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In conversation with interior designer Oliver Heath
Published 16 June 2021Oliver is Founder of Oliver Heath Design Ltd, an architectural and interior design practicefocussed on delivering health & wellbeing in the built environment through evidence-basedhuman centred design. Oliver’s work stimulates the adoption of happier, healthier places to liveand work through his projects as designer, writer, and TV presenter. Since 1998 he has presented on numerous […]
In conversation with Glasgow lifestyle store, Hoos
Published 19 May 2021Hoos is a design and lifestyle store located in Glasgow’s West End. Pop in to discover a unique curation of goods from iconic Nordic design houses to handmade, Scottish wares, as well as beautiful things from across the UK. They love simple and functional design that stands the test of time, so each product that […]
Can advertising stop climate change?
Published 19 April 2021Can advertising and marketing campaigns focused on sustainable and ethical business be used to promote sustainability and the vision of a thriving planet? Ads are an excellent way to target specific niches. Used effectively, they can spread awareness of an issue, raise brand visibility or sell a product or a service. According to Statista, the […]
Are circular economy models feasible for mainstream?
Published 19 February 2021A recently published article by The BBC titled ‘Clothes should float in and out of our lives‘ queries whether a mainstream move to circular economy models of business would aid in recovering from the pandemic. Will circular models ever become mainstream? “Yes, absolutely!” is our optimistic answer. In the recent past, sustainable and ethical models […]
Now introducing Blue Patch 2.0
Published 26 January 2021We’ve got exciting news. For several months now we’ve been working on a complete revamp of the Blue Patch website. Finally, we’re excited to introduce you to the new and improved Blue Patch, a directory connecting sustainable makers and service providers across the UK and Ireland. It’s been a challenging season. Business owners, you’ll understand […]
The Ashden Awards 2020: A portal from one world to the next
Published 3 July 2020Living through a global pandemic, it seems almost impossible not to feel fully consumed by Covid-19. But after watching the 2020 Ashden Awards, the idea of this pandemic functioning as an isolated issue to be tackled, set apart from the urgency of the climate crisis, seems a potentially dangerous oversimplification. The Ashden Awards are dedicated […]
On waiting for Earth Day
Published 22 April 2020Welcome to Earth Day 2020 4:00 am Looking through my window to the garden, I barely make out where buildings stop and sky starts. No birds yet, just the clock ticking. At the onset of the lockdown I felt erased, detached from purpose. Now I feel the opposite, that time has been reclaimed and life […]
Guest Post: Necessity is the mother of invention
Published 20 April 2020This year’s not really turning out how I expected – and that’s putting it quite mildly. 2019 was a big year for me. I celebrated a big milestone birthday with a blowout party and some lifetime travel adventures. I sailed boats and rode horses. I learnt new skills and gained new qualifications. I decimated my […]
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 […]
The colour of spring: sustainable home decor, clothing, lifestyle and the outdoors
Published 24 February 2020What colour is spring to you? Some will dive straight into summer with those bright oranges and blazing blues. Others will choose pastels. I prefer my springs to be muted versions of bright favourites. A slow awakening rather than jumping headfirst into the heat of things. Might tell you a lot about me as a […]
The coolest CAT in town: How a visit to the Centre of Alternative Technology turned my climate-apathy around
Published 29 January 2020I admit it. I have been guilty……of climate nihilism. I’ve found myself turning down the volume on the news or sometimes looking the other way. It was all too unbearable, out of my hands and I was less than optimistic about the state of the world. That is, until I went to CAT. Sorry to […]
Making waves: British brands creating cool things from recycled marine plastic
Published 28 October 2019A few days ago American Express announced a complete revamp of its classic Green Card. Following a long list of the benefits of owning an Amex Green card comes the revelation that the card is designed using reclaimed ocean plastic collected from beaches by Parlay for the Oceans. Coca Cola too has been in the […]
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 […]
Meet the judges: The Blue Patch Awards 2019
Published 14 May 2019Best foot forward: you can now enter the 2019 Blue Patch Sustainable Business Awards. With our influential and expert panel you’ve opportunity to get your products and services in front of the right people. It’s all about participating. Very best of luck everybody! Katrina Burroughs, Journalist, Sunday Times Home. Katrina Burroughs has written the interiors column […]
What we learned from asking our fashion brands about sustainability.
Published 25 April 2019The 24th of April marked the 6th anniversary of the Rana Plaza factory collapse, and the subsequent push towards greater transparency and sustainability in the fashion industry. This week, marked as Fashion Revolution Week encourages consumers to take action by asking brands #whomademyclothes? Blue Patch works with brands who make and manufacture in the UK, […]
Whitworth Art Gallery hosts Blue Patch’s ‘travelling’ Department Store!
Published 10 April 2019Blue Patch’s ‘travelling’ Sustainable Department Store popped up at the Whitworth, Manchester University’s award winning museum. Blue Patch were lucky to coincided with Whitworth Director Alistair Hudson’s radically refreshing vision for the ‘Useful Museum’ (listen to Alistair here). The Useful Museum got off to a flying start with the Reno residency, led by Linda Brogan. Everyone […]
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 […]
Guest Blog for The RSA
Published 30 November 2018We’ve written a guest blog for the RSA on problems facing the high street and a new ethical shopping oriented solution. “When on the high street, it feels as though poor quality products are sold everywhere for high prices. Online shopping seems like a better deal since we’ve been trained to think of purchasing online as […]
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, […]
Retrofitting with Natural Materials
Published 15 September 2018The first house we visited was a beautiful 1916 4-bedroom Edwardian terrace house overlooking Ruskin Park in South London. We wanted to discover how architect Natalie Black had retrofitted the property…let’s take a look inside. Natalie and Ben, who own the house, are retrofitting to improve comfort and energy efficiency, with a focus on using […]
Guest Post: Lessons from my garden
Published 25 May 2018Like so many of you, the concept of a circular economy really appeals to me. To invest in a product, then be able to pass it on or see it re-moulded into something entirely different when the time comes just seems entirely sensible. And for most gardeners, I suspect it is second nature. Gardeners are […]
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 […]
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 […]
Something old, something new: A guest blog by Jan Knibbs
Published 13 February 2018Did anyone get engaged recently? Whether you are frantically planning your wedding, or simply keeping an eye out for ideas, here are a few ways in which you can incorporate some of your family history into your wedding dress. Intrigued? Read on. We live in an age of mass production, surrounded by a throw-away society. […]
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