SUSTAINABILITY
At Merchants of the Sun Jewellery, sustainability isn't just a buzzword. It's at the core of everything we do. We're all about embracing climate consciousness and working hard to shrink our carbon footprint.
Our dedication to transparency in our sustainability has been with us every step of the way. While we know achieving 100% sustainable jewellery is tough, the reason for Merchants of the Sun's creation is to reach that goal. We are more than a label - we are a movement. And hey, we're still on our journey, but here's what we've done so far:
OUR COMMITMENT
We are dedicated to embracing climate consciousness and actively working to minimise
our carbon footprint. Here are some of our certifications & partnerships and what we've
achieved together:
Since our inception, we have used 100% recycled .925 sterling silver, sourced from industrial offcuts and waste. From cradle to grave, the entire process of creating our silver jewellery is sustainable. This commitment is further solidified by our B-Corp certification, ensuring that every step of the process meets rigorous social and environmental standards.
We manufacture a number of our packaging elements within Australia, choosing to partner with local printers to reduce our footprint. Additionally, we have moved to shipping our overseas packaging elements to our HQ via sea freight to further reduce our impact. Our packaging composition is 90% recyclable and 10% biodegradable. Our entire packaging solution is 100% carbon neutral, offset and audited through the Climate Active initiative and supported by our B-Corp certification.
Our Carbon Neutral certification means that even our office spaces and warehouse emissions are offset through our carbon purchasing initiatives. This certification, backed by our B-Corp status, required us to audit and detail every single output in our office and warehouse—from the A/C kilowatts per hour to how our staff commute to work (walk, bike, or drive). We even weighed our rubbish bins each week to track waste.
From sourcing materials to crafting our pieces, our entire production process is carbon neutral, backed by Climate Active and B-Corp certifications. We track everything from the amount of gas used in our casting process to how much waste is generated, even the amount of cigarettes our Indonesian artisans smoke per day (actually detailed in our report) . This level of scrutiny was made possible by our founder, Matt, who chose to live in Indonesia to personally manage and audit this process.
We believe in bringing beauty to the world, not just through our pieces but also through
environmental stewardship. Sustainability isn't a fleeting trend; it's our core mission.
WHAT'S NEXT?
- Reducing our ring sizer output and investigating a recyclable variation.
- Increasing uptake of our metal recycling Close the Loop Program.
- Exploring solar energy to power our Indonesian warehouse.
- By the end of 2024, redesign and implement our recyclable packaging technology.
- By June, our Miami offices will be powered 100% by GreenPower renewable energy.
- Implementation of TerraCycle in our Miami Office to facilitate recycling of packaging.
- We aim to have fully reviewed and mapped our gold supply chain for greater transparency.
- Registering with the Responsible Jewellery Council.
- Achieving 100% waste-free operations across all production, retail, and transport areas.