Environmental Policy

The Environmental Policy of Sarah Haran Accessories is to ensure so far as it is reasonably practicable that its operations will be carried out with a commitment to protecting and enhancing the environment.

1          People

We seek to have a positive relationship with every person that interacts with our business.  We treat our customers and employees with respect and expect the same in return.  We do our utmost to ensure that those working in our supply chain and living close to our manufacturing sites are not harmed in any way by the making and distribution of our products and we work with our factories to help them to become more sustainable.  This is a process of continual improvement, which the business is committed to.

Our bags are hand-made in European, family-run factories.  We pay a fair price for high quality and craftmanship and source our materials and components ethically, ensuring a fair, living wage is paid throughout the supply chain.

We recognise that much of our extended workforce is female and that gender equality has shown to contribute positively to climate change.  We champion fair and equal opportunities and support diversity and female empowerment.

Our Bags of Joy Community promotes inclusion, acceptance and support, as well as offering fashion, lifestyle and wellbeing advice to our customers and we are proud to be part of the Women’s Chapter, which champions and unites women in business.

2          Planet

Sarah Haran bags are designed to last and come with a lifetime guarantee.   Our unique, modular concept enables endless ways to wear and restyle our product, so that the look changes but the bag remains the same.  And if a bag is damaged in any way, we offer a repair service to put it right again.

We are a small company and whilst we take care to minimise our environmental and social impact as we grow, we don’t yet have the means to calculate our carbon footprint.  We can however commit to working continuously on improvements and to sharing our progress and our challenges as we strive to bring our purpose to life in everything we do.

3          Our journey so far

75% of our emissions are generated by raw materials and manufacturing in the tier 2 and 3 stages of our supply chain.  We have mitigated the risks by taking the following actions:

• Our leather supplier is ISO9001 and ISO1401 compliant and has been audited by the LWG (Leather Working Group) and is GRU 001 gold rated. It is Blue Angel certified and is one of 5 companies chosen to take part in the Green L.I.F.E project, financed by the European Commission.
• Our metal trim supplier is tracking and reporting its energy and water usage and its waste and emissions and is working on targeted reductions under our guidance.
• Our bag production facility is in the process of setting up a “green factory” and has made a large financial investment in sustainability technology due to come to fruition in 2024.
• Our silk production facility is recognised as a qualified supplier by SERI.CO and the ITF and has obtained OEKO-TEX, GOTS, GRS and FSC certifications. It has also adopted the Chemical Management 4Sustainability Protocol for the implementation of the ZDHC roadmap to zero carbon emissions
• Our product travels the least possible distance in the most economical way

We aim for maximum life extension of our products.  To this end we have taken the following actions:

• Our products are created in small batches and are not mass-produced, which minimises over-supply and enables an efficient collection management process
• We have maximised durability of our product
• Our Customer Service Team offer advice on product care to extend the life of your bag
• We offer to repair or replace your bag if it has a proven quality or manufacturing issue
• We arrange for your bag to be repaired for a fee, if it is damaged through wear and tear
• Our packaging is recyclable

We have created an environmentally conscious workplace at our head office, where our employees and stakeholders:

• Recycle responsibly
• Conserve energy within the office
• Promote a paperless office
• Support green vendors
• Reduce by reusing
• Invest in office plants
• Conserve human energy
• Encourage sustainable transportation
• Make environmental thinking part of the culture

4          Our future goals

Climate change is a systems issue.  It is caused by many, complex, highly interconnected problems and it requires tackling from all angles.  Our Purpose, People, Planet strategy focuses on the numerous, baby steps we as a business can take to reduce our impact:

• We aim to further increase the lifecycle of our products by implementing circular design principles and establishing our own re-sale platform
• We strive to investigate all processes to ensure that they are non-toxic, minimise waste and have been tested for harmful substances
• We aim to eliminate all virgin plastic from our supply chain
• We aim to use 30% sustainable, fair trade or organic raw materials on all categories and recycled synthetics where they have a clear performance or durability advantage
• We aim to keep on top of the innovation driving circularity and to adapt our product and ways of working in line with new thinking
• We will continue to explore natural, biodegradable leather alternatives for some of our products
• We will implement a standardised supplier audit system
• We will continue to help further women’s opportunities through our collaborations and charity links
• We will continue to explore zero-waste initiatives to minimise leather and other material wastage
• We will increase the promotion of post-purchase leather aftercare as part of our circular initiative

This Environmental Policy Statement will be regularly reviewed and updated as necessary. The management team endorses these policy statements and is fully committed to their implementation.