ABOUT OUR COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY

We believe that a more sustainable way to live is both possible and necessary and it starts from the small things that everyone can do in their day to day life.
It is paramount not only for us to carry out our business practice in the most sustainable way possible, but also to support others who share our vision and educate customers and students in making responsible choices.
The London Leather Workshop commits to conscious behaviours in both the products it sells, the services it delivers and during studio practices. Here are some insights of how it is pursued:

 

THROUGH THE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES WE PROVIDE
– We rescue end of season materials and we make them available for customers to use in their learning experience or to create their products.
– We offer customers the possibility of using eco-friendly and/or non toxic products such as glue and edge finishing substances for use in their works.
– We support sustainable suppliers of leather, vegan leather and fabric by promoting their products and explaining their sustainable practices to our students and customers.
– We support eco-concious businesses, students and designers committed to sustainability for their projects by promoting and connecting them.
– Preference is always given to suppliers with a commitment to social and/or environmental sustainability and to suppliers that are local.
– We advise our customers and students to not only focus their commitment to suitability for the materials they choose to use, but in thinking about the whole life cycle of their products as well. We in fact support customers who want to create a circular business model by designing products together that not only use sustainable materials, but that are designed to be, for example, easy to repair, repurposed, modified or consciously disposed of at the end of their lives.
– We are constantly expanding our network of sustainable businesses that we can collaborate with or that can bring additional value to the projects of our customers.
– We are always happy to share our contacts of eco-conscious affiliates, collaborators and suppliers with our customers in the hope of supporting their journey towards sustainability.
– We commit to always being up to date on the latest best practices, materials and news on sustainability by regularly following seminars, networking and business events related to suitability and make the information and contacts we have gathered available to all our customers.
– We regularly give away material offcuts to local charities to support their educational programs.

 

DURING OUR DAY TO DAY PRACTICE
– We aim to be ‘zero to landfill’ by: always diverting rubbish for recycling (including electronic waste), by repurposing and reusing everything that we can during our practice, including but not limited to packaging, containers, paper, scraps of leather, fabric, etc.
– We give a second life to the smaller leftovers of fabric, leather and vegan leather by donating them to charity organisations or local artists.
– We recycle what cannot be donated through First Mile, a low-impact UK recycling service company.
– We mostly use LED lights inside the studio and rechargeable batteries.
– Whenever possible, we purchase environment-friendly cleaning products.
– Whenever there is the option to, we purchase recyclable packaging materials.
– We buy and use only recycled and/or biodegradable paper products, for example recycled copy paper.
– We have eliminated the use of plastic bottles, cups and cutlery inside the studio and replaced all single use products in the kitchen, including utensils with reusable or recycled/biodegradable items instead.
– We use recycled materials (for example paper and fabric) during our lessons and students always practice using recycled/upcycled leathers.
– We deliver products to our customers in recycled materials or plastic-free and/or biodegradable packaging.
– We reduce our printed material to the minimum, we either do double-sided prints and reuse paper that has been printed on only one side.
– 90% of our furniture is up-cycled or repurposed and we always make the effort to find a good home for our furniture when we replace them (or to correctly recycle or dispose of them when this is not possible).
– We refurbish, resell or give away for free unwanted IT equipment.
– Our staff are educated about the studio working methods and are required to respect our commitment to sustainability and to behave in line with our beliefs during work.

ABOUT OUR SOCIAL COMMITMENT

Here at The London Leather Workshop, an important part of our commitment is dedication to the education and support of the next generation of creatives in the design, furnishing, fashion and accessories industries.
We in fact support them by always providing discounts on both our products and services, as well as offering free consultations on their projects.
Offering well instructed classes, we are proud to provide guidance and competent insights to those who need support in learning new skills and/or starting a business in the field.
The London Leather Workshop supports local businesses, provides free services to non-profit organisations for groups or individuals and it has a charitable giving policy.

 

MENTORING FOR PRINCE’S TRUST
The London Leather Workshop is proud to collaborate with The Prince’s Trust Enterprise Programme supporting young entrepreneurs at early stages of their business development.
We deliver free guidance and training in leather crafts and sewing skills to help these individuals to acquire new professional skills and are very grateful for the opportunity to continue sharing, educating and supporting those in our community.
If you want to know more about the  Prince’s Trust Enterprise Programme please visit:https://www.princes-trust.org.uk/help-for-young-people/support-starting-business