of the entire piece is recycled, with the rest being virgin mined. Additionally, any scrap from virgin mined metal used to create something, when repurposed along with other scrap metal is then communicated as ‘recycled’, without any real clarity for the consumer.
Ultimately, a percentage of this is still contributing to destructive mining practices.
2) Whilst ‘recycled’ precious metal becomes more commonplace, virgin mining continues and the demand for metal does not decline. The more companies turn to recycled, the issues at the heart of the matter – the destructive environmental practices of virgin mining are not being addressed. Therefore, how can we expect change to occur?
As the founder of a responsible brand, I feel the right thing to do is to contribute to a shift in the systemic approach to mining. Rather than hoping that governments will wake up and put legislation in place, I’m using my own voice within ARA to contribute to the only positive approach to mining.
After many months of research I took the step to become a licensed brand for Fairmined gold. This means that I have signed a license agreement that allows me to purchase fully traceable Fairmined gold, and to sell products made with Fairmined metals.
This decision was in part not one I ever expected to make. But given the shift within the industry, helping to raise awareness, and to help my clients to make a difference with the purchases is what it came down to for me.
Fairmined is an assurance label that certifies gold from empowered, responsible, artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) organisations.
Fairmined transforms mining into an active force for well-being, contributing to institutional, social and environmentallysustainable development to promote a gold to be proud of.
The Fairmined values are:
• Fair
• Humane
• Development
• Socially and environmentally responsible
This promotes responsible mining, directly helping miners to improve their practices, generate change in their communities and facilitate their access to fair markets.
This is not Fairtrade. There is a big difference. Like Fairtrade, Fairmined ensures:
- No link to conflict situations
- No child labour
- Gender equality
- Promote wellbeing in the community
But Fairmined goes beyond this to ensure environmental protection:
- Small-scale operations with low environmental impact
- Safe and reduced handling of chemicals or chemical-free extraction. The latter refers to Ecological Fairmined Gold (with Ecological Fairmined Gold - the classification that Ara is working with).
- Protection of water supplies
- A positive environmental legacy
The Fairmined Premium
The Fairmined Premium is a market incentive to cover the extra costs involved in responsible mining and to support community development. That is why the Fairmined Standard states that for every kilogram of Fairmined certified gold sold, organizations receive an additional premium of 4000 USD.
When I purchase Fairmined Gold for your projects, this cost includes:
- A minimum price of 95% of the LBMA (Independent Precious Metals Authority) price for the gold itself
- The Fairmined premium – 6 USD per gram of Ecological Fairmined Gold
- A development fee – paid for gold purchases and helpingthe Alliance for Responsible Mining to maintain and develop the Fairmined initiative
As a licensed brand I also pay a license fee and will be paying an audit fee every three years. If you are interested, you can learn more about Fairmined and it’s impact here:
ARA DOES NOT WORK WITH GEMSTONES
When considering the clouded standards associated with the hugely destructive mineral mining industry, and the limited assurances offered by many suppliers, ARA does not work with gemstones. Exceptions to this are working with reclaimed stones that are strong enough to withstand the temperature of molten metal during the sandcasting process (diamonds, sapphires, rubies), to produce ‘cast in place’ stone work.
PURPOSEFUL PACKAGING
All elements of ARA packaging have a purpose and can be recycled or composted, including recycled tissue paper and hemp fibre grown in Yorkshire.
Accompanying cards are printed locally with vegetable ink on recycled card stock.
Every order is complemented with a dried flower, grown seasonally here in the UK.
I hand write a little note to accompany every order, using my fountain pen and natural, vegan ink.
ACCOMPANYING HEMP POCKET
It feels counter intuitive to waste energy and resources creating packaging that would provide little value, use or longevity. Instead, I wanted to create a product that would be long-lasting and functional, in which to keep ARA pieces safe.
Every piece of ARA adornment is accompanied by a European hemp pocket, thoughtfully designed in house, with minimal waste & longevity in mind.
The purpose for this unique design was twofold; to produce minimal waste, and work effectively. The result was a little pocket that would not rely on a drawstring closure (which can add to material waste and often are not functional) with a design based on a simple, repeatable rectangle to ensure minimal fabric waste.
It was important that the production of the bags reflected the production of the pieces: slow. Every pocket is ethically made here in the UK, sewn with GOTS certified organic cotton thread, and powered by 100% renewable energy.
WHY HEMP?
Hemp is a regenerative, fast growing crop which does an incredible job of converting CO2 into oxygen, actually improving the soil in which it grows.
Hemp produces a strong fibre that can be grown without reliance on herbicides & pesticides, whilst using only 20% of the water required to produce cotton, making it kinder to both people and our planet.
Most hemp is grown in China but I choose to work with hemp fabric grown and woven in Europe, minimising carbon footprint. The fabric I use for ARA’s accompanying pockets is an untreated hemp cloth with a soft, linen feel.
Explore more of the journey in creating ARA’s purposeful packaging via the journal, Letters of Ara
WHY ORGANIC COTTON?
I chose to work organic cotton for its associated reduced environmental and social impacts including: avoiding the use of toxic pesticides responsible for poisoning wildlife, rivers, and killing an estimated 16,000 people every year; to meet biodegradability standards; to support the working condition requirements associated with GOTS certified organic textiles; and helping to lock CO2 into the soil (in turn, helping to mitigate climate change). For more information about the benefits of organic cotton you may wish to visit https://www.soilassociation.org/organic-living/fashion-textiles/organic-cotton/
SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION
Considered Design | Adopting a slow approach, I design for longevity not trend. With minimal waste and a circular economy in mind.
Slow & Small | In hand with the slow fashion movement, for longevity and to minimise waste I make every piece to order, slowly by hand, in my workshop in North West England. Every product listing provides a guide of the timescale for production.
Recycling | Whilst I strive to produce minimal waste, to help me manage and monitor any waste as a result of my production, I operate a recycling system which I separate into three categories: paper and card waste for recycling; organic cotton or biodegradable waste for composting; and non-recyclable waste. The latter category might, for example, generate items such as plastic packaging from a tool purchase. Monitoring my waste in this way enables me to identify areas for improvement and to make more informed purchasing decisions in the future. Of course, I also recycle any precious metal scrap.
Vegan | I ensure that my own production process is vegan; I do not use industry standard polishing compounds that contain animal derivatives and I refrain from any items that contain beeswax, leather or rawhide throughout my production process. These non animal-friendly practices adopted by the industry are rarely exposed; there is seemingly little awareness of the use of animal products and skins in the jewellery industry. Whilst these items can be challenging to avoid, it was important for me to address this within my own production and I look forward to seeing improvements made within the industry to tackle this in the future as awareness grows.
Tools | I choose manufacturing tools that are primarily made from metal and wood, rather than plastic. Where some of my tools do have plastic elements, these purchasing decisions are not made lightly. For example, to offer a vegan production process, I choose to use a UK made wooden and metal mallet that has nylon faces, rather than a wooden mallet with a rawhide head, from an unknown origin. Whilst I do have some tools that have plastic components (e.g. pliers etc.) I use them where alternatives are not available to me and such pieces have a long-life expectancy.
CONSIDERATE SUPPLIERS
Whilst I aim to undertake as much as possible in house, where I do need to work with suppliers, I choose those who demonstrate a commitment to sustainability, ethical working practices and those who predominantly use recycled and recyclable packaging materials. For example, my casting supplier also works with only recycled precious metal and, aware of the natural environment in which it operates, works to minimise its carbon dioxide production.
My recycled precious metal supplier uses carbon neutral shipping and recycled and biodegradable postal packaging. After repeatedly asking for a move away from their products to be supplied in plastic bags, this supplier have now moved to biodegradable packaging.
Generally, I purchase materials in bulk to minimise excess packaging, which I repurpose for storage purposes wherever I can, to help minimise waste.
My accompanying cards are printed locally by MARC the printer, who print my cards using RISOGRAPH printing, using recycled card stock and vegetable ink.
Should you have any questions concerning my ethical & sustainable commitment, any considerations to share, or if you’re seeking advice, please do not hesitate to contact me
Thank you so much for supporting the approach I am choosing to take with ARA.
