FSC Day
Last week was FSC Day.
The FSC is the Forest Stewardship Council - an organisation that certifies the sustainable and responsible management of forests globally.
But what’s hosting a gathering got to do with forests?
Quite a lot, it turns out. Almost everything we make – from bunting to napkins to party games – contains paper or wood.
The Talking Tables supply chain team at one of our paper suppliers
As a responsible business, we want to do the best we can to ensure our products don't harm the environment.
So, since 2012, the FSC logo on our packaging has meant the paper and wood in our products are sourced from well-managed forests.
Being FSC-certified means we have to be audited annually - hence FSC Day. It's a long day, takes weeks of preparation and involves 17 files of evidence. Phew!
We're thrilled to say we improved on last year's score, with only one minor non-conformity in the whole of our product value chain - which is testament to the hard work by our supply chain and product teams.
Our environmental commitment doesn't stop at paper. Pesticides and other toxic synthetic chemicals are a big issue in cotton production. And single use plastic is a major cause of climate change too.
In response to these issues, we've pushed ahead and banned single-use plastics from all our new products, and switched every one of our range of textiles to organic cotton.
Some of our collection is handmade in Nepal by a Fair Trade collective, called Hatale. Around 80 per cent of Hatale's employees are women from nearby villages where the organisation pays for the education of 100 children.
We’ll do more. And we’ll keep asking what more we can do. But for now, we're proud of the progress we've made and the journey we've come on.
To find out more about our sustainability journey and to read our impact report, head HERE.
