Sustainability

At Simpleanddainty, sustainability comes first because we love our planet! We rely on recycled gold and silver, recyclable packaging, and other mindful practices to help shrink our environmental impact. Through our partnership with The Change Climate Project, we measure our carbon emissions, invest in climate solutions, and keep working to lower our emissions over time. We also give at least 1% of our annual sales to approved environmental nonprofits around the world. We're constantly reviewing our processes, materials, and overall effect on the environment.

Our Materials

Our jewelry is made with recycled gold and silver. Choosing recycled materials means no new raw materials are mined - instead, we use metals that are already circulating in the jewelry industry. This helps reduce the negative impact on our planet.

Our manufacturers follow strict guidelines and regulations to make sure the metals they use are recycled and refined ethically and in an environmentally friendly way. The refiners they partner with meet rigorous standards, including the following:

1. Refiners must be certified members of the Responsible Jewellery Council.
2. Refiners must appear on the EICC/GeSI conflict–free compliant smelter list.
3. Refiners must appear on the LBMA good delivery list.
4. Refiners use Green Silver Certified sterling silver that is recycled rather than mined.
5. Refiners must pass third party Banks Certification audits.

To meet these guidelines, the refining process has to be as clean and efficient as possible for the planet. We examine every step of jewelry making, starting with the raw materials, to be as sustainable and eco friendly as we can.

Vermeil jewelry: Our vermeil pieces are built on a sterling silver base made from a blend of new and recycled sterling silver. This keeps the jewelry's surface shiny while helping the environment through recycled silver. The 2.5 microns of gold plated over the sterling silver also use a blend of new and recycled gold.

All of our scrap materials are recycled through a refinery. That means anything defective or anything we get wrong - like stamping discs, broken clasps, etc - never goes in the trash! We recycle it so it can become new jewelry. If you have a broken piece from us that we can't repair, feel free to send it back so we can recycle it.

One big advantage of high quality materials is that they last. Unlike fast fashion, our jewelry is made to be worn every day, for years! The less jewelry you buy over your lifetime, the smaller your impact on the environment.

Our Packaging

We aim to give you the best possible unboxing experience for your new pieces while keeping our environmental impact as low as we can.

Every part of our packaging is recyclable - from our paper necklace cards, to our paper boxes, to our compostable mailers. There's no plastic in our packaging, and all of our printed paper is made from recycled paper.

We also include a free, reusable jewelry pouch so you can store your pieces when you're not wearing them. You can also choose to skip the free pouch!

Our Climate Commitment

Climate action is a key part of our sustainability work. Through our partnership with The Change Climate Project, we measure our carbon emissions, invest in projects that help cut climate pollution, and keep working to reduce our own emissions over time.

The Change Climate Project is a nonprofit that helps brands measure their carbon emissions, fund climate solutions, and lower their environmental impact. Through its rigorous certification program, brands earn The Climate Label by measuring emissions, investing in climate projects, and committing to continued reductions. We're proud to be certified under The Climate Label.

We measure our carbon emissions by looking at everything produced from start to finish in making and delivering our jewelry. That includes every single step - our supply chain emissions, packaging materials, commuting, our studio's utility bills, and everything in between. Measuring our emissions helps us better understand our impact and find ways to reduce it year after year.

As part of our climate commitment, we invest in environmental projects that help cut climate pollution and support a healthier planet. Our projects have included restoring forests in Mexico, Colombia, and Papua New Guinea. We have also supported clean energy projects, including solar energy fields in China and wind energy in Turkey.

Lowering our environmental impact is an ongoing journey. The Change Climate Project helps us track our progress every year, spot opportunities to reduce our emissions, and keep building a more sustainable business.

Our climate work is just one of the many ways our brand is adopting better practices for the environment. We believe in The Change Climate Project's mission to accelerate climate action. In the grand scheme of things we're just a small business, but we believe every effort counts, no matter how small.

To learn more, visit: changeclimate.org

Giving Back

Simpleanddainty is a proud member of 1% for the Planet!

We pledge to give at least 1% of our annual sales to nonprofit organizations dedicated to the environment we love and care about so deeply.

By contributing at least 1% of annual sales together with thousands of other 1% for the Planet members, the network has raised over $300 million for approved environmental nonprofits around the world.

A bit about 1% for the Planet and what they do:

• 1% for the Planet is a global organization that exists to help our planet and future generations thrive.
• They encourage businesses and individuals to support environmental nonprofits through membership and everyday actions.
• They make environmental giving simple and effective through partnership advising, impact storytelling and third-party certification.

Founded in 2002 by Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, and Craig Mathews, founder of Blue Ribbon Flies, their business and individual members have given hundreds of millions of dollars to approved nonprofit partners so far.

Today, the 1% for the Planet global network is made up of thousands of businesses, individuals and environmental nonprofits working toward a better future for everyone.

You can feel good knowing your purchase with Simpleanddainty is also a purchase for the planet :)

Learn more at onepercentfortheplanet.org

Our Studio

To stay sustainable through every step of creating your beautiful jewelry, we also pay close attention to what happens in our studio.

Here are a few things we do with sustainability in mind:

• All of our metal scraps are recycled by being refined and turned into new pieces.
• We ask our suppliers to use paper alternatives rather than plastic bags. When they can't, we reuse the zip bags we receive.
• We skip paper invoices and handle everything online to reduce paper waste.
• We sort and recycle all office waste into the proper bins.
• We use recycled boxes and mailers for every shipment.

Future Sustainability

We're currently working to push our sustainability even further by focusing on the following:

• Carbon offset options for our customers at checkout
• Offsetting carbon across our whole company to become fully carbon neutral
• Continuing to work only with sustainable manufacturers
• Keeping an open conversation with our favorite and most important people (you!) so we keep pushing toward sustainability going forward!

Thanks for following along! We always love feedback and suggestions. If you have any ideas for us, let us know at contact@simpleanddaintynecklace.com. We love hearing from you :)