The sustainability behind my Bright Corner lights.

When I created Bright Corner one of my core values was sustainability. I wanted to create a quality, life long product that was made locally using materials that were Eco friendly, reliable and hard wearing. So I thought I would share with you how I have achieved that.

The Wood
I use FSC approved birch plywood. FSC stands for the Forest Stewardship Council. They are an international non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting responsible forestry. To get this certification a forest must be managed in an environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable manner. So I know my wood has been forested responsibly.

The Light
I use fabric flex for my lights, they obviously still contain plastic due to safety reasons but the company I work with to produce these are based in the UK, which means that my transport emissions are low.
My lights use LED bulbs, these are much better than other bulbs as they offer a longer lifespan, have lower energy consumption, don’t contain any chemicals and can be recycled.

Manufacturing
When setting up Bright Corner I spent a lot of time finding a local CNC company to cut my wood. I wanted to keep it local, so I could collect my stock and reduce transport emissions plus unwanted packaging. I drive 20 mins to collect my lights and use Ikea bags to bring them back to my studio, where I assemble them ready to pack and send. I also get to support another small local bussiness and have a great face to face relationship with my supplier, which is an added benefit.

Packaging
When deciding on packaging I wanted to keep it super simple, to compliment my designs but also to reduce waste. I send my lights in brown cardboard boxes, which can be used again or recycled and pack them using packaging I have collected or scrunched up paper, which again can be recycled. I then put the boxes in Eco friendly parcel bags made from Coex, a 100% natural product.

Making my lights in the UK and local where I can is very important to me, I could have sent my designs off to another country to get them made for pennies but it would take away from the unique, high quality, sustainable brand that I wanted to create. I try and shop this way as well, supporting British makers, buying less but at a higher quality.