UK Made
UK Made Hair Accessories
Fashion is one of the most polluting industries in the world and is often listed amongst the biggest contributors to the climate crisis. Almost every stage of a product’s life has a negative impact on the environment - from the production of fabrics, to the shipping and delivery of goods.
Growing or production of fibre
Growing non-organic and potentially unsustainable crops creates a need for pesticides and drains local water supplies. These crops degrade the soil make up and mean that run off water washes away any nutrients natural to the soil. As well as this, the creation of agricultural land depletes more of the world's natural forested areas, which in turn damages human survival rates as biodiversity is essential for all agriculture and sustenance.
Man made fibres do limit the need for land, however, they are often made in toxic soups, which are then put out into rivers and streams killing the biodiversity there and causing harm to local people. It is also estimated that up to 35% of microplastics in the waterways and oceans are come from synthetic fabrics.
Production methods
Factories can consume large amounts of energy and some are not well optimised for more sustainabe conducts. Many use harmful chemical dyes which again pollute waterways, as it can be difficult to source natural dye alternatives.
Packaging
Using bad materials for packing that are not easily recyclable for the end user or that is of a mixed material. If you cannot get away from the use of a bad material like plastic, which is sometimes the case, if it is labelled and also one material they can be recycled responsibly. Cardboard or paper packaging may seem like better alternatives but still require vast amounts of water and trees for production, although cardboard packaging can be easier to recycle and will ultimately break down and decompose.
Shipping
All methods of shipping, especially by air are not good for the carbon measures in the atmosphere. Not only this packing on pallets, extra materials, fuels and paperwork all have an environmental impact.
Sustainable Hair Accessories
There is no easy way to fix this enormous problem, but we know that as a company operating in this industry that we have a responsibility to do better. We are continuously looking at ways in which we can reduce our impact on the environment, and the latest part of our sustainable journey has led us to launch a small range of hair accessories made in the UK.
Typically, our products are made in China and then sent to us on large container ships across the seas. Although this is the least damaging form of transportation compared to road, rail or air freight, sea shipping still emits huge volumes of CO2. We only ever ship full containers of stock with the aim of reducing the CO2 emissions as much as we can. We also use a carbon offsetting scheme through Ecologi to fund projects and plant trees in order to balance the carbon emissions from our shipping, but we know that this is not the answer, and we must in fact reduce the emissions and pollutants in the first place. By finding a UK based manufacturer we would be able to cut out the international shipping and also have more control on the manufacturing and make up of the products.
We were delighted to find a local company who could work with us to manufacture our hair elastics. As specialists in knitting, we have come together to try and produce the best product currently possible.
Our UK made hair elastics are based on our best selling jersey hair elastics, but where our current jersey elastics are made from polyester, we have used either recycled polyester or high quality nylon for our UK made products.
Recycled Polyester Hair Elastics
- The recycled polyester thread is made in India from post consumer waste which was otherwise destined for landfill.
- The functionality of recycled polyester is the same as regular polyester, but it uses just over half of the amount of energy to produce.
- The elastics are made from recycled recycled polyester and elastic. The elastic is added to provide stretch. We are looking to source a more biodegradable option for this going forward.
- The elastics come on a fully recyclable display card which is made from FSC certified cardboard in a UK printing factory.
Nylon Hair Elastics
- Nylon is known for its strong and stretchy properties.
- It is typically more durable than polyester and therefore longer lasting, increasing the lifetime of the elastic.
- The nylon thread is knitted to make our hair elastics.
- The elastics come on a fully recyclable display card which is made from FSC certified cardboard in a UK printing factory.
Hair accessories made in the UK
As part of our quest to reduce our environmental impact and make more sustainable hair bobbles with no metal content, we have developed a range of UK made hair accessories which are manufactured just a few miles away from our Inca UK office.
Where are they made?
Our UK made hair bobbles are made in Loughborough, UK.
What are they made from?
We have 2 types of hair elastics manufactured in the UK. 1 made from recycled polyester and 1 made from high quality nylon.
What are the benefits of products made in the UK?
Products made in the UK have a lower carbon footprint compared to products made abroad as transportation miles are drastically reduced compared to importing goods from overseas. Items produced in Britain also support manufacturing and local businesses in the UK, and allow us to have more control on the fibres and making methods.
How can I order?
Simply add them to your order in the usual way.
Will more British made products be available in the future?
We are working on more lines and hope to launch these products as soon as possible.