Why Does Local Sourcing Matter?

According to Green Car Reports, “[o]ne giant container ship pollutes the air as much as 50 million cars. Which means that just 15 ships [of] that size emit as much as today’s entire global ‘car park’ of roughly 750 million vehicles.”

By sourcing as much of my supplies as possible from within North America, Solstice Eve minimizes contributing to the horrendous environmental destruction caused by international shipping.

Supplies sourced from North America:

— Ethical Copper, Silver, and Gold Wire Made in the USA

— 100% Recycled Material Jewelry Boxes Made in the USA

— 100% Recycled Shipping Boxes & Packaging Made in the USA

— 100% Recycled Shipping Inserts Made in the USA

— Recyclable Shipping Labels Made with 100% Recycled Release Liners

— Plastic-Free, Recyclable Shipping Tape Made from Renewable Resources in the USA

— 100% Recycled Poly Bag Made in the USA

— Non-Toxic, Compostable, 100% Cotton Decorative Ribbon Made in the USA

— Archival Quality Stamp Pads Made in the USA

— Vegan Sealer & Varnish Made in the USA

— FSC Certified, 100% Recycled, Medium Weight Paper, Made in the USA with Hydroelectric Energy

— FSC Certified, 100% Recycled, Premium Journal Paper, Made in the USA with Hydroelectric Energy

— 100% Recycled, Premium Bookboard Made in the USA

— Cotton Fabric Made & Printed in the USA

— Organic Flour Made in the USA

— Premium Sealing Wax Made in Canada

Current exceptions that I am working to source from North America:

— 100% Recycled Void Fill Made from Renewable Materials in India

— Non-Toxic Stamp Pad Made in Japan

Premium materials that cannot currently be sourced from North America:

— Gansai Tambi, Traditional Japanese Watercolors Made in Japan

— Premium Watercolor Paper Made in France

If you know of high-quality North American alternatives, please email me at Nora@SolsticeEve.Co. Thank you so much in advance!

Please note: the above lists include soon-to-release products & packaging

Last Updated on June 10, 2024

The Modern Slavery Crisis

In today’s world, slavery is often thought of as a “thing of the past.” Sadly, modern slavery exists, and is direly worsening. The UN reports that between 2016 and 2021, the number of people experiencing modern slavery increased by 10 million people (UN report, 2022). According to the latest Global Estimates of Modern Slavery, right at this moment, an estimated 50 million people globally are experiencing slavery — 22 million of which in forced labor and the remaining 28 million in forced marriages. This crisis is occurring “in almost every country in the world and cuts across ethnic, cultural and religious lines” with “[m]ore than half of all forced labour… found in upper-middle-income or high-income countries” (UN report, 2022).

By purchasing supplies from reputable, local, and aboveboard companies operating in countries with minimum wage and labor laws in place to protect working people, Solstice Eve can avoid slave labor and support jobs that keep people from becoming at-risk of forced labor. I actively research and avoid disreputable suppliers and countries of origin with known contaminated labor.

My supplies come from the following countries of origin:

— USA

— Canada

— France

— Japan

— India 

Supply Country of Origin:

— Ethical Copper, Silver, and Gold Wire Made in the USA

— 100% Recycled Material Jewelry Boxes Made in the USA

— 100% Recycled Shipping Boxes & Packaging Made in the USA

— 100% Recycled Shipping Inserts Made in the USA

— Recyclable Shipping Labels Made with 100% Recycled Release Liners

— Plastic-Free, Recyclable Shipping Tape Made from Renewable Resources in the USA

— 100% Recycled Poly Bag Made in the USA

— Non-Toxic, Compostable, 100% Cotton Decorative Ribbon Made in the USA

— Archival Quality Stamp Pads Made in the USA

— Vegan Sealer & Varnish Made in the USA

— FSC Certified, 100% Recycled, Medium Weight Paper, Made in the USA with Hydroelectric Energy

— FSC Certified, 100% Recycled, Premium Journal Paper, Made in the USA with Hydroelectric Energy

