Giverly designs are inspired by the beauty of British nature and the Scottish coast. In response all Giverly products are made using thoughtfully sourced materials, because beauty should never come at the cost of the planet.
At Giverly, it’s all about making eco-friendly choices without compromising on quality or style. Plastics are avoided, recycled and biodegradable materials are prioritised. There’s a focus on products that are useful or reduce waste. The print-on-demand, and low-minimum order wholesale model, means no overstock and lower emissions. Giverly is committed to transparency and constantly improving practices. If you ever spot something that doesn’t meet our standards, such as plastic packaging, please email hello@giverly.co.uk. Together, we can make a positive impact on the planet, one thoughtful purchase at a time.
“Nature never did betray the heart that loved her.”
– William Wordsworth
Cushion covers are handmade in the UK from 100% organic 195gsm cotton. Double-stitched inner pads are locally produced in Edinburgh and carefully filled by hand. The filling is ethically sourced European duck feathers, certified by Downpass and Responsible Down Standard (RDS).
Handmade in the UK using 100% organic 190gsm cotton, combining functionality with sustainable design.
Fine bone china mugs are made in Stoke-on-Trent, England, using exclusively UK-sourced materials. Bone ash in the composition enhances their strength, making them robust enough for everyday enjoyment.
Each mug is hand-dipped in enamel and has unique variations, which is part of the charm of this style of cup. Handwashing is recommended for longevity (though we’ll admit ours regularly go through the dishwasher).
Printed in the UK on sustainably sourced 350gsm textured Fedrigoni board and paired with recycled Kraft envelopes.
Printed in the UK on recycled 300gsm card from leading paper mills across the UK and Europe.
“Eternity
He who binds to himself a joy
Does the winged life destroy;
But he who kisses the joy as it flies
Lives in eternity’s sunrise.”-– William Blake
Giverly aims to avoid anything that contains forever chemical plastics or plastic packaging (saying a no thank you to single use bubble wrap or plastic bags). Sometimes working with production partners this can be a work in progress, so please contact hello@giverly.co.uk straight away if you do receive an item in plastic packaging, or if you’re offered an option which includes polyester or other plastics. Sometimes packaging appears to be single use plastic but is actually biodegradable, plant-based cello or reused.
It’s not all about negatives though, the point of prioritising sustainability is also to proactively sell things which help to progress eco friendly norms: recycled card, avoiding unnecessary coatings, natural and biodegradable or organic materials, eco friendly inks, recycled packaging, things which reduce waste, items produced using green energy or reduced water. These features are actively sought out when researching new products.
Product research is also influenced by a hierarchy of how useful the product is:
Less Waste: Traditional manufacturing can be a nightmare for the environment, with up to 30% of products ending up in landfills without ever being bought. Producing a single T-shirt traditionally can gulp down 2,700 litres of water. Digital printing can be more efficient, wasting less pigment and causing less chemical pollution. Using a print on demand model, we only produce what you order when you want it, massively cutting down on waste. This aspect is gaining popularity, with 63% of customers preferring print-on-demand, due to its minimal environmental impact, compared to traditional manufacturing and dropshipping models.
No More Overstock: Without the need for large inventories, print on demand reduces the need for big storage spaces and the energy they consume. Giverly carries very little stock.
Lower Emissions: Since we mainly make items to order or in small quantities, there’s no need for massive warehouses and fewer products are shipped unnecessarily, which means lower carbon emissions. Since Print on Demand partners are often motivated by sustainability, some print-on-demand providers use renewable energy. Production partners like Teemill, for example, run operations on renewable energy, which helps to slash supply chain carbon footprints overall. Also, the building Giverly operates from has solar panels and green electricity supply.
Choice of Eco Materials: The print on demand model offers a lot of choice of products for fledgling businesses like Giverly. It becomes possible to use organic cotton and recycled materials, steering clear of nasty pesticides and fertilizers, which keeps our soil and water cleaner. Giverly chooses organic or recycled options when available. When not available, biodegradable, natural materials are prioritised.
Circular Economy: Giverly seeks out partners who are champions of the circular economy. They design products to be recycled or remade, which keeps items out of landfills and reduces the need for new raw materials. This would be beyond the scope of a small business working on its own.
On-Trend, On-Demand: Print on demand lets us adapt quickly to fashion trends. Giverly doesn’t support fast fashion or fads, hopefully anything you buy from Giverly will last, but if you want to buy something on trend Print on Demand can adapt quickly to trends without the waste associated with High Street chains.
Support the Creative Economy: Print on Demand dropshipping is also a business model that helps artists and micro-businesses make a living by reducing the financial risks and lowering barriers to entry. This supports a more diverse and resilient economy and Giverly wouldn’t exist without it.
Giverly is based in Scotland and will prioritise UK suppliers and printers, especially if they also have good eco accreditation. If a product’s entire supply chain is within the UK, that gets a big thumbs up. For some platforms like Zazzle, the majority of customers are US based and so prioritising US suppliers makes sense, but UK customers should be aware that these are being shipped from the US (using .co.uk instead of .com avoids unnecessary fees but these are the same products: https://www.zazzle.co.uk/store/giverly).
For some products, it makes sense to prioritise natural materials such as 100% natural rubber flip flops instead of plastic rubber, and these products cannot be made from scratch in the UK. We’re also not growing cotton here either.
Giverly is slowly expanding the range of suppliers for local and online items. Depending on what you buy your Giverly design on, these companies might be fulfilling part of the process:
If this has peeked your interest in the sustainability benefits of the Giverly business model, here are some relevant sources to check out:
Giverly never directly buys new ‘forever chemical’ items or new plastic packaging and prioritises suppliers and printing partners who do the same. Sometimes when an item is sent directly from a partner it might contain some plastic packaging, this might be reused or plant-based, or occasionally new plastic slips through the process. We know there’s always more to do, and research to improve sustainability is ongoing.
“After you have exhausted what there is in business, politics, conviviality, and so on-
have found that none of these finally satisfy, or permanently wear
– what remains? Nature remains.”—Walt Whitman
Feel free to reach out to me at hello@giverly.co.uk if you have any questions or concerns about our sustainability practices!
