SUSTAINABILITY REPORT
THE WAY WE SEE IT... Words like sustainable, ecological, recyclable, biodegradable, and reuse can sometimes feel hollowed out. Are they true? What do they really mean? Beyond the words themselves, how much control do we actually have over our supply chain? How can we guarantee that our claims reflect reality? And how can we create meaningful change together with the partners we work with? These are questions we continuously struggle with and try to address through creative solutions. We value open discussions and our goal is to continuously learn, improve and challenge ourselves to find more sustainable ways of working. With this report, we want to be transparent about how we work, the decisions we make and the challenges we face at Aveva Design. We see sustainability as an ongoing process, and welcome different perspectives that can help us improve. You are more than welcome to reach out to us with any thoughts, suggestions for improvement, or questions.
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PRODUCTION At Aveva Design, we want our designs to contribute to a happier world. With this in mind, we strive to work with care for both people and the planet, while creating products that spread joy.
CRAFTMANSHIP
FACTORY
Handmade production is an important part of our work, and we aim to produce only what is needed. We support craftsmanship in Sweden and around the world. Most of our partners have Fairtrade, Sedex membership, or relevant ISO certifications, and we are working towards similar standards across our remaining suppliers. However, what matters most to us is building strong relationships and involving everyone in the process, rather than simply chasing certifications.
We aim to visit our factories at least once a year and are working towards establishing a more regular schedule. We recognize that having production outside Sweden makes it more difficult for us to fully understand what is happening at the factories, including day-to-day practices, working conditions, and potential challenges.
COTTON PRODUCTION
WOOL PRODUCTION
Cotton is a new material and market that we have recently entered. We are aware that cotton production comes with both environmental and social challenges, and we are working to understand these impacts and make responsible choices. For our soft toys, cotton provides a softer and gentler material then wool, making it more suitable for products designed to be cuddled and handled by children. We also make sure that all products designed for children are CE-marked. For the filling, we currently use recycled polyester. However, we prefer to avoid relying on plastic-based materials, and this is certainly an area where we would like to improve.
We use 100% organic wool from New Zealand, where mulesing is prohibited. The wool is sent to our factories in Nepal, where it is felted by hand and dyed with AZO-free dyes. We choose to work with a few different factories, all located in the same area of Nepal. This allows us to balance the workload while avoiding becoming too dependent on a single production partner. The finished products are sent to our warehouse in Limhamn for quality checks before final assembly and finishing. They are then sent to our dear distributors and customers.
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We are currently developing a new Code of Conduct for all our production partners, with clear expectations around transparency, sustainability and working conditions.
WHERE WE SOURCE AND PRODUCE
SWEDEN Leather, wood, wool, ceramics
GERMANY Spelt
PORTUGAL Cork
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NEPAL Wool, paper, kapok Wool is sourced from New Zealand and then sent to Nepal, where our products are handmade.
INDIA Cotton, recycled polyester
Our cotton is sourced in India, where the products later are produced.
NEW ZEALAND Raw wool
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TO WOOL OR NOT TO WOOL ... THAT IS THE QUESTION As a company that primarily works with wool, we are aware that working with wool is not black and white. There are both advantages and challenges from a sustainability perspective. Why wool? We choose to work with wool because we believe it is a better alternative to synthetic fibres. Wool is a natural and renewable material, and unlike synthetic fibres such as polyester and nylon, it does not contribute to persistent microplastic pollution. Wool is a biodegradable fibre made of protein. This means that it can break down naturally over time and does not release plastic microfibres into waterways and oceans. However, there is a fine line between natural shearing and exploritation for production. Therefore, animal welfare is an essential part of how we source our wool and choose our suppliers.
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MATERIAL At Aveva Design, we aim to bring hand-felted wool back into our homes while keeping traditional craftsmanship alive through new designs. We aim to choose materials that are durable and responsibly produced, without compromising our commitment to natural materials and traditional craftsmanship. What do we mean by natural materials? These are materials that originate from nature, such as wool, wood, cotton, leather, and clay. We value these materials for their natural qualities, durability, and connection to traditional craftsmanship. While new materials always inspire and challenge us, these materials will always be at the heart of the brand.
