Sustainability Statement

This document contains the complete Sustainability Statement for the Loops & Paws brand. It is written to reflect genuine, honest, and achievable commitments for a small UK e-commerce business run by two young sisters. It deliberately avoids greenwashing; every claim is something Loops & Paws can actually deliver on from day one. Paste the main statement below into a new page on the Wix site at /sustainability and link to it from the website footer.

Why this matters for Loops & Paws: 65% of global consumers now prefer sustainable, artisanal products. A credible sustainability statement is both an ethical commitment and a powerful marketing differentiator; especially against mass-produced plush toys. Buyers who prioritise sustainability are also more forgiving on price, more loyal, and more likely to leave positive reviews.

Last updated: April 2026

Hi, we’re [Name] and [Name], the two sisters behind Loops & Paws. We handmake every single one of our crochet plushies from our home in England, and we care deeply about the world those plushies go out into.

We’re not a big brand with a full-time sustainability team. We’re two young makers doing our absolute best to run a small business that’s kind to the planet. This statement is our honest promise to you; it explains exactly what we already do, what we’re still working on, and where we’re not perfect yet.

Our Sustainability Principles

Everything we do at Loops & Paws is guided by four simple ideas:

Make it once, make it well. Handmade plushies last longer than mass-produced ones. A Loops & Paws plushie is designed to become a lifelong companion, not landfill.
Use less, waste less. We work in small batches, reuse every scrap we can, and never overproduce stock we don’t need.
Be honest about what we can and can’t do yet. We’d rather undersell our sustainability credentials than pretend to be something we’re not.
Keep learning. We’re young and this is our first business. We’ll keep improving as we grow.

How We Make Our Plushies Sustainably

1. Slow, Made-to-Order Production

Every Loops & Paws plushie is crocheted by hand, one at a time. This takes longer, anywhere from 2 to 15 hours per plushie, but it means we only make what people actually want. There are no warehouses full of unsold stock, no mass disposal of excess inventory, and no factory emissions. Slow production is naturally low-waste production.

2. Thoughtfully Chosen Materials

We use high-quality acrylic and cotton yarns from UK suppliers wherever possible. We’re actively building a list of eco-friendlier yarn options as we grow, and we’re transparent about why we use the materials we do:

Acrylic yarn (primary): Chosen for durability, washability, colour range, and UK toy safety compliance (EN 71). Acrylic is not biodegradable, but it outlasts most natural alternatives by many years, meaning fewer replacements and less long-term waste. We source from UK-based retailers to reduce shipping impact.
Cotton yarn (where possible): We use cotton for select designs when durability allows. Cotton is biodegradable and renewable.
Recycled polyester stuffing: We’re transitioning our stuffing to recycled polyester fibrefill as our current stock runs out.
Safety eyes: Our plastic lock-in safety eyes are UKCA-certified for child safety. We haven’t yet found a sustainable alternative that meets the same safety standard; when one exists, we’ll switch.

3. Zero-Waste Crafting

We save every yarn off-cut and use them in three ways:

Tiny scraps become stuffing for small plushies and keychains.
Medium pieces are saved for colourwork and detail stitching on future designs.
Longer lengths are donated to local primary schools and craft clubs for children’s projects.

Over a full year, we aim to produce almost no yarn waste.

Eco-Friendly Packaging

Packaging is one area where small businesses can make a big difference. Our commitments:

Plastic-free mailers. We use kraft paper padded mailers made from 100% recycled paper, sourced from UK suppliers like Eco-Craft. They’re fully recyclable and biodegradable.
Recyclable tissue paper. Our branded tissue paper is uncoated, acid-free, and fully recyclable.
No single-use plastic. We never use bubble wrap, plastic tape, or plastic poly mailers.
Paper-based tape. Kraft paper tape with natural rubber adhesive; recyclable with the rest of the parcel.
Recyclable thank-you cards and care cards. Printed on 100% recycled card stock by UK printers.
FSC-certified paper. Where virgin paper is used (for business cards and some stickers), we choose FSC-certified options from responsibly managed forests.
Right-sized packaging. We match packaging size to plushie size so we’re not shipping half-empty parcels.

Sustainable Shipping

UK-first. We prioritise UK sales to minimise shipping emissions. International orders are welcome but we’re honest that long-distance shipping carries a higher carbon footprint.
Low-carbon carriers where possible. We use Evri for domestic UK deliveries, which consolidates parcels into shared routes; reducing emissions per parcel compared to dedicated courier runs.
No next-day delivery guilt. We don’t offer next-day shipping by default. Slower, consolidated shipping is much greener than rushed single-parcel deliveries, and we’re upfront with customers about this.
Combined orders. We happily combine multiple items into one parcel to reduce total packaging and emissions.

Energy and Workspace

We run Loops & Paws from our bedroom and kitchen table at home; there’s no separate workshop, showroom, or storage unit consuming extra energy. Our “factory” is literally a cosy spot by the window. When our family switched to a renewable electricity tariff in 2025, our business energy footprint went with it.

Designed to Last

The most sustainable plushie is one that never gets thrown away. Every Loops & Paws creation is:

Hand-stitched with reinforced seams so it won’t split open.
Made with lock-in safety eyes that can’t be pulled out.
Designed to be hand-washed and repaired rather than replaced.
Backed by our free repair offer: if your plushie gets damaged, send it back and we’ll fix it for free (you just cover return postage).

What We’re Still Working On

Being honest matters more to us than looking perfect. Here’s where we know we can do better:

Yarn sourcing. Most sustainable yarns available in the UK are significantly more expensive than standard acrylics, which would put our prices out of reach for many customers. We’re slowly introducing eco yarn options as special-edition lines while we find the right balance.
Carbon measurement. We don’t yet measure our full carbon footprint. We’re learning how to do this properly and hope to publish our first measurement within the next 12 months.
Safety eye alternatives. We’re still using plastic safety eyes because no biodegradable alternative meets UK toy safety standards. We check regularly for new options.
Third-party certifications. Formal certifications (like B Corp or GOTS) are expensive and time-consuming for businesses our size. We may pursue these in future, but for now we focus on practice over paperwork.

Giving Back

We believe a sustainable business is also a generous one. Our commitments:

We donate yarn off-cuts to local primary schools and craft clubs.
Once we reach 100 sales, we’ll donate 1% of each future order to an environmental charity (initial target: the Woodland Trust).
We offer occasional free plushies to children’s hospital wards and charity raffles.

Our 12-Month Sustainability Goals

To keep ourselves accountable, here’s what we’re aiming to achieve by April 2027:

Transition 100% of our stuffing to recycled polyester fibrefill.
Add at least one cotton or bamboo yarn plushie line.
Switch to 100% plastic-free packaging across every order (we’re almost there).
Publish our first carbon footprint measurement.
Begin the 1% donation programme once we reach our 100-sales milestone.
Add a “plushie repair” tracker so we can report how many plushies we’ve saved from landfill.

Our Promise

We’re not claiming to save the world with crochet plushies. We’re two young sisters making toys we love, for people we hope will love them back. But we believe that every small business choice, every parcel, every yarn order, every design, adds up. We promise to keep making those choices as thoughtfully as we can.

If you have ideas for how we can do better, we genuinely want to hear them. Email us anytime at info@loopsandpaws.co.uk.

With love and loops,

Alba & Andrea

The Loops & Paws Sisters