Sustainability Policy
de Havilland Memories is committed to creating an unforgettable experience for each couple, leaving them with a piece of artwork that many of our customers frame. We are aware that the wedding stationery industry is not always committed to sustainability and so therefore provide an eco-friendly option for engaged couples.
We understand that there is only one Earth and that we need to protect it at all costs, so filling this gap in the wedding industry is not just to be used as a selling point, but also to encourage other stationers to become more environmentally responsible. Promoting our business as being sustainable is only one way in which we are spreading the word, the other is by engaging in conversations with other vendors, helping them to understand why it’s so important to act now.
Whilst our main purpose is customer experience driven, our values align with not just our business, but also personal views.
• High quality – we only use the highest quality materials in our products, assemble our products beautifully and carefully with high attention to detail and providing interesting and useful knowledge in our emails and blogs
• Consistency – always delighting our couples with a standard that they know and trust. There are never any unwanted surprises and we are contactable within 24 hours, meaning our customers know what to expect when working with us.
• Sustainable – we are always striving to find the most sustainable way to deliver the high quality our customers expect. From suppliers to processes, we love to learn more and build connections within a sustainable network.
• Inspirational – our designs are unique and timeless, providing inspiration to our couples, not just for their stationery, but also for their wedding theme. Our blog and newsletter are always on-trend with new and timeless designs.
Taking into account the three pillars of sustainability, social, economic and environmental, we ensure that we provide a second to none service that is customer based, in line with other vendor pricing of this style and using environmentally sustainable methods.
We would like to be net zero within 5 years (2029), but before this can happen, we need to take a deep dive into the areas we need to change. Once this has been completed, we would like to have a hand in tree planting initiatives (Northern Forest being our preferred initiative), which support local, national and global biodiversity, and helping support Client Earth, which targets large companies who are environmentally irresponsible and hits them head-on via legal channels to hold them responsible for their actions.
We will start monitoring our carbon emissions, starting with the SSE carbon footprint calculator, and continue to look into suppliers who match our business and sustainability values, weeding out the ones who are not on the same page as us.
At the time of this version of our Sustainability Strategy, our annual CO2 emissions are at 3.18tons, the majority of which comes from our supply chain and bought-in products. This will only increase as our business expands, meaning that we need to look at how to expand whilst keeping the same output, and even reducing it. By 2026, we hope to have all of our suppliers with the same environmental standards as us, which will be one of the biggest ways we can reduce our emissions.
Once our brand is more well known and running smoothly with a steady flow of customers and a good platform, we will continue to push our sustainability agenda more on social media, making use of the connections we’ve made. We would also like to help introduce other stationery companies to these ideas and help them on their path to sustainability.
Requirements
– de Havilland Memories is to be net zero by the end of 2029
○ Before becoming net zero, whilst expanding and growing as a business, our company is not to exceed an annual carbon footprint of 4.5 tons. This means taking measures during the expansion process to ensure that as many actions as possible are either offset or carbon neutral.
– By the end of 2026, the entirety of the de Havilland Memories supply chain is to consist of companies and services where ethical and responsible practices are at the heart of their business model.
○ All products and services are to be responsibly sourced and from companies with their own sustainability policy or statement in place
Practical Steps
To ensure that de Havilland Memories achieves all of the requirements laid out in this policy, we have to take two main steps to reach net zero – reducing and offsetting our carbon footprint, which means also taking a deep-dive into our supply chain. Here, these two steps are listed and broken down into the smaller goals we aim to take to get there:
1. REDUCE
a. By looking into our supply chain and ensuring that they hold the same values as us, we can reduce the carbon footprint from the source of the problem instead of counteracting it by offsetting it later on. This is why we aim to have the entirety of our supply chain with sustainability at the heart of their businesses and with their own, adequate sustainability statement, backed up with evidence, in place by 2026.
b. Our main source of heating is gas, therefore decreasing the amount of time our boiler is on during the year will reduce the amount of gas used. We will achieve this by better insulating our office.
c. Switching all service providers to green alternatives – this means not just when outsourcing printing, but also web hosting, CRM platforms and other digital services used.
d. Reducing our digital footprint will also help our overall carbon footprint. There are two aspects to this:
i. Optimising our website and online features which will, in turn, lead to fewer CO2 emissions per page load of our website.
ii. Clearing out files stored on cloud storage and servers (such as old emails as well as files) and storing these on the external hard drive we already have.
2. OFFSET
a. As mentioned in the Scope of our Strategy, we will invest in verified tree planting initiatives to offset the remainder of what we cannot reduce.
Alongside these steps, we are also to continue to promote our sustainable practices and encourage not just engaged couples, but also other vendors to follow a similar path.
Legal Constraints and/or Enablers
There are no sustainability related legal or regulatory requirements that apply to our business this year.
Who does this Policy Apply to?
This policy applies to all the staff at de Havilland Memories, which is currently only Florrie, but will apply to any contractors and/or temporary staff hired in the future.
Policy Compliance
If our policies have not been reached by the dates shown, despite annual reviews of our goals, we will undertake a formal review of our processes and reach out to an external board, such as the Sustainable Wedding Alliance for help to get us back on track.
Policy Administration
This policy is to be reviewed and updated annually as part of the continuous improvement cycle.
Keep in touch
Sign up to receive sneak peaks from de Havilland Memories
