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Why a giant soap emporia that does hair and offers facials is a great idea.
Published 5 March 2020I have a long-standing love affair with Lush. Can you blame me? Entering a Lush location is like stepping into a world of colourful, quirkily-named skincare products that look and smell good enough to eat. Plus the brand is well known for being at the forefront of sustainability in regards to packaging, animal testing, sourcing ethically […]
Let’s talk about eco houses: Insuring a non-standard home in the UK
Published 22 January 2020A few weeks ago there was a news article about a new zero carbon neighbourhood in South Wales getting the green light for construction. Homes in this neighbourhood will be built to generate more energy than they use, replacing energy drawn from the grids during times like cold snaps with clean energy during leaner months. Exciting, […]
Why the ethical fashion sector in the UK struggles to grow
Published 2 January 2020A recently published article in the Guardian celebrates ethical spending in the UK hitting a record high, swelling to reach over £41 billion. Consumables take the largest portion, with energy, home and personal products scooping up significant portions of the rest. The industry that has had the most tussles with ethical issues however, the one […]
What does net-zero mean for British businesses?
Published 16 December 2019In the past few months the discussion on climate change has intensified, with strategic conversations taking place to shape policy both globally and locally. Earlier in 2019, the UK became the first country to pledge to bring all its net emissions to net zero by 2050. A few cities have stepped up to the challenge with Bristol […]
Tis’ (almost) the season: 6 non-traditional British advent calendars
Published 12 November 2019Have you started playing Christmas music yet? I haven’t. For me, Christmas begins with the advent season and leads up to a day spent with family, good food, drinks, full spirits and lots of fun. I love a good advent calendar. Mind you, my favourites are the ones with adult beverages but I do like […]
Blue Patch exhibits thirteen sustainable British brands at London Design Fair 2019
Published 5 September 2019We are delighted to announce that we will be exhibiting thirteen of our most exceptional sustainable brands at London Design Fair this year. The event will take place from the 19th to the 22nd of September 2019 at the Old Truman Brewery in Shoreditch London as part of the iconic London Design Festival. Click to […]
Top tips for applying to the Blue Patch sustainable business awards + more
Published 15 July 2019The Blue Patch Awards are now in their 4th year. When we launched in 2016, there were very few awards for the ethical and sustainable sector. Subsequent years, however, brought an influx of awards specifically targeted towards sustainable and ethical businesses, and especially small businesses. We think this is wonderful! Why apply to business awards? […]
World Oceans Day: British brands creating fashion from ocean waste
Published 9 June 2019June 8th, 2019 marks what is known as World Oceans Day, a day to raise awareness of the challenges faced by our planet in regards to the ocean. This year’s theme for World Ocean’s Day is Gender and the Oceans, to highlight the importance of gender equality in terms of conservation and working towards preserving […]
Happy feet: Sustainable British-made shoes for children.
Published 9 May 2019I went shoe shopping the other day. I’m not much of a shoe person (hello nail polish, and dresses) but for some reason, my last three purchases have been shoes. Must be the changing weather. Goodbye boots, hello gorgeous, colourful, fun summer wear. Now we’ve just got to wait for those May showers to turn […]
Goodnight, sleep tight: Creating a beautiful bed.
