How eco-friendly is your lifestyle? How about your hobbies? Unless your pastimes include making organic granola at home from scratch, you might not think about whether your day-to-day actions lead to a more sustainable world or not. I want to explore the idea of sustainability with you and help you see how you can incorporate it into your crafting to help lead to a better world now and into the future!
The Spectrum of Sustainability
This Earth Day, I wanted to spend some time thinking about what sustainability in crafting truly means. I wanted to give you some ideas for the best ways to be sustainable, but I have realized that sustainability really is on a spectrum, with no true best answer for everyone at how to accomplish it. I hope to get you thinking about your current crafting habits and possibly inspire you to make an accessible shift in your life to live a bit more sustainably.
Sustainability can be intimidating, especially when with think of the zero-wasters who live off the land in tiny homes they built themselves who somehow avoid browsing on Amazon every other day (it’s all mind-boggling). I would love to do good for the planet, and while some of my choices reflect that, I am also a totally normal human who enjoys the Target dollar spot. You DON’T have to be “The Most Sustainable Crafter” in order to make a difference.
To me, sustainability is making one more decision to do better for the world. We don’t need to sell all of our stuff, denounce capitalism, and save our garbage in a glass jar to showcase at the end of the year (YouTube clearly sets the expectation high).
The GOAL of sustainability, to me, is to make a more ethical choice when we can. I call this the Spectrum of Sustainability. There is no one way we are supposed to be sustainable. There are lots of ways to do better for the world! Some things clearly have a more tangible impact on others and the environment (hence my use of the word “spectrum”), but every conscientious decision makes a positive difference. Keep reading for some ideas for how you can make some crafting decisions with the greater good in mind.
What is Sustainability?
It’s hard to get an all-inclusive definition of sustainability, but the one that speaks most to me comes from the UN’s definition for sustainable development, which: “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (found here)” In general, sustainability is making decisions that use reusable resources or avoid creating waste. There are probably some ways that you are already being sustainable in some capacity!
Do you try to pack your lunch for work? How about using reusable silicone bags or grocery sacks? Heck, do you ever reuse a Ziplock bag or plastic fork? Have you ever gone thrift shopping or bought something secondhand from Facebook marketplace? Do you use wool dryer balls? Do you use public transit or carpool to work? Do you ever buy organic produce? Do you use cloth diapers, or a reusable swim diaper?
See? You may already be making more ethical choices in your life that are on the Spectrum of Sustainability! Like I said above, sustainability doesn’t have to be all in or nothing. Every choice you make that does good for the planet or for the future improves the world. So keep it up! If you are looking for some more ideas on incorporating the principles of sustainability in your craft, keep reading.
15+ Ideas for Sustainability in Crafting
There are so many ways to think more sustainably about your crafting! This post mostly refers to the supply and demand chain involved with yarn crafts since that is what is familiar to me. But these same ideas can apply to lots of different types of crafts!
Just making an item yourself, rather than buying it, is the first step towards greater sustainability. Some people get crafty because they love the process of making, but some people DIY to save money. By making something that you want yourself, you are avoiding the manufacturing process that would be creating that item. Some refer to the 97-3 ratio when it comes to industrial versus household waste, and while it is impossible to exactly quantify the amount of consumer waste, it is clear that industry and manufacturing create much more pollution and waste than the individual (see here). Whatever the exact quantities involved in industry and consumer waste, know that when you get crafty you are already avoiding fast fashion or other industries that make tons of daily waste. That’s awesome!
Saving Some Cash
Some of the easiest ways to be more sustainable in your crafting habits also save you money (it’s a win-win!). In my mind, these are the easiest ways because you don’t have to leave home or spend your hard-earned cash- that means you can start making more ethical decisions for the earth right now.
It might go without saying, but since yarn shopping is kind of seen as a separate hobby from crafting with yarn, the number one thing you can do to be more sustainable is to limit your spending on new yarn. It can be so fun to browse online or in person at a craft or yarn store, and in my personal experience once you start buying new yarn to try out it’s hard to stop. There are just so many beautiful yarns out there to try! And you can justify almost any yarn purchase if you think you have a plan for said yarn. But if you hold tight to the reins and avoid spending money on yarn you won’t actually use soon, you can save a lot of money and a lot of waste. How much of that yarn will sit in your home for months or years? How much of that yarn will you end up donating before using?
By not buying as much yarn, you avoid spending and creating waste (both personal as well as industrial waste as companies produce yarn to fill the demand). You can use the yarn you already have in your yarn stash! I have a long-term goal to use up 75% of my yarn that I started in January 2020 and that I am still working on. I have made huge progress for #AttackMyStash2020 and now #AttackMyStash2021 which you can see through the tags on my Instagram @crowchetcreations or throughout this blog under the Attacking My Stash tab. You can learn more details about this original goal of mine here and the updated 2021 version here as well as see monthly updates and reflections on my progress. If you join in, make sure to tag me so that I can cheer you on!