— 100% Recycled, Premium Bookboard Made in the USA

— Cotton Fabric Made & Printed in the USA

— Organic Flour Made in the USA

— Premium Sealing Wax Made in Canada

— Premium Watercolor Paper Made in France

— Non-Toxic Stamp Pad Made in Japan

— Gansai Tambi, Traditional Japanese Watercolors Made in Japan

— 100% Recycled Void Fill Made from Renewable Materials in India

Please note: the above lists include soon-to-release products & packaging

Last Updated on June 10, 2024

Plastics

Plastics pose an ecological crisis to our Earth, as “up to 12 million metric tons of plastic enter our ocean[s] each year” — that’s the equivalent of two-hundred & sixty-four Empire State Buildings in plastic annually! To make matters worse, “99% of plastic is made from fossil fuels” and “over 90% of plastic is not recycled” (Greenpeace).

With the alternative materials offered today by science and nature, it is possible to replace plastics with sustainable solutions. As a consumer, I am always looking for products that don’t come wrapped in plastic packaging, and I know how hard it can be to find them! As a business, I have sourced 100% plastic-free packaging materials* and do not use plastic-based art mediums such as resin art and acrylic paint. So you can enjoy my art and jewelry without receiving a whole heap of plastic trash with it!

Plastic-Free Packaging:

— 100% Recycled Material Jewelry Boxes Made in the USA

— 100% Recycled Shipping Boxes & Packaging Made in the USA

— 100% Recycled Shipping Inserts Made in the USA

— Recyclable Shipping Labels Made with 100% Recycled Release Liners

— Plastic-Free, Recyclable Shipping Tape Made from Renewable Resources in the USA

— Non-Toxic, Compostable, 100% Cotton Decorative Ribbon Made in the USA

*Current Exceptions:

— 100% Recycled Poly Bag Made in the USA

Made entirely from recycled plastic, I use these bags sparingly to protect journals and paper goods from water damage in the shipping process. I am eager to see what materials scientists can create to replace this product!

First-Use Paper

As consumers & companies have begun moving away from plastics, paper products have become highly sought after. The booming demand for first-use (“virgin”) paper products puts immense pressure on the logging industry. Meeting the demand has lead logging companies to drive rapid deforestation — including that of intact and old-growth forests (Baffoni). Rapid deforestation is, in turn, causing social conflict among communities with ancestral connections to the forests and is also harming the endangered animals whose habitats are being destroyed (Greenpeace).

To participate in protecting the environment, its human & animal inhabitants, the forests, and our access to clean air, I use recycled paper products** and packaging made with post-consumer waste. Plastic shipping tape and toxic shipping labels can cause an otherwise recyclable box to become un-recyclable. Instead, I use recyclable shipping labels & tape, keeping the boxes fully recyclable and decreasing my first-use paper footprint.

Recycled Paper Products:

— FSC Certified, 100% Recycled, Medium Weight Paper, Made in the USA with Hydroelectric Energy

— FSC Certified, 100% Recycled, Premium Journal Paper, Made in the USA with Hydroelectric Energy

— 100% Recycled, Premium Bookboard Made in the USA

— 100% Recycled Material Jewelry Boxes Made in the USA

— 100% Recycled Shipping Boxes & Packaging Made in the USA

— 100% Recycled Shipping Inserts Made in the USA

— Recyclable Shipping Labels Made with 100% Recycled Release Liners

— Plastic-Free, Recyclable Shipping Tape Made from Renewable Resources in the USA

**Current Exceptions:

— Premium Watercolor Paper Made in France

This is the only first-use paper product I currently use. I would love to replace it with a recycled alternative, however, the alternatives I’ve researched are either made with contaminated labor (potentially force labor) or are of too poor a quality to produce satisfactory art. If you know of a premium watercolor paper made with ethical labor, ideally in North America, please reach out to me at Nora@SolsticeEve.Co. Thank you so much in advance!

Please note: the above lists include soon-to-release products & packaging

Last Updated on June 10, 2024