Saving The Planet One Hug At A Time

Busy Lizzie @

If you’ve been keeping up to date with the news, social media or eavesdropping on strangers’ conversations when you’re doing the weekly shop, you might have heard that COP26 (the 26th Conference of the Parties) has been happening. If you’ve been living under a rock (I don’t blame you, it’s quite chilly out!) I’ll fill you in on the gossip!

Leaders from all over the world gathered in Glasgow this week to have a very big, very important chat about climate change. They do this every year, but this year was especially important, and not just because Sir David Attenborough was given the role of the People’s Advocate - I can’t think of a more fitting title, except for maybe the Nation’s Grandad!

Back in 2015, just under 200 parties promised to cut their emissions and play their part in saving our planet - this was called the Paris Agreement. I do love Paris, such a romantic location to agree on climate change actions! They agreed to review their targets 5 years later, but last year’s COP26 was postponed due to that pesky covid! Given they’d had a whole extra year to meet their targets, you’d expect some whopping results, right? 

Wrong!

Only one party (out of 192!) actually met their target of 1.5℃ (sounds quite chilly if you ask me!) and has been given an overall rating of “1.5℃ Paris Agreement Compatible”, meaning they are well on their way to meeting their 2030 goal. The fabulous country in mention? The Gambia, a tiny country on the west coast of Africa. Go Gambia!

Surprisingly, the Climate Action Tracker gives the UK an overall rating of “Almost Sufficient” - meaning we’re doing well, but we’re not quite there yet! But more surprisingly, we’re the only developed country to reach such high a level. Come on, rest of the world, you’re letting the side down!

But before we go pointing the finger at anyone else, there’s still lots more to be done on our own turf and it got me thinking about what we do to help the planet at our mills. Not to brag, but I can think of at least ten things we do that may have played a part in the UK’s high score… 

… alright, maybe it’s a stretch to think we contributed in the slightest, but it’s definitely something to be proud of! Now, onto those ten things:

  1. Our gorgeous mills, set in the Yorkshire countryside, are zero waste to landfill. We’ve achieved this fabulous status by reducing, reusing and recycling - it’s pretty simple stuff if you ask me!

  2. We recycle any water we possibly can to power the mill - but don’t worry, we don’t recycle our drinking water!

  3. We run our mills using electricity made by hydro pumps, windmill farms and solar power - we’re so lucky to have access to such clever technology!
  4. We use recycled clothes to make the cotton tufting in our Hug Rugs - 6.5 million garments per year to be exact!

  5. We use post industrial plastics in the rubber backing of our Hug Rugs - preventing 190 tonnes of waste ending up in landfill every year.

  6. We use recycled PET plastic bottles in the extra tough membrane of our Hug Rugs - saving approximately 16 million plastic bottles every year from clogging up our oceans.



  7. We use coconut husk and natural tree sap latex to make our coir mats, meaning they’re 100% biodegradable at the end of their life!

  8. Our bath mats are made out of bamboo, making them naturally hypoallergenic and, you guessed it, 100% biodegradable at the end of their life!

  9. Our rug collection is made out of completely natural materials; soft and cosy wool, hard wearing jute and silky smooth viscose - no synthetic materials here!

  10. When packaging our products, we use cardboard whenever possible. This makes it so much easier for our lovely customers to recycle our packaging, and means less unnecessary plastic ends up in landfill!

We’re a pretty eco-friendly bunch, but we’re always looking for new, sustainable ways to improve how we do things. I reckon the world leaders at COP26 could learn a lot from us! Prime Minister Lizzie has a nice ring to it...

If you’d like to learn more about our eco-friendly credentials, have a read of our environmental story.


Busy Lizzie x