By its nature, creating ceramics is energy intensive and we’re working on ways to reduce our impact. This is a long-term plan and will take time. However, there are many other initiatives we are already implementing to help combat climate change.

Firstly, we took a huge step almost 18 months ago and signed up with Ecologi. This is a big commitment for a small business, but I fundamentally felt it was the right thing to do. The funding we provide to Ecologi has already helped offset almost 30 tonnes of carbon emissions and we have paid for the planting of over 450 trees! You can find out more about our work with Ecologi here.

I am acutely aware of the challenges and threats posed by climate change, so I am working hard to make sure my business aligns with my personal values. For example, we moved banks to the Co-operative to ensure that we were not with a bank that still funds fossil fuel projects. I’ve also signed the SME Climate Hub pledge to be halfway to net zero by 2030 and fully there by 2040.

Part of our environmental ethos is also protecting animals and wildlife. Our customers help support conservation and animal welfare through buying our contemporary ceramics like our best-selling barklife range for dog lovers. Did you know, 5% of all profits from this collection go towards a Sri Lankan street dog charity called WeCare? This is one of our three charity partnerships we are proud to support.

Speaking of Sri Lanka, our factory is based there and that requires me – very occasionally – to travel over. As you would expect, minimising and offsetting emissions from this trip was high on my agenda. Firstly, I chose a direct flight, which cost more but was lower carbon. Secondly, I am planting trees in France to help with carbon capture and growing my own saplings from acorns on our land.

I know that many of you share similar views on the environment, so we have also invested a lot of time and resources into greening our supply chain and completely eliminating plastic packaging.

What this means for customers

What this means for you is that when you buy our handmade ornamental and tableware ceramics you are supporting some or all of these objectives:

• buying from a business with a genuine commitment to minimise greenhouse gasemissions
• buying products which support conservation and animal welfare
• buying products which come with zero single-use plastic packaging

We have taken many steps already, from investing in a more energy-efficient kiln to installing LED lighting. With your continued support we will keep pushing forward on this journey and prove that small businesses can take big steps to reduce their impact on our planet.