wisdom | waste + plastics
Large seabirds known as albatross have the dubious distinction of serving as the canary in the coal mine when it comes to plastics in the ocean. Despite the IUCN’s listing of nearly all species of albatross as threatened, one particular bird has persisted against the odds – she is known as "Wisdom" the Laysan albatross. At 72, Wisdom is the oldest wild bird ever recorded, and a world renowned symbol of hope for all species that depend upon the health of the ocean -
(which is literally every species on earth - including humans).
We dedicate the name of our business, and the work we do in honor of magnificent creatures like the albatross, caught up in the fallout of our disposable culture.
WHY WE DO THIS
Waste reduction + building an intentional process of bringing products of integrity to market, in a manner by which we can feel good about what we do.
Our belief is that the manufacturing of products and packaging that have no other final destination but landfill, oceans, earth pollution, or to be wish-cycled “away” through deceptive recycling schemes, should be against the law.
No person or company should have the right to destroy or contaminate earth’s shared natural resources for the sake of profit.
We only want to take part in product and packaging designs as though there are 8 billion+ of us who share and depend on the planet’s resources, with a collective interest and responsibility in stewarding and preserving those resources for generations to come.
Waste is a design flaw. An ignorant, far-reaching, dangerous design flaw.
We want to participate in a sustainable system and community.
WHY RESERVATIONS
By securing reservations before initiating production, we eliminate some of the risk associated with making small batch, made in the U.S., high quality, zero-waste products.
One of the big risks and pitfalls we encountered over our years in ecommerce occurred (repeatedly) when a product we were significantly invested in didn’t sell in a timely manner. It resulted in our outspending any notion of a profit with overwhelming marketing and advertising costs - leaving us cash negative.
Adding insult to injury, the tactics required to make marketing and advertising spends effective have been in total opposition to our zero-waste principles - we didn’t and don’t want any part of “buy more to save more” marketing manipulations in order to meet our sales goals.
Toward the end of our ecommerce time, we were receiving dozens of solicitations daily with promises of how AI could help us convert more “consumers”. We couldn’t pack our get out of Dodge bags fast enough.
So, by confirming that each product we make has a home to go to before it goes into production, we can build a zero-waste production system, and a community that works for the good of all.
WHAT IT HAS TO DO WITH PLASTIC
When we started in 2017, our mission was to get disposable plastics out of schools/classrooms.
That remains the long term goal (and what I personally believe to be our most critical work) but after a major shift caused by the pandemic (hard to have a zero-waste school supply company when every school in the country closes for 2 years), and after a flawed stint in the e-commerce space, we are rebuilding from the ground up.
We are starting with our Zero-Waste Weekly Planners - from there we will work directly with schools to seasonally relaunch categories like our notebooks, 3-ring binders, folders, and general classroom supplies in order to get back to our mission of “consciously uncoupling” students from disposable plastics.