Australian Made and Sustainable

When Amy and I started Outer Island a year ago, we knew that we wanted to do it in an ethical, sustainable way even though the scale and output would be very small. We didn't want the things we made to harm the planet, so we made it part of our mission statement and a hard fast rule for our company.

Because our manufacturers are in Australia, we know that people working on our products are getting a decent wage with safe working conditions. Right now, our designs and painting are all done in Sydney at our studio in Darlinghurst. The laser cutting is also done in Sydney and the fabric printing/sewing is done in Melbourne. We put the Christmas crackers together ourselves and use no plastic in our packaging. 

In fact, we use only natural or recyclable materials in our products and packaging to minimize waste. We work hard to be advocates for the environment which is why we have chosen to work with these local, sustainable manufacturers. We're proud to share that the fabric company utilizes a sustainable approach by working with natural fibre fabrics and printing with non toxic, solvent free, water based inks. Any fabric wastage they have is repurposed or recycled. And the laser cutting company we work with has recently signed a Carbon Neutral scheme to offset their carbon footprint. They are part of a Plant-A-Tree initiative and work hard to make sustainable and ethical decisions to offset their cutting practices.

We feel great that our products are made in these ethical and sustainable ways, especially as we advocate for and highlight Australia's native plants and animals in our imagery. We know that making everything in Australia costs more in the end, but we think its worth it to be able to provide Australian souvenirs that are actually made in Australia.

If you have any questions at all about how we make our products sustainably, shoot us an email - we'd love to chat.

Cheers,
Stephanie + Amy