welcome to themeliprojects.
Just as MeliCo is a collection of artistic projects I create, love, and share, TheMeliProjects are a collection of humanitarian projects I hold dearly to my heart. The following are ways MeliCo reaches out, using her platform with purpose, built on the belief the world can be better with human effort.
Love Your Mother (Earth)
Sustainability is a step-by-step process, a standard that can, and should, always be improved.
That's why we strive for progress, not just perfection.
All of the packaging we use falls under one (or more) of The Three R's:
RECYCLABLE, REUSED, OR REDUCED
Our classic packing materials such as packing paper and accompanying cardboard boxes can be recycled in your city bin, or reused for your own shipments/gift wrapping!
With anything breakable, we are a big fan of going the extra mile to make sure your items get to you safe and sound, using air bubbles, bubble wrap sleeves, and potato-starch packing peanuts. Each of these are reused from other packages and materials that arrive to us from elsewhere. Not only can I can tell you where each one came from, but this allows otherwise trash to have a second life while creating less stress and waste for the planet. If you are able, please reuse any and all to give them a third, or even fourth, life!
Since December 2022, we have switched to our brand-new and updated colorful earring and necklace cards. In January of 2023, we started packing all jewelry in the cutest kraft box you have ever seen, for more protection while shipping and to upgrade your unboxing experience. This box and all jewelry packaging cards can be recycled, simply remove your new knick-knacks and tissue paper, and they are ready to go!
When you shop with MeliCo at one of our in-person events, the same thought and awareness is put into those packaging materials. We use small, kraft boxes filled with recycled paper I shred in house to cushion any new knick knacks. The fancy MeliCo kraft bag is and stuffed with the tissue from when we first started MeliCo, because nothing good goes to waste. Simply peel off the MeliCo logo and you can reuse the bag or toss it in the recycling bin.
Our Partnership with EcoEnclose
One of the biggest steps we have made is switching from plastic bubble mailers to recycled + recycl-able ones. In March of 2021 one of our rings earned its Bestseller badge on Etsy, and with that, an influx of orders came in. It was the first time I really saw how much material I was using. It was that moment that pushed me to seek out alternatives, and that is when we partnered with EcoEnclose, a company who's sole purpose is to create environmentally friendly alternatives for packaging materials, to prevent excessive waste.
The bubble mailers your earrings and jewelry come in are made of 50% recycled content and 10% post-consumer waste, plus they have a dual adhesive strip to make then reusable, twice. For all clothing and bags, we use their poly mailer, made with 100% recycled content, 50% post-consumer content, with the same reusable dual adhesive strip.
Both of these shipping materials can be recycled in some city bins, dropped off at a recycling facility, or shipped to EcoEnclose with their Take-Back Program.
You can learn more about EcoEnclose and their mission, as well as more information on how to make environmentally cautