Circular production - can our waxed canvas bags contribute to a circular economy?

We believe that making things locally, and making things that last, is the key to being a truly sustainable business. We try to reflect this in our branding as well as our products.

We were also featured in Brandingmag’s article on this topic (when we were still called BearMade). We’re constantly thinking about how we can become more circular and more sustainable when producing our waxed canvas bags and other things for outside people.

Circular production isn’t a new idea.

Before DuPont transformed our relationship with plastic and fast fashion exploded in the 60s, it wasn’t uncommon for materials, clothes and gear to survive decades, even millennia. People cared for their clothes and bought less because they were made from the earth and designed to last. Communities would mend, upcycle, and break down items to re-use and create new products, often out of necessity.

It’s only in moving away from circular production that we’ve realised how essential it is for a sustainable, circular economy.

The Wildish approach to circularity

We’re constantly asking ourselves questions about our own products, to minimise our impact when it comes to energy use and resources at every stage of production.

• Where are materials grown or produced?

• What’s the carbon footprint of transforming materials into fabric or end-use items like buckles?

• How are materials or products transported?

• How can we minimise or re-use off-cuts?

• What can we do to prolong the life of a product?

• Why are we making this product? What problem does it solve?

In this world of planned obsolescence, we want to make durable and planet-friendly products whilst working against the idea of a single-use economy, one waxed canvas bag at a time. We know exactly where our materials come from - read more about the journey of our waxed cotton canvas here.

To keep our impact as low as possible we only make 25 bags a week.

Our bags come with a lifetime guarantee. If they can’t be repaired, we’ll find a way to upcycle them or turn them into a new product. If our off-cuts or products can't be upcycled or reused, we’ll return them to the biosphere to break down naturally. This is a great advantage of using natural fibres in all our bags.

They’re made to last a lifetime, but we get that not everyone might want to keep their bag that long. To avoid your bag ending up in the back of the closet, or worse, the bin, we’ll take your bag back in exchange for Wildish credit (10% of the bag’s original value).

We’re not fully circular yet, but we’re working towards it. In the meantime, we’ll continue to offset more carbon than we produce, maintain total transparency around our supply chain, and keep building outside communities around the UK.

Find out more about our sustainable practices.