Sustainability Policy
Overall Aims
Benedykt and Sylvester Ltd are committed to sourcing and working with suppliers that take climate change and the health of our planet seriously. Our products are designed to educate children, and we do not intend to stop the education there. From the way our production and administration is executed, to the suppliers we work with and the packaging we use, we aim to demonstrate our love for the planet, always keeping it at the top of our priorities and we want to encourage our customers and their children to do the same.
Suppliers
Oak Veneered Wooden Products (Learning Tiles and Display Boards)
Our direct suppliers have been FSC, PEFC and TTF (Timber Trade Federation) approved as a company for the high environmentally friendly standards they hold, and they only purchase raw materials from sources that can provide sustainability accreditation. In addition to sustainability both the FSC and PEFC schemes prevent direct involvement in illegal logging, destruction of high conservation values in forests and human rights violations of people indigenous to the area of forestry. We choose products that are carefully sourced from over 30 locations to ensure no region is ever decimated. We choose oak veneered MDF products over solid hardwood for several reasons: MDF is, by definition, the manufactured product of several hardwood waste products; veneering is the most sustainable way of using slow growing hardwoods because of how little of the wood is used and not wasted; and finally, using this combination of materials keeps our costs down for our customers.
40% Recycled PVC Plastic 3-Part Cards
We opt to use recycled PVC over recyclable PVC as we know our customers will make use of our cards for many years and they have the potential to be passed down to many other children. We encourage families to hold onto our plastic products for as long as possible but when the time comes, please dispose of them responsibly.
Acacia Wood Products (Placemats, Alphabet and DisplayBoards)
We chose acacia wood because of its well-known qualities. It has been used in the construction trade for many years and is known to be stronger than most oak varieties. Acacia is also one of the fastest growing trees, managing to grow over one inch per day in some cases!
Bamboo Products (Lunchbox, magnifying glasses, quote boards)
We love our bamboo products because they offer all the qualities this fast-growing wood is known for: strength, durability, high fire resistance and being antimicrobial. Our bamboo pieces also offer a beautiful contrast when engraved, due to its lovely bright natural colouring compared to the darker engraved areas.
Design and Manufacture
Keeping our carbon footprint low is a priority. All of our Montessori Inspired products are designed and engraved/printed in the UK. The majority of our products are manufactured in the UK. This way, we reduce the distance our products travel to get to our customers from the point of origin.
Packaging
We minimise, where possible, the use of plastic in all of our packaging. We prioritise the use of cardboard, paper and biodegradable space fillers to securely pack our products so they remain safe during transit. We are always mindful that many of our packages have a long way to travel, so we pack them as carefully and appropriately as possible so that our products get to you in pristine condition. We will always opt to make use of materials that would otherwise be waste products, for example we will recycle cardboard boxes and plastic packing materials that have been used for goods inward.
Our main space filling packing peanuts are made of 100% biodegradable starch and are fully dissolvable and taste-safe (although we don’t recommend that). Please dispose of them responsibly, or recycle them in your own packaging needs. Better still, use them as a learning experience for your little – they make excellent counters for number work and transferring activities!
Our Commitment & Scope
We intend to raise sustainability as an issue with all of our current and future suppliers, staff and trade partners. While we know we cannot control businesses external to our company, we will commit to educate them on our own policies and encourage them to align their practices to meet our standards. Environmental matters and issues of sustainability are not limited to our products or packaging, but we will actively seek to operate all areas of our business with our planet in mind: from the way our staff, materials and products are transported, to exhibitions and events we may host.