Ethics & Environment

Products

Metal Components:

Beadsmith is a jewellery industry world leader. Their plated findings are a higher quality product with a longer-lasting plating. The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) bases its own testing on EU standards; however, Beadsmith platings currently do not meet EU standards for nickel (0.05%).

We state this in the product descriptions.

All other metal findings are from leading manufacturers in China & India - We always choose the lead/cadmium/nickel-free option from these manufacturers, which are produced to align with EU regulations.

Due to the nature of the manufacturing process, it is impossible to have full transparency on each raw material. The supply chain is complex and includes many stages - from the mining of raw materials to manufacturing.

925 Sterling Silver

Non-tarnish, Hypo-allergenic & high quality. Contains 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% copper (to harden the metal).

304 Stainless Steel

Food Grade Steel, Corrosion resistant, non-tarnish, anti-rust, low allergy risk

316 Stainless Steel

Medical grade, hypoallergenic, Corrosion resistant, non-tarnish, anti-rust, very low allergy risk

Gold Filled

A mechanically bonded layer of solid gold coated over a base metal. Non-tarnish, hypoallergenic

*Allergy risk for non-precious metals will always differ from person to person, depending on skin sensitivity.

If you are still uncomfortable with purchasing plated metals, we recommend choosing 925 sterling silver, gold filled or stainless steel options. These are low allergy, precious & hypoallergenic metals.

Beads & Charms

Preciosa & Czech Glass are manufactured in the EU and therefore adhere to current working, legal & environmental standards of the EU.

Beadsmith products are an American-based company and therefore adheres to the current working, legal & environmental standards of the USA.

Miyuki is a Japanese brand which will adhere to the current working, legal & environmental standards of that country.

All other beads are sourced from manufacturers & suppliers in India, China & Pakistan. We have long-standing relationships with representatives from these countries, who source the best quality products on our behalf. However, full transparency of the supply chain is currently impossible.

Stringing Materials

Craft Wire - Pakistan

Leather - India

Waxed cords, rattail, knotting cords, faux suede, necklace chains - China

Irish Linen, Brazillian Cord, Pleather, Superlon, Nymo, Fireline - USA

K/O - Japan

Packaging

Jiffy Bags/Bubble Mailers

Made with 60% recycled content and designed for recycling. When you are finished with the envelope, simply remove the bubble wrap from the inside. The outer paper goes in the paper recycling bin & the bubble wrap can be reused or disposed of in the general rubbish.

Plastic Envelopes

We only use these for items that do not break easily - such as fabric elastics. It is currently not cost-effective for us to use a biodegradable version, but we are always on the lookout for an alternative.

Grip Seal Bags

Where possible, we no longer write on the bags, meaning these can be reused by the customer. Once an eco-alternative is readily available at a suitable price point, we will look into changing over.

General Rubbish

On-site, we recycle cardboard & reuse any packaging we receive from deliveries - such as bubble wrap & paper.

Charity

We donate old stock, end-of-line items, samples and scrap fabrics to Forever Manchester.

Forever Manchester is Greater Manchester's Community Foundation, the only charity that raises money to fund and support community activity across Greater Manchester.