Our Impact

So what exactly are we doing to make our business sustainable, for the planet and the people? Here are the things we're doing to celebrate the value in restoration, makers and longevity. We want to share this with you, in full transparency.

Ercol Windsor 204 Armchair - Fully Restored before oiling

Restoration

Our journey starts with finding the treasure. We enjoy getting up at 5am for antiques fairs and carboots, its our idea of fun. None of our furniture is new, but we do a really good job of restoring to feel brand new again!

Every step of the restoration process is carefully considered to be the most environmental friendly option from the ingredients and materials used.

Before each piece leaves our workshop, it goes through a careful restoration process designed to preserve as much of the original furniture as possible. Every frame is thoroughly inspected, then gently soda blasted or hand sanded to remove old finishes without compromising the wood. Any necessary repairs are carried out before the timber is protected with natural oils or waxes.

Soda Blasting is an environmentally friendly process because soda is non-toxic, water soluble and biodegradable. Whereas traditional sandblasting uses silica-sand which is harmful when inhaled.

Our finishing oil is beeswax or PPF free Danish oil, which we apply loving by hand in several coats.

Reducing waste

Waste shouldn't be an after thought, it should be considered at the beginning, thinking about what waste will be generated each step of the way helps you be more mindful of how to reduce that waste. For us, it's not about creating something new at the detriment to the planet, let's face it, there is A LOT of stuff! We look for thing's that are already existing and think, how can we re-purpose this?

Fabrics

For our cushion covers on our bestselling Ercol chairs, we mostly use vintage woollen blankets, which are dyed in-house to order. These would end up in landfill, despite there being nothing wrong with them. Wool is extremely hardwearing and will last for years to come.

We have a small range when available, of vintage welsh tapestry fabrics - these are not dyed and have beautiful woven patterns.

Vintage 60/70's fabrics are sourced and used for the deckchair slings and head cushions, nothing new here! On occasion you may also find vintage fabric scatter cushions too.

The cushion linings on deckchair cushions and scatter cushions are made from vintage cotton fabric.

Scraps

Waste shouldn't be an after thought, it should be considered at the beginning, thinking about what waste will be generated each step of the way helps you to be more mindful of how to reduce that waste. One area of the process where we have reduced our waste is by reusing the off-cuts of the woollen blankets. So, obviously we use it to create bunting, wreaths, dog-collars and broaches.

Anything we cannot use gets donated to the the local scrap store.

The deckchair cushion cover ties are made from vintage curtain tape, another thing destined for landfill!

Recycled Microfibres

Another way we are reducing waste in our business, is by re-purposing pillows and duvets to fill our deckchair cushions. The fibres have been professionally cleaned, giving them a new lease of life.

Dead Stock

We use dead stock zips and webbing for our chairs.

What is dead stock?

Unsold, unused, vintage items that are no longer needed. But brand new! This reduces the demand needed for items like zips and webbing as they are already in circulation.

PAPER BASED MATERIALS

It goes without saying that we always use recycled card, from our swing tags to paper bags, business cards and thank you cards. And, we re-use packaging for postal orders.

Our values

We are proud to stand true to our values, aligning them to have a positive impact on our environment. Some steps we've taken include:

Using an ethical bank

One's that do not invest in fossil fuels, arms, tobacco or animal testing. Banks including co-op and tide invest positively for the environment like renewable energy, social housing and local charities.

Paying an actual real living wage

We hugely value our small but mighty team, made up of family and friends. From photographers, administrators, web developers, sanders and soda blasters. It's all skilled work and therefore paid properly!

Supporting 'right on' companies

There's a saying that goes, 'use your wallet as your weapon' and it really is true. In a world that sadly thinks you can get what you wan't with actual weapons, our radical acts we can do is by using our money to create a better world. We create the demand! So, use that money to spend in ethical bands. We do this too when on occassion we buy new. Some examples include:

No Sweat - A grassroots, volunteer-run activist organisation that campaigns against sweatshop labour.

Not buying from businesses that are on the boycott lists...

Similarly to ethical banking, some big businesses invest in unethical practices. For example, we needed to purchase a printer, but we first did some research into who was the most ethical company to support. It's a simple task, but if enough people do it then it decreases demand for unethical companies.

Melin Tregwynt Forest Welsh Tapestry in orange, browns and red

Supporting Craft

We work with Melin Tregwynt, a small woollen mill on the coast of Pembrokeshire. This allows us to offer a selection of new (not vintage) Welsh tapestry designs. By supporting the mill, we are helping keep this traditional craft in a rural community alive. We believe in community, this is part of what makes us human.

Buying Local

At The Fields, when we buy new (some things we do have to buy new!) we support people who are really going to appreciate those purchases. We do not shop on Amazon! We support real people.

Our Danish oil which is used to finish the furniture, is supplied by the Cornish Chopping Board Company. Not too far from The Fields workshop! This supports another business operating out of a similar area & doesn't require many transport miles unlike buying on Amazon or overseas.

With each order, we send out a Thank You card, by local artist Alicia Breakspear. It's a nice touch, to have a handwritten card (yes, people do still send cards!)