MATERIALS WE LOVE TO USE • Wool from New Zealand and Sweden - 100% natural, renewable and biodegradable • Swedish wood - a versatile, long-lasting, and natural material • Swedish leather from Tjärnsjö Graveri - high-quality leather that last a lifetime and produced with great respect for the environment and a sustainable future • Kapok - naturally hypoallergenic, dust-mite resistant, and a great choice for those with allergies or sensitivities • Spelt from Germany - a natural, plant-based filling material from certified organic farms • Organic Cotton from India - a soft, natural and plant-based material sourced from organic farming
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PROJECTS THE SWEDISH WOOL PROJECT Every year, tons of Swedish wool are burned or thrown away. This didn’t make sense to us, so we started ”The Swedish Wool Project” to be part of changing that. Birds are creative and clever makers, and who knows better where and how they want to live than the birds themselves? It is well known that birds love wool, but it can be difficult for them to find. Our DIY birdhouse gives them the opportunity to use wool as a warm and protective material when building their homes. Simply hang the wool material on a branch and wait for it to be used. After this first project, we started looking for more ways to use Swedish wool in our products. Today, we use Swedish wool as filling in some of our products, giving it a new purpose. We currently use approximately 300–500 kg of Swedish wool each year.
USING RECYCLED MATERIALS
CARBON FOOTPRINT
Both in the design process and in other areas we started to explore possibilities to make products with recycled material. For a fair in 2022 we built a stand with only recycled wood, screws, plants, and old materials used before at fairs.
We still have a long way to go to calculate all the details. For example how much energy do all our partners use? Is there a way to reduce or completely eliminate plastic, such as the recycled polyester used as filling in our soft toys? There is no doubt that we need more expertise in this area, but one thing we do know is that we believe in choosing natural, long-lasting materials over plastic whenever possible.
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CIRCULAR ECONOMY
LONG LIFE
CRAFTMANSHIP
We want our products to be loved and used for a long time and take this into consideration while both making design choices and choosing material. Hopefully you can help us by taking care of the product and when it doesen’t serve you happiness anymore, we encourage you to pass it on.
This has always been the heart of what we do. At Aveva Design we want to reintroduce hand-felted wool into our homes, keeping an old tradition alive while creating product that bring joy into people’s lives.
We love to work with customers and personalize products, our hope is that also this will contribute to increase the life of the products.
MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR With the right care, our products can last a long time. When designing, we aim to keep our products simple, with fewer components and a focus on natural materials. Have a look at our website to learn how to best maintain and care for our products.
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Craftsmanship is an important part of our identity. Rather than mass-producing large quantities, we try to produce on demand and in smaller quantities. This allows us to work closely with both the produtcs and the people making them, while avoiding unnecessary production and excess stock.
REUSE For fairs, we always try to reuse the materials from other fairs, to minimize material and spills. We also started to reuse incoming packaging as packing and protection material for outgoing products. Every year tons of Swedish wool are burned or thrown away. This didn’t make sense to us, so we started the Swedish wool project to take part in changing that.
TRACEABILITY
END OF LIFE
Due to harder regulations and requirments around material sourcing, this is an area we just started to dive into. We see it as a postive step towards more responsible production. At the same time, differences in regulations between countries can make it challenging for smaller companies like us to trace materials throughout the entire supply chain.
What do we mean when we say that wool is biodegradable? It does not mean that our products should simply be thrown in compost or be thrown away in nature.
For example, we do not purchase whole containers of raw wool directly from one farm in New Zealand. This means it can be difficult for us to trace the wool all the way back to a specific farm. We do, however, work with suppliers who source wool from ecological farms and where mulesing is prohibited.
We want our products to be loved for a long time. If a product no longer brings you joy, pass it on to someone who can enjoy it. Once it has reached the end of its useful life, wool products can be sorted as combustible waste, where they are used to produce electricity and district heating.
Unfortunately, recycling options for bio-based materials and composites are currently more limited than for materials such as steel. Hopefully, this will change in the future.
We also visit our suppliers and productions to build long-term relationships. By working closely we aim to better understand our supply chain and reduce the risk of doing things wrong.
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SAY HELLO HEAD OFFICE AVEVA DESIGN AB Ekonomigatan 4 SE-216 13 Limhamn Sweden www.aveva-design.se contact@aveva-design.se Instagram: @avevadesign Pinterest: @avevadesign
LOCAL CONTACTS / AGENTS BELGIUM & LUXEMBURG Studio L+A Martijn Callens m ar tijn@ s tudio l a . b e +32 471 82 24 10 FRANCE Björka design Isak Knafo is ac @ bjorka- de sign .c om +33 1 53 30 41 80 NORWAY Bo Bedre AS p o s t @ b ob e dr e a s .n o +47 32 8250 00 TAIWAN HEXYN GLOBAL Michelle Hsu mich e lle. hsu@ h ex y ngl ob al .c om +33 7 68 23 08 93 ITALY Tagdesignbrand Gianfranco Platania t ag de signb r an d@ gm ail .c om + 34 664 166 95 UK Zen Agencies Ed Smith s ale s @ ze n ag e n cie s .c o.uk +44 7817 206 590
THANK YOU!