There’s no question that handmade artisanal items make for beautiful pieces of home Decor. They’re guaranteed to be unique and are often of better quality than factory-made pieces; however, there’s an unsung bonus about buying handmade decor. When it comes to sustainability, handmade is the clear winner. But how is handmade artisanal decor better for the environment?
From Their Hands to Yours
Handmade decor means you’re taking out factory production altogether. Often, you’ll get to talk to the artist about what materials they use, how they make their art, and how they can customize the item to make your home even more beautiful. You’re not getting the cookie-cutter options you’d get in a factory. You can be sure that the product you’re receiving is completely unique and one of a kind when you’re able to participate and communicate with the artist crafting your decor.
In addition, ensuring your decor isn’t made in a warehouse cuts down on fossil fuels as smaller businesses don’t use nearly as much power and energy as larger corporate factories. This way, you cut down on their carbon footprint and your own without having to sacrifice beautiful decor for sustainability.
Higher Quality Materials
Because factories are often focused on making the most profit for the lowest prices, they aren’t using the best materials they can get their hands on. They’re using materials packed with microplastics and toxic VOCs that run off into our water supplies. However, artists are more focused on making a product that is beautiful, and they put their heart and soul into it. This means that they’re going to use the highest quality materials available to them to make their artistic vision a reality.
When it comes to factory versus handmade blankets, for example, you’ll be hard-pressed to find higher quality materials than from an artist because they’re more likely to use ethically sourced materials like humanely harvested wool or furs. Most of the time, artisans are more than happy to talk to you in detail about their product, how they make it, and what they use to make it, meaning you can be aware of every step in their process.
Reused and Recycled
Typically, when we think of the reduce, reuse, and recycle process, we think of it in terms of garbage. This isn’t the case with artisanal handmade decor. Artists who care about their products and the environment will work with material suppliers with the same values. Often, they’ll use unused materials or recycled products like unused wool, sea glass, vintage textiles, recycled paper, and much more. This is because these materials are usually sold at cheaper prices and are more accessible to a self-sustaining artist. Recycled materials can be crafted to look just as beautiful as any other material.
If you shop from people who have the same sustainable values as you, you can be sure that the product you get and the materials they use will contribute to the earth and to your home.
Handmade artisanal decor is better for the environment and should be utilized in any sustainable home. So, what are you waiting for? Head to your local artisanal market and get all the best decor guilt-free.
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