Did you know it’s Earth Day on Friday 22nd April? This year’s theme is ‘Invest in our Planet’.
We started London Makers Market as a platform to support eco-conscious small businesses, and this is at the forefront of every decision. Choosing makers for our markets is extremely difficult. We receive so many incredible applications and often don’t have the capacity to include more than 2-4 businesses in each category - to ensure there is a large variety of different products on offer.
It was so inspiring and impressive to see lots of small businesses doing good for the environment with our last round of applications. Whether that is planting a tree for every sale, revamping second-hand materials, using biodegradable packaging or giving a percentage of sales to environmental charities, these are the main reasons we love supporting independent businesses and shopping small.
Scroll down to discover some of the brilliant businesses within our creative community.
Moxi is a sustainable, female-run and owned small business based in London, currently specialising in statement earrings and hair accessories. All items are made from 100% recycled perspex, keeping sustainability at the forefront of Mimi’s creations, and one tree is planted with every item sold.
Instagram: @moxibymimi
Katie is an eco conscious hand cut collage artist who uses reclaimed materials. She prints on 100% recycled card with eco inks, use biodegradable cello bags and tries to be as green as she can.
Instagram: @localhotelparking
All products have been designed, illustrated, hand painted or screen printed by Fiona. She uses recycled, sustainable and eco-friendly materials wherever possible, and takes great care to ensure her products are the highest quality so that they are made to last.
Instagram: @paperargonauts
Valeria makes functional ceramic wares inspired by elements of nature such as clouds, sand, sunset and waves. She only uses paper and recyclable wrapping materials, reuses and recycles clay and fires in a small eco friendly kiln that gets filled only with the products that survive a strict quality selection.
Instagram: @valeria.muffato
Elena’s interest in the environment is a constant source of inspiration for her designs - she loves to turn factual and statistical data into fascinating and thought-provoking designs. Her prints and greeting cards help raise awareness of Climate Change, and one tree is planted for every sale. All products are printed in the UK onto 100% recycled and recyclable card, and shipped in biodegradable packaging.
Instagram: @elenadrewthis
Below and Beyond Art was established by Janavi Kramer, a British Artist and Scientific Illustrator. Using vibrant and visceral colours, her work articulates the magic of the ocean; not only hoping to evoke the same passion in others but to highlight the threats impacting the ocean and all the species within it. All products are sustainably sourced and packaging is plastic free.
Instagram: @belowandbeyondart
Miranda up-cycles second-hand mirror frames, recycled and off-cut wood, into colourful, wildlife-inspired designs. Each mirror is lovingly hand-painted using ethically-sourced materials that have been saved from going to landfill. Miranda has an eco ethos of "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" and avoids using plastic at all costs.
Instagram: @_mirandadesigns
All of Mink's backing cards are printed on 100% recycled card, the envelopes are made from 60% recycled content and customers also have the option of selecting Eco Shipping at checkout. This year for Earth Day, Martha has partnered with One Tree Planted to help plant trees in deforested areas of Vietnam. Every pin bought this week will plant a tree, so go and take a look!
Instagram: @minksuperstore
Jagruti has designed a ‘Plant-Beautiful’ range of greeting cards and eco-friendly stationery. The plantable seed paper made from recycled cotton fibres is embedded with a botanical mix of edible wildflower and herb seeds which gives the stationery a second life and contributes to plant growth.
Instagram: @plantifulpapercompany
Alex creates original artwork using mixed media, including up-cycled materials, inspired by fashion and nature. All packaging and branding is 100% recyclable or biodegradable, plus a tree is planted for every sale in partnership with One Tree Planted.
Instagram: @alimakesit
Come along to our free event in London on Saturday 14th May to discover more eco-conscious small businesses and eco-friendly gifts.