Crafting a responsible and sustainable retail business

The idea for Land Tales emerged from a feeling that it should be easier to shop for goods and gifts that tread lightly on the planet.

For me, that idea of “treading lightly on the planet” starts with knowing where a product is made.

There are some brilliant suppliers and makers producing things ethically and responsibly all around the world, and I think that should be celebrated and supported.

But with Land Tales, I wanted to create a space that brings together a selection of things made in the UK – things that have travelled a shorter distance, and hopefully consumed less carbon in the process, to arrive on your doorstep.

Starting with that idea, I’m seeking to build a thoughtful and responsible small business, with an awareness of the impact every business decision has on the environment.

If that sounds like something you care about too, read on for a quick run through of some of the ways I’ve been thinking about sustainability at Land Tales so far – and I say “so far” as it’s definitely something that needs continual thought.

If you have any ideas or suggestions for other things I could be doing, I would really love to hear from you – drop me a note in the comments or get in touch via the Contact page. 

Made in the UK
So firstly, to delve a little deeper into what I mean when I say “made in the UK”.

In putting together the launch range, I’ve looked for independent makers or small brands who make their product – whether it’s a piece of ceramic tableware, a hand-poured candle, a bar of chocolate, or anything in between – in a workshop, studio, mill or other small making-space here in the UK.

Sometimes the product will have been made entirely from ingredients and materials sourced from these islands. This might be the case with a ceramic mug crafted from Cornish clay, or a napkin made from linen woven in Northern Ireland and stitched in East London, for example. Or perhaps a wooden candlestick hand-turned in Northamptonshire from sustainably sourced British timbers.

In other cases, the product will contain raw ingredients, materials or components sourced from outside the UK, even though the making of the final product happens here. For example, chocolate bars will always contain cocoa grown in warmer climates, and the flowers used to create essential oils for candles and soaps often come from sunnier parts of the world.

In these cases, I’ve looked for the brands and makers who can confidently and proudly talk about how and where they source their ingredients, materials and of course packaging, and I’ve chosen suppliers who are seeking to keep their environmental and carbon impact as low as possible.

This is something I spend a lot of time looking at - I’ll dive into more detail about finding suppliers who care about sustainability in a future Journal article. 

Minimising packaging waste
My intention with Land Tales is to reuse, recycle and repurpose materials wherever possible, and to send the absolute minimum amount to landfill.

Firstly and importantly, Land Tales is a place to find brands who care about the environment and who package their goods with sustainability in mind. Depending on the needs of their product, this might be by using compostable, recycled, recyclable or plastic free packaging, or a combination of these things. Here are just a few examples:

• Homework candles come in smoked glass vessels which are designed to be reused – no plastic lids in sight!

• Austin Austin bottles are made from 100% recycled material

• Mabel & Co source their high quality 100% recycled papers from mills in the UK

• All greetings cards arrive either unwrapped, or packaged in 100% compostable cellophane

My suppliers also ship their products to Land Tales in packaging that’s either recyclable or recycled, and often compostable. When these deliveries arrive at Land Tales, I keep and reuse all of the packaging, sending as little to commercial recycling as possible and the bare minimum to landfill.

I then reuse this packaging to protect goods on their way to customers. This means the packaging your goods arrive in may have been used once, twice or even more. I'd love to think that you’ll also be able to use it again.

That’s not to say it’ll arrive looking scruffy – inside the protective box it'll be beautifully wrapped and enjoyable to open. 

Planet-friendly pop up shops
Alongside the online store, Land Tales holds seasonal pop up shops at Host of Leyton.

A pop up shop has the potential to generate a lot of waste, so I’ve been careful to approach the planning of these thoughtfully.

Host is a light and airy blank-canvas space with plenty of characterful furniture available to use, including some vintage Ercol seating. Combined with a few second-hand pieces that I bring from home, I’ve been able to keep any additional shop fitting purchases to a bare minimum.

Each pop up shop celebrates a new season, and local florist Borrowed Light Floral Studio from Walthamstow help with sourcing locally grown seasonal flowers to fill vases throughout the space. They also made an everlasting wreath from dried British flowers that made its first appearance at the November 2023 pop up shop and will be returning at future winter pop ups. 

Celebrating sustainable and ethical makers
For those of us who are looking for ways to be kinder to the planet when making our purchases, I hope that Land Tales will become a place to find brilliant sustainable brands who are making things all around the country.

This is such an exciting aspect of the business for me – the opportunity to share what I’ve found and to celebrate the people who are doing things responsibly, thoughtfully and in a way that treads as lightly as possible on the planet.

I’m really looking forward to sharing more information on this Journal about some of the makers in the range, and their sustainable practices, in the coming weeks and months.

Hannah x