OUR PACT FOR MOTHER NATURE
Here you can read all about the steps we make to ensure that we are as environmentally responsible, ethical and caring as possible.
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Seeing as nature is the primary focus at MARI, I make sure that all my products are working with the environment, not against it. Below I have written all the information I can about each product we create, where I get all of my materials from and all the efforts I am making to have very little environmental impact.
All of the fabric I use for eye pillows are from one of two places… with each of your orders you will receive a note so you know where your fabric has come from.
Option one… they are organic cottons/linens/bamboo fibres from a family run company in Wales that work with Genesh and his family to make a wide range of handmade fabrics. The fabrics are made in small batches of 100 to 300 metres. The process is very artisan and hands on - the yarns are dyed by hand, the weaving is done by hand on small power-looms or handlooms. He also works with the Gramodaya Women’s Cooperative who sew the blank tea towels I use in my workshops.
Option two… I buy end of the roll/damaged/second hand/vintage fabrics. Currently my eye pillows and juggling balls are made with vintage French Linen from the early 18th Century.
In the year 789AD France, the French King declared that all French households must grow their own flax so they can weave their own linen. This linen would have been used in many ways and some even as table cloths at weddings, meaning the sheets are pretty large! Luckily I know where to find such gorgeous sheets of fabric, and seeing as they are over 300 years old, they aren’t in the best condition. So I am now able to repurpose them into beautiful eye pillows and juggling balls and they are given a new lease of life.
Another benefit of using these vintage linens is that linen is one of the most biodegradable fabrics. Although this linen has been bleached white, it was bleached in the 18th century using natural, chemical free, harmless processes! So despite its “unnatural” pearly white finish, you can rest easy knowing that it will not leach any dangerous chemicals back into the environment when it reaches the end of its life… woohoo!
The fabric is printed at a UK based print company, that uses non toxic, water based dyes. The fabric itself has been grown and woven in the UK. There is zero waste fabric from this as I have calculated the designs to cover the exact width and length of the printed fabric sheet.
The flax seeds and the lavender come from UK based farms. Also I have a lot of friends who are gardeners and I will ask them to keep the lavender they trim for me to dry and use in the eye pillows also.
The thread I use is either bamboo or cotton thread, or more recently I acquired a huge amount of threads from a lingerie company that was closing down. I was told that it was cotton but unfortunately that is not the case, it is mainly nylon - although, seeing as it is all second hand and would have otherwise been thrown away I feel less guilty about using it.
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All the MARI yoga mats are made from a natural tree rubber base and a recyclable microfibre top, the dyes used on the mat are non-toxic, water based dyes. They are then coated with a wood pulp to add an extra layer of grip. There is no plastic in the packaging, apart from a small sticker to hold the cardboard together.
The mats are ROHS, REACH and MSDS certified.
