Sustainability
Sustainability is much deeper to us than whether or not our product is recyclable and it is not just a word, it is a way of trying to be that requires effort and decisions that impact not only us.
Ceramics are by virtue a sustainable material with a small carbon footprint. The earth has an abundant amount of surface clay and it does not need to be intrusively extracted from our environment. Think of all of the machines and resources involved with mining. Ceramics can last a lifetime and well beyond as pottery is uncovered from archeological sites and can date back thousands of years. When ceramics have ended their life cycle, they break down into sand releasing no carbon or other harmful gases or by products into the environment or atmosphere.
There are two sides to sustainability though, materials and production. Production is tied to labor, social equity, carbon footprint, and embodied energy (the carbon based energy it takes for you to get something to you). It may be less financially expensive to source raw material from thousands of miles away but it is at the expense of our environment to burn so much more fossil fuel to get it delivered.
It may make more financial sense to buy something less expensive from another country that may not have an EPA but just because it happens over there does not mean that it does not affect us over here.
We are very proud of the fact that every aspect of design, fabrication, and manufacturing is performed domestically, at our facility, outside of Philadelphia, PA. Our production materials are sustainable, our finished products are made for sustainable practices, and our labor model helps to build and support sustainable local economies and communities.
We are a small company and we are not directly keeping anyone in business but everything we source to make The Node Wall Planter comes from less than 300 miles away from American manufacturing companies who use domestic raw material and who have employees with families that live in local communities.
We create exceptional design and quality products that will last a lifetime but it is equally important that we are not doing this at the expense of the planet or humanity. Continually looking to improve our sustainability is part of our core values and we hope that it is part of yours too.