Published 28 March 2019It’s important to have a good night’s sleep. A good night’s sleep will often fix most problems. You’ll wake up relaxed, refreshed and ready to tackle the day. Plus it’s great for your skin. The key to a good night’s sleep isn’t just one thing. We recommend creating a comfortable and beautiful environment that will […]
Like a Boss: tips for female entrepreneurs & business owners
Published 13 March 2019A report published by the FSB has several interesting statistics about women in business. The contribution of women owned business to the UK economy has been estimated to be approximately £105 bn, with an increase of 40% since 2012. The number of women owning businesses and employing people in their own businesses has also increased significantly. […]
In with Spring, out with dust
Published 1 March 2019It’s spring! Or so we hope… I’ve been transitioning in between clothing types this week, moving away from my warm wool coat to lighter garb. It’s delightful to not be weighted down by 20 layers of fabric. Spring is synonymous with the shedding of layers (unless we’re talking about trees), and part of that includes […]
Love is in the air
Published 13 February 2019Love it, hate it or simply ignore it, it’s still Valentine’s Day today. Traditionally, a day for lovers, we’ve decided that it should also be a day for small business owners. So here are three oh-so-important ways to express love if you’re a small business owner. Ready? Love yourself Small business owners are so susceptible […]
At last (perhaps) autumn has arrived
Published 16 October 2018I’ve been away in sunny India for about 6 months (yes, a bit longer than expected), and I completely missed the British summer. Traded it in for the original Indian summer followed by monsoon which made for hot hot hot weather with torrential rain. The weather here is conflicted. Some days it’s autumn with those longer sleeves, […]
Marriage À-la-mode
Published 10 August 2018Something old, something new. Something borrowed, something blue. We’re in wedding mode today. Not because it’s wedding season or anything, but just because. Rings and bells, dresses and flowers. There’s so much more to planning a wedding than what meets the eye. Put a ring on it. Rings are the traditional item exchanged between a […]
We’ve got you covered: 6 UK-made alternatives to Ecover & Method.
Published 21 June 2018Many of you have probably heard the news that Ecover and Method have had their Naturewatch Foundation’s cruelty-free endorsement revoked as a result of being acquired by SC Johnson who test on animals while developing their products. While there are tons of alternatives out there to banish the dust and grease from everyday items, here […]
Beyond Fashion Revolution week: Practical actions for sustainable consumers and brands
Published 27 April 2018This week, the eyes of the ethical and sustainable world have been fixed on Fashion Revolution Week, a campaign and a movement created in order to promote greater transparency within the fashion industry. It brings awareness about the appalling conditions that fast fashion is made in, the poor compensation that is paid to workers and […]
The Fashion Revolution & What it Means for Sustainable Business
Published 18 April 2018It was some months ago while perusing my Facebook feed that I came across a very interesting discussion in a group. This particular thread was started by someone questioning whether a business planning to use sustainable leather and organic cotton could call themselves a sustainable business. There were comments on the meat and leather industries, […]
The Blue Patch Alphabet
Published 17 April 2018A – Awards From one category in our first year to seven in our second. This year we plan to be bigger! Keep an eye out for our announcement, and if you fit, apply! B – British Isles One of our USPs is to support British makers and manufacturers. It goes along with being low […]
It might as well be Spring
Published 1 April 2018Now that Easter’s been and gone, it might as well be spring. This weekend has been so very springlike. A bit of sun, a bit of rain. Has anyone seen any Daffodils yet? Those are my favourite sign of spring. Last year we wrote this blog about garden products. To add to that list, and in honour […]
GDPR and you.
Published 23 March 2018The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) enforcement date is almost upon us and everyone seems to be in a panic over it! No, Brexit won’t make any difference to whether you have to comply or not and yes after the 25th May, 2018 you may face fines of up to 4% of your annual turnover. However, it’s not as […]
Fairtrade and You
Published 26 February 2018Feb 26th to March 11th is Fairtrade Fortnight, a campaign geared towards increasing awareness about the provenance of Fairtrade items (primarily food) and the plight of millions of people who do not receive fair compensation for food grown. During this two week period, there are several ways you can gain awareness about Fairtrade. 1. Read […]
The language of love
Published 6 February 2018Does you remember hearing about the 5 languages of love? It was something I heard about in university, that people understand love in 5 primary ways. That the way one person expresses love may not be how the other understands it. You may do something that you consider to be tiny for your significant other and it may […]
Do you want to build a business?
Published 25 January 2018Do you have an idea that could change the world? Maybe you’ve been toying with the thought of starting your own business and this might just be the year that you finally take the leap and go for it. We asked some of our small businesses for advice that they would give people starting out. Reading through their replies, I […]
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