NO MORE TOXIC TREASURES, ASTOR & ORION JEWELS ARE GUILT-FREE GEMS
By: Zibah Olabode
The fast fashion industry has often been put under the microscope for its negative environmental and social impacts. Similarly, the jewelry industry is guilty of harmful practices such as using toxic metals, providing poor working conditions for jewelry makers and paying unfair wages. With supply chains so inherently complex, dodgy practices down the line can easily go unnoticed. Consumer awareness of these issues has challenged the industry to do better, be more transparent and create guilt-free treasures for people to wear.
In an effort to combine ethics and aesthetics, Karen Hartman founded a sustainable jewelry brand, Astor & Orion. Based in Seattle, Astor & Orion aims to take waste and pollution out of the process from the very beginning.
Hartman, who spent over ten years as a manufacturing agent in Shanghai, China was eager to channel her creativity in new ways. Aware that good intentions alone were not sufficient to safeguard people and the planet, she decided to take action. Her brand, Astor & Orion adopts a sustainable design process that embraces a circular design philosophy, keeping resources in use to conserve them. This approach allows her to create chic and eco-friendly jewelry for fashion enthusiasts.
Astor & Orion jewelry is crafted from recycled metals that can be easily recycled again, taking care to avoid using toxic materials or stones that would prevent the metal from being recycled. Their designs are hand sculpted using an innovative 3D design process that employs a technique reminiscent of the traditional method used by ancient jewelers who hand-carved wax blocks in preparation for the lost wax casting process. This technique ensures that every part of the jewelry is consistent with the Astor & Orion design language and ethos.
Image Source: Astor & Orion website
Astor & Orion’s dedication to sustainability is evident in their streamlined supply chain. They design and cast most of their jewelry components in-house such as ear hooks, jump rings and closures, which reduced their dependency on unregulated factories and subcontractors. This consolidation allows for more effective inspections at their sole production facility, a third-party certified for its environmental and labor practices. Their jewelry pieces are defined by their original designs and casts made from high-quality metal.
Hartman also shows her dedication to sustainability through her choice of packaging materials. All their jewelry is shipped from the factory to the business using industrially compostable bags. From there it is shipped to customers using 100% cotton pouches, recycled tissue papers and recycled cardboard mailing boxes with recycled paper labels. They are even currently working on a substitution for their use of plastic tape. To extend the use of their pouches, they are designed to be reusable, durable and often used by clients to store jewelry while traveling.
When thinking of setting targets to be more eco-friendly, most consumers likely wouldn’t even consider how carbon plays a role in a fashion business. However, it does play a role and Hartman is clearly making strides to create a holistic approach to Astor & Orion’s commitment to sustainability efforts. The business offers carbon offsets to account for the carbon created during shipping through Eco Cart, this is in line with their effort to reduce waste, minimize the use of plastic and mitigate their carbon footprint.
Image Source: Astor & Orion website
What goes beyond the business logistics is the inter-office happenings. Hartman has also partnered with Seattle-based Ridwell to make sure the hard-to-recycle items from their office, such as light bulbs, printer cartridges, and plastic films, do not end up in the landfill.
Aside from all the amazing initiatives and well thought out strategies implemented, Astor & Orion also takes active steps to advocate for and promote the sustainable fashion community. The business supports Seattle Remake Community, a legislation passed in California state, that prohibits the price rate system used to pay fashion workers in Los Angeles. This system often leads to sub-minimum wage work because they could never complete enough pieces to earn the legal minimum wage. Additionally, it allows brands to be held responsible for labour violations by their subcontractors. They are currently working to support the Fabric Act.
The brand has also been a part of the Impact Fashion Show, being featured on the runway as well as being a speaker on their “Fair Trade in Fashion” panel. Hartman has done a phenomenal job of merging her ethics (sustainability) with the aesthetics of her jewelry. By inviting customers to return unwanted jewelry so that it can be recast into new designs, Hartman has initiated a global conversation about sustainable jewelry use.
The jewelry of Astor & Orion serves as proof of how far the sustainable fashion industry has come, they also set an exemplary bar for other luxurious jewelry brands to be more considerate with how they can benefit the environment.