Sustainability is at the core of everything we do at Indie Boho. We don't use trending environmental terms, we actually care about our footprint across all aspects of the business. Let me explain further.
When I started Indie Boho there was nothing but the very standard, cheaply made pet beds on the market. Lots of fluffy donut beds that weren't washable or your regular type of bed that seemed to explode whenever you left the pup home alone! These weren't in any way the ideal type of pet bed or even ones that cats and dogs liked to use. Instead, they were ones that factories mass produced as cheaply as possible and pushed onto pet brands to sell at a huge profit. That's what urged me into disrupting the market. Not only did I come up with a patented cushion bed style and unique fabric blend that furkids love, I wanted to reduce the amount of waste going into landfill. To achieve this, I engineered and tested a bed insert that was made to last, with washable covers (which seems so obvious!) but didn't exist at the time. I love seeing customers buying additional bed covers for a bed they purchased years ago, there is nothing that makes me happier as that is exactly what I set out to achieve.
Indie Boho beds are hand sewn, in small batches not in mass volumes. That means that very little fabric is wasted during production. We print only as much as the beds we are making, no extras to run up the ink or the sewing machines so to speak. We have never thrown out any of our products, ever, we sell every last one. On the rare occasion when we find defects in the printing or sewing, we donate these to our local animal refuge SCARS and host an annual seconds sale to help with fundraising too. So unlike other brands, we aim for zero waste in everything that we do. This ethos flows across our entire range of products, not just the beds and is the reason why we maintain such a loyal following.
We pride ourselves on our packaging, our boxes are made locally, from recycled cardboard and can easily be recycled by our customers in their yellow bins. Some brands that use compostable plastic mailing satchels may not be forthcoming in telling their customers that compostable plastics are not able to be sorted from regular, biodegradable or recyclable soft plastics. Therefore they go into landfill unless a customer has a home composting unit to break down their mailer. I was once the Director of a reputable Australian packaging company, so it was my job to understand all the eco-friendly packaging options for my customers and that is why I have chosen cardboard for my own business.
There are so many other aspects to sustainability that I haven't even touched on. Like our Eco beds that customers fill themselves using pre-loved pillows or cushions. Or or car booster seats with interchangeable frames. The recycled skip bin that we rent at work. And the positive impact that we have on our local community through our charity work. So yes, we might be a small business but we take our environmental and social responsibilities very seriously!
Thank you for helping us to make a difference!