Sometimes, though, you just really want some fresh yarn. You can make some novelty yarn yourself from items you would otherwise throw away! Have you ever heard of t-shirt yarn? Basically, you just cut up an old t-shirt into one very long strip of fabric and use that as a jumbo string of yarn. You can find tutorials online, but this type of yarn is good for home decor since the fabric is made for wear. If you want to go a step further, you can make “plarn“, or plastic yarn, from strips of plastic grocery sacks (you know you have more of those saved up in your house than you could possibly use). Since this type of novelty yarn is entirely plastic, it is waterproof and makes great outdoor pieces, like a beach tote, reusable grocery bag (bringing it full circle), or an outdoor shoe mat. How cool is it to use up something destined for garbage and make it into yarn?
Finally, another way to be more sustainable in your craft without spending money is to reuse yarn from an old project. Whether it is a temperature blanket from two years ago you never finished, or a sweater you made that just doesn’t fit you right in the shoulders, you can put that yarn to good use by giving it new life! I personally have a hard time frogging, or ripping back, on something I made, especially when the item in question is finished. But why would you want to keep something in your life if it no longer sparks joy? You might as well use that yarn to make something else that better suits you or someone else. That yarn won’t go to waste and you can fondly say that you made something you truly love.
The Beginning: Sourcing
If you planning on ever buying something for your craft (most of us are), you can definitely still make more ethical and sustainable purchases than just grabbing all the pretty yarn off the craft store shelf. It is worth thinking about how the yarn is created and then arrives where you can finally see it, especially since manufacturing creates much more waste than individual consumers. By being conscientious in your buying choices, you can help sustain the world for future generations.
When choosing a yarn (or other crafting material), you probably focus on appearance, feel, or even cost. You can additionally think about the fiber content of the yarn you buy. Natural fibers, such as cotton, linen, tencel, or wool are more sustainable for the planet because they decompose faster than acrylic yarns, which are essentially plastic. There are always reasons to opt out of natural fiber yarns, but when possible, choosing to buy yarns made of these fibers is more sustainable.
In general, when one tries to avoid fast fashion, they pay more money for textiles made from fibers that are sourced from ethical farms and produced in manufacturing environments with good working wages and benefits for employees. These investment pieces of clothing are made to last for years, rather than only a season or so until the next trend arises. The same can be said about yarn; if you want an item you craft to last, you should invest in higher quality working materials. Higher quality yarn is more able to withstand wear and tear and is more likely to be produced in an ethical way. This happens when the labor needed to produce that yarn is payed with fair, ethical wages. The price of yarn is determined by many factors that can all contribute to the sustainability of using that yarn compared to another, cheaper yarn.
You can also pay attention to the manufacturing process of the yarn you will potentially buy. What kind of chemicals are used to treat the yarn? I am most certainly NOT an expert regarding the yarn dyeing process nor which chemicals are better or worse for the environment or personal exposure. But I do know that there are some natural dyes that many smaller business use that are made from organic ingredients (like avocado, onion skins, etc.) and those are most certainly more sustainable that other chemicals. If this is something that interests you, I encourage you to do your research about what types of chemicals are typically used in the manufacturing process and then decide what chemicals you prefer on the yarns you bring into your craft room. Just as there is a spectrum of sustainability, I expect there to be a spectrum of chemical safety.
Whether you are a maker or a consumer of yarn goodies, I’m sure you’ve noticed how much product packaging influences company branding. It’s full of important decisions about what types of materials to use in packaging, where to source those materials, whether those materials should be customized, and what those materials are made of. You can make more ethical decisions both about the packaging you personally use for your small crafting business as well as the companies you support financially. There are compostable options out there, like at No Issue, that you can purchase, as well as in general paper and cardboard packaging, which are better for the planet and its resources than plastic. Side note: compostable products are awesome, but read the fine print; the item must be composted properly, which sometimes requires a commercial composter. This makes the likelihood of the item actually being composted much lower. You can choose to invest in packaging for your own products that is more eco-friendly, and you can also choose to support companies that use more eco-friendly packaging as well!
When it comes to sourcing your own yarn, the most sustainable supply chain is coming straight from the sheep. If you have every fallen in love with hand-dyed yarn, you probably have at least given thought to spinning your own yarn. And maybe you have gone the next step and thought about having your own sheep to shear! No? Just me? Well, if you have access to a sheep, or at least access to wool roving, you can participate in a “Sheep to Shawl” project, where the wool is collected from the sheep, spun into yarn, and then worked up into a beautiful project. Such a task takes lots of time and talent, but yields an heirloom to be treasured for years. And because you bypass the large yarn manufacturing industry, it is one of the most sustainable ways to source your yarn.
Buying Habits/Shop Small
There is a lot to be said about consumerism and how supply and demand interact with the harmful manufacturing of products (whoops, I opened THAT can of worms…), but even with all of that, there are tons of ways that you can actively choose to be more sustainable in your shopping habits. Some of these things you are already doing! And give yourself a pat on the back for being a little bit more thoughtful about the impact of your spending on the world at large.
The environmental impact of a skein of yarn is already accounted for when it is manufactured/produced (it’s a sunk cost essentially; you can’t take it back). And like I said above, the manufacturing accounts for much more waste and pollution than what we choose to do with those items. One way to buy more sustainably is to purchase yarn from the thrift store. While the selection is hit or miss (I once found about two dozen skeins of cotton yarn that I am still trying to use up), that yarn would otherwise just go straight into a landfill if you didn’t buy it. You have the opportunity to give that yarn new life! Thrifting is a common way to live more sustainably and be more conscientious shoppers, and it applies to your craft too.
As someone who recently started branching out from buying craft store, big box yarn, I can tell you that I LOVE indie dyer yarns. I feel good about supporting a small business, and the quality of the yarn is impeccable. The colors are so interesting and original and beautiful. And the squish of the yarn…. I just love it. And by buying from indie dyers, you are also making a more sustainable purchase. There is a lot less pollution and waste created by these small business dyers. In my experience, it is well worth the extra cost to buy fancy, indie dyer yarn. If you attend a craft or yarn festival, you might even get lucky enough to find a local dyer, which will help save you in shipping costs as well as the environmental impact of shipping goods to you.
Speaking of avoiding shipping, you can also check out a local yarn store (LYS) for your fiber goods. They often have treasure troves of yarn and making accessories from multiple small businesses and in multiple weights and colorways. It can sometimes be overwhelming to choose from all the options suddenly available to you! And you can squish and see the yarn all in person, which beats shopping online for yarn any day.
When you buy any yarn or crafting material in person rather than online, those items don’t have to be shipped to you (they are cheaper and faster arriving in your stash, which is a bonus). While those goods still need to be shipped to the store, the impact of shipping a whole truckload of yarn compared to one box of yarn averages out to a lower environmental impact for each skein in the truck. It’s similar to the idea that if you buy in bulk, you are purchasing less packaging per item than if you buy the same amount in much smaller boxes. The pollution from one big truck transporting yarn across the country is undoubtedly less than the pollution of each individual box going to separate houses in your city in different mail trucks. And like I said before, if the yarn is in stock, you get it faster and cheaper if you don’t have to wait for it to ship to you. So being sustainable can be faster and cheaper sometimes too!
Tools and Patterns
The final piece of the puzzle when it comes to crafting is the tools that you plan on using when you do some fiber magic. While these items are not as consumable as the yarn you plan to use them on, you can make more ethical choices about the tools at your disposal for crafting.
As I stated above, higher quality hooks and other tools are more sustainable. Since those items are sturdier, they will last a lot longer than the cheap plastic hooks you can find at Walmart. If you only have to buy one size H/5.00 mm hook the rest of your crafting career instead of buying one new hook every couple of years since the old ones always break, you personally contribute to a lot less waste.
Certain hook materials are more sustainable as well. You may have heard of how sustainable bamboo is? That’s partly because it grows really fast in many natural habitats so it can be harvested responsibly. If you don’t like bamboo hooks or blocking tools, you can also look into using aluminum hooks. It goes without saying that plastic hooks are usually not a sustainable option due to the manufacturing process, the likelihood of breaking, and the centuries they take to decompose. So make a conscious choice for something a little heartier and eco-friendly.
If you are in the budget to support a small business, you can look into small batch hooks and other notions. Handmade items are more sustainable because they bypass a lot of, if not the entire, factory manufacturing process. There are even some wood carvers that make crochet hooks, which means that those tools would decompose easily once you were done with them.
If you are looking to have a full set of crochet hooks or knitting needles, rest assured- interchangeable sets are a great way to buy sustainably! Instead of making separate purchases for each hook size, you can get an abbreviated set of (almost) every size you would need. This saves space too, and the cost savings of buying one large set rather than all the small components would be beneficial for your wallet. Add in the waste from one package of interchangeable hooks compared to all the packaging for multiple different hooks, and it is clear how sustainable a choice it is to invest in a set of tools. It saves the manufacturing plant money if you buy a set rather than a variety of different hooks too, as it allows for less waste on their end too.
When we talk about the sustainability of crafting, especially the fiber arts, we cannot forget about patterns. Once I realized that I could never possibly make every single item I have a pattern for, I decided to continue buying patterns to support the makers whose designs I like. Essentially, I let go of my personal expectations to make all the things. While I enjoy financially supporting other designers, I have found that the most sustainable way to purchase patterns is to buy the electronic copies (e-patterns or e-books) instead of the paper versions, like in a booklet. And while it is tempting to just print out the PDF once you have purchased it, it is more sustainable to avoid paper altogether and just use the digital copy. This is a habit I am personally trying to work on so that I can be more sustainable in my pattern purchasing!
On this Earth Day, I am thinking a lot about what I can easily do to make more ethical choices along the spectrum of sustainability. And for me, that includes crochet! I made a year-long goal to limit my purchasing of yarn and instead work through the yarn I already have, but that is only the beginning. I hope to develop more habits of sustainability in my craft over time. I would love to hear about the things you are doing to craft more sustainably, especially if they are things I haven’t thought of yet! Feel free to share with me in the comments below or on Instagram @crowchetcreations. Here’s hoping our small choices today can create a better world for tomorrow!
XO, Emily
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