Behind the ‘Seams’ of Sustainable Fashion May 2025 | Hosted by Blue Patch & Led by Alice Doyle, Chartered Environmentalist. Supported by The Naturesave Trust | Making Business Greener Campaign. At Blue Patch’s May drop-in workshop, we turned the spotlight on supply chains – those complex, often invisible systems behind every product we touch. From […]
The UK loves coffee. Even more than tea (The Guardian). Sourcing sustainable and organic coffee is not easy amid disruptions to global supply chains from the effects of climate change. Source Climate Change Coffee has been importing organic coffee to the UK for more than a decade. Fix Our Food The current food system is […]
Keep This Cracker does exactly what it says on the tin. They are reusable Christmas crackers and they can be used for any party event where a cracker is typically used. They also make handy gift boxes as the shape is a bit more roomy than a standard cracker tube. When does Christmas 2025 start? […]
The Storm Flowers team cultivate sustainability and community through their florist business and garden shop. Gardeners have a natural love of the environment. They take joy from watching things grow. They’re also more mindful of climate, noticing when the garden is dry or the frost has affected plants. It was only natural that the owners […]
Kapdaa has developed an AI-powered textile waste sorting machine. It is mobile and has the potential to sort tonnes of clothing a week around London boroughs. Textile waste is a big issue in the UK, with 1.2 million tonnes of textile waste going to landfill. Discarded clothing is 350,000 tonnes of that (Shred Station). Each […]
Ethica Diamonds have been developing a carbon negative standard for the past two years. The first lab grown diamond to be certified C-® Standard was donated to the Born Free Foundation. It was raffled as a ‘Diamond in a Glass’ at the Footsteps for Freedom gala, alongside a luxury pendant necklace. The necklace was designed […]
The UK needs clean energy growth but planning permission for renewable energy projects is long and complex. Repowering provides an opportunity for renewable growth using existing sites. What is repowering? Repowering happens when a power project is modernised (BMWK). For example when an older model wind turbine is upgraded or (retrofitted) replaced with a new […]
Coldharbour Lights makes fabulous feather lampshades in shades of blue, green, yellow, orange, red, pink, purple, black and white. They provide a decadent touch of colour to any room and impart a feeling of times past with a touch of Art Deco. The company uses only the best quality feather. They are carefully sourced from […]
John Eadon uses time honoured techniques in his sustainable furniture design. The wooden furniture he makes is modern in style and designed to last a lifetime. Indeed, more than a lifetime as the products are ‘forever repairable’, making them potential heirlooms. Each piece is made with attention to detail. This can be unnoticed by the […]
Managing Water Sustainably in a Changing Climate A Blue Patch online workshop led by Alice Doyle, a Chartered Environmentalist.Supported by the Naturesave Trust What happens when the most idyllic eco-getaway turns into a water-guzzling fantasy gone wrong? That was the creative challenge set at this month’s Blue Patch Drop-in Workshop, where we dove deep (pun […]
Flooring by Nature does what it says on the tin. They look to source only natural flooring materials or use recycled materials. Their decision came about when they looked around them at flooring suppliers and carpet manufacturers who promoted man-made carpets as the ideal solution for the family home. It is not. Man-made carpets Man-made […]
Linda Bloomfield likes to make things that people will use. She creates her own colour glazes and teaches others to make them. For her tableware, she works quickly and batches work together to keep the cost down. She prefers that the tableware is used and not kept as a museum piece on a shelf or […]
Imagine Wales without sheep? That scenario is becoming increasingly likely due to the lack of viability of wool production. In the 1990s there were an estimated 12m sheep in Wales, in 2024 that number had dropped by nearly a third to 8.75m (BBC). Lamb and beef consumption is down. European subsidies for farmers are down, […]
Reflections on the Blue Patch workshop This blog is about greenwashing — branding, storytelling, and the fine line between corporate sincerity and marketing tactics, that sell us a cleaner conscience. Businesses striving for sustainability can unintentionally fall into performative environmentalism, leading consumers to believe that soft-focus deer and lush forests in an advert, equate to […]
What if a garden could tell its story through art, sound and a consciousness of the environment? That’s what Carolyn Blake is doing with Further Than Memory Can Reach which starts at Winterbourne House & Gardens later this month. Winterbourne is an historic Edwardian house and garden ‘nestled in a leafy corner of Birmingham’. The […]
Angus Ross and his team make museum quality furniture in his workshop in Aberfeldy in Perthshire. They are specialists in steam bending wood to make curvaceous and comfortable seating. They work on commissioned pieces for public spaces: sculptural benches and art installations for churches and museums. Their furniture range includes benches, chairs, tables, beds, cabinets […]
Today businesses are increasingly called on to improve their environmental and social governance and to take responsibility for the impact they have on society and the environment. Silverfish ImpactTech provides the tools and training for companies to meet these expectations. Their mission is to help businesses do well, by operating in a way that impacts […]
Judi Archer is a British designer who creates textiles for home interiors. Her handcrafted homewares include hand tufted cushions, artwork and foot stools. Her designs feature strong colours and patterns inspired by Scandinavian and Japanese design. During her MA in Multidisciplinary Print Design, Judi explored the sustainability of the textile industry and the relationship with […]
Blackbird Bespoke is a sustainable steel furniture workshop in Kent. They work on commission and also produce a variety of tables, mirrors and lighting for sale online. They are very proud of their track record of making furniture in-house for over 60 years. Their highly skilled craftsmen use traditional blacksmithing techniques and apply finishes by […]
Waste – a messy issue Blue Patch‘s monthly drop-In workshops ‘Sharing and Solving Challenges Together’ provide sustainability workshops for small business. Members of Blue Patch’s Sustainable Business Community are always keen to further reduce their environmental impact. The workshops are funded by The Naturesave Trust as part of their Making Business Greener Campaign. The aim […]
British wood furniture manufacturers cut down trees. We import 80% of our timber from other countries (Forestry and Land Scotland) but we also fell trees right here in the UK. Trees are essential for carbon capture and they take many years to grow. That’s why responsible forestry is so critical for sustainable wood furniture. […]
With winter in full swing in the UK, we are all wearing warm winter jackets when we go outdoors, but winter jackets are typically made of polyester fibres and polyester is bad for the environment. Is there an alternative, more sustainable winter jacket available? Ponda has developed one using a plant based textile called BioPuff®. […]
Suminagashi, the Japanese Art of Marbling (also the title of a book by Anne Chambers) was the inspiration for the kimono made by Rachel O’Connell for Blue Patch’s exhibition ‘Pull My Thread’ at Brantwood near Coniston Water, Lake District this summer. The feather light kimono and obi were made from Japanese habotai silk, a transparent […]
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