Plastic Free February
It's #PlasticFreeFebruary.
As a brand with nature at its heart, we have always been mindful about our impact on the environment and its inhabitants. Across Alex Monroe we are extremely mindful about the use of plastics and are continuously trying to make more responsible choices.
Each year we encourage our team and wider community to take part in a ‘Plastic Free at Home and Work’ - where we all work hard to cut down on plastic waste, reflect on opportunities to be more responsible at AM, and challenge ourselves and suppliers on doing better!
Everyone who works at Alex Monroe shares the same values and we are all doing our bit to reuse, recycle and be responsible in light of our aim to be free of virgin plastics by 2021. Read on to find out the steps we are taking to get there…
Packaging
Our jewellery boxes are lined and padded with organic bamboo fabric and the paper is FSC certified and uncoated for recycling. A more environmentally friendly alternative to cotton or synthetic materials, bamboo is highly renewable, resilient and toxin free. Growing at up to 61cm a day with little water and zero chemicals, it also regenerates from its own roots in virtually all environments. This means no need for invasive replanting!
Our bags are also made from FSC certified and uncoated paper (including the handles) to be both sturdy for reuse and completely recyclable. As a business, we aim to lean towards a re-use mentality rather than recycle, as that often means the product has a single life.
In 2021 we cut out our plastic mailing bag and switched over to paper mailing bags. In 2022 we looked at eliminating extra materials and removed mailing bags completely, turning our mailing boxes into peel and seal.
We've made sure to eliminate plastic in our packaging so even when it comes to selling homeware, we make sure we're wrapping it in honeycomb paper made from 100% paper pulp which means it's biodegradable and recyclable but best yet, it's reusable.
Our Team
'I am the first to admit that I was buying plastic water bottles for far too long. I now have a reusable bottle. If we all make small changes to our lifestyle, we are helping the environment one step at a time!'
’In the design workshop we reuse the packaging from our special deliveries whenever we can. We always reuse the little cases that carefully transport our precious gemstones. Any old ones I give them a new life as mini paint pots for my client sketches!’
'Tiny sealable plastic bags are an unfortunate staple of the jewellery industry to protect again tarnishing - in the production workshop every plastic bag is reused until it is no longer fit for purpose. They are then recycled with super recyclers First Mile.’
First Mile
With a passion for the natural world that threads through his craft, Alex has spent 30 years being mindful of his environmental impact, and is always the first to take his own plate and storage containers to cafes and supermarkets to avoid unnecessary plastic packaging. Each year he collects all the plastic used in February, with the aim to use less than 1 bag!
My Plastic Free FebruaryI've done Plastic Free February for many years. I started just doing it at home..but then decided to introduce it at work. It's a good way of actually realising how much plastic you throw away each month, and thinking of easy alternatives... if you gather it all in one place and actually look at it at the end of the month it's a great time to reflect.
Alex Monroe | Creative Director
Across our locations we work with First Mile, who ensure 0% of waste goes to landfill and goes towards generating green energy. According to First Mile we have saved 4 tonnes of CO2 in recycling over 2022.
On top of our existing environmental measures outlined on our sustainability page, we have introduced Beeswax Wraps into our HQ kitchen. The sustainable, re-usable and beautiful alternative to clingfilm, handmade in the Cotswolds, Beeswax wraps enables our team to store leftovers without contributing to the plastic problem. The incredible team at Beeswax Wraps are offering our community 15% off all orders with code ALEX15 until the end of March.
The Beeswax Wrap Co 
Friends of the Earth
We are proud to have been an approved charity partner of leading environmental organisation, Friends of the Earth since 2018, supporting a variety of their campaigns through our nature-inspired and sustainably-minded jewellery.
We have since supported Friends of the Earth in the following campaigns: Save the Bees (2018) Drastic on Plastic (2019) Trees Cover (2020) raising a total exceeding £20,000
We continue to support the tireless campaign work of Friends of the Earth through our Hedgehog and Penguin Necklaces.
Find out more about Friends of the Earth here.
