Sustainability
We take our corporate environmental and social responsibilities seriously at Foss & Bjørn. That’s why we consider all purchasing, hiring and supply chain decisions through the lens of sustainability. This manifests itself in lots of different ways, some key ones of which are outlined below:
Our website is designed and maintained by a small, local business Cole Mine. Not only does this support the local economy, it also means we can meet easily to discuss web changes and upcoming updates without it leading to carbon emissions and without using material amounts of electricity. Nothing beats a business meeting in the park!
The website is hosted on servers owned by a green server company; this means, among other things, that the servers we use to power our site run on 100% renewable energy.
Our phone contracts are with a certified B Corp company; like us, they strive to take all aspects of social responsibility into account.
Our raw materials suppliers are based abroad (the US and China) as the materials we need are not available in the UK, however we buy in bulk to reduce the number of shipments needed. Our principle is to use durable materials that can withstand repeated and heavy use for a substantial period (see more under Cleaning & Care and Product safety). This supports our ethos of reducing consumption; as a company providing handmade items we don’t subscribe to the idea of fast fashion – this is also why we only have two product launch phases each year, in Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter!
The wood we’ll use in our future range for 2025 is FSC-certified.
As a business that operates both an e-commerce facility as well as being stocked in retail stores, getting packaging right is an important part of our sustainable practices – we’ve therefore spent a lot of time scouring the UK market to find just the right suppliers that meet our strict criteria, while also keeping costs low for you as the end consumer.
- Every single one of our packaging suppliers are based in the UK, meaning fewer transport miles to get supplies and materials to us before we send our parcels back out to you.
- We have consolidated suppliers where possible, to reduce the amount of traffic required to get us what we need: Our product labels and parcel stickers come from the same supplier, and we use one main factory for our products as much as possible.
- Our packaging end to end is fully recyclable and in some cases also made from recycled materials: Our tissue paper, mailer boxes, and product labels are all both recycled and recyclable. Our stickers are made of recycleable paper.
- For some of our retail outlets we provide recyclable and biodegradeable small shopping bags, and these are branded using stamps from recycled materials (including environmentally sourced oak for the stamp handle). The ink we use is refillable, so while it comes in a plastic case, we never have to throw it out. Our supplier for both also uses 100% plastic-free packaging, and is another small business we love to support.
- Our necklaces are held together with a small piece of plastic on the recycleable backing board. This plastic is plant-based.
We design products that are durable, and have a long lifespan for its type, to help reduce waste. We also offer a repair service so you should never have to throw out your necklace or bracelet – the cost for this depends on the repair needed, so please contact us if you want to chat about this.
Our goal is to provide a workplace for those who would otherwise be unable to be part of the workforce, as well as to support those who are looking for flexibility in working patterns and/or hours – such as those with a disability and mothers who are looking for part-time work. Our hiring is therefore based on a principle of inclusion and flexibility.
We aim to contribute to charitable activities, such as sponsoring local community events. We will list events we are sponsoring here. The first event of 2025 is an event to be held at Signature Brew in East London on 23 March, which is celebrating the diversity of the Waltham Forest community, and specifically what Norwegian individuals and businesses contribute to the UK.
We commit to always providing truthful and transparent advertising, and we do not believe in greenwashing, where we hide the environmental impact of what we do.
Our industry is regulated, but not heavily monitored, and not all companies are transparent, safe or compliant. Foss & Bjørn leads by example in the industry in all these contexts, and fully support increased oversight from the regulators and government. The more this is tightened, the safer the products on the market will be and the better off you are as consumers.
This policy and its underlying principles on sustainability are reviewed annually so that we continue to include all relevant considerations. We’re always looking to improve, so if you see something we should fix, do let us know via our contact form here.
