Sustainability is the new buzzword. Everywhere I turn, I read about sustainable practices in business, fashion, etc.
I am proud to announce that Polly Singer Couture Hats has always used ethical practices in our business dealings. Lessening the environment impact where we can has long been our goal. In 2014, I decided to run for City Council in order to implement curbside recycling in my community. Georgetown is the fastest growing city in the state of Kentucky, yet we do not have curbside recycling. Most recyclable materials such as glass, paper, metal, and plastic ends up in the landfill. Having lived in other communities such as New York City where recycling is practically a religion, this really bothered me. Being an elected official is a sacrifice because you lose time with your family, it takes focus away from your business and quite often, you make people mad who don’t agree with you. It’s no fun to have people turn their heads the other way when you walk by! Curbside recycling is around the corner for Georgetown, so it will be worth it in the end. I am in my third term on the Georgetown City Council. We run for re-election every two years.
Why did I go into that story? It is tell you that I practice what I preach and about my passion for environmental causes.
Other ethical practices include:
- Fabrics – We source local fabrics when at all possible. This is done to help local businesses as well as lessen the impact of shipping and burning carbon fuels.
- Wool felt – We have switched to using wool felt only for our new winter hats. Wool is hard wearing and suitable for every day wear. It is made from sheep’s wool without harm to the animals. Wool is a natural and biodegradable fiber.
- Straw – We buy most of our straw from American companies. Our panama straw, parisisal and sinamay are made by small producers paid living wages.
- Recyclable materials – Our hat boxes are made from paper and our ribbon from cotton. Our flowers are made from natural fabrics.
- Biodegradable – Everything on our hats breaks down naturally over time. There is nothing synthetic used in the production of our hats.
- Feathers – We use only feathers from game birds, water birds and do not use exotic feathers.
- Stock – We do not produce huge quantities of stock. This is done in order to minimize waste. We have been known to take apart hats that did not sell, re-trim them and give them second lives. Nothing goes to a landfill.
- Hat Boxes – Our hat boxes are custom made by a company in Massachusetts. The boxes are recyclable, re-usable and biodegradable.
- Packaging – Our shipping boxes are made from recycled materials and we use brown packing paper instead of peanuts or plastic bubbles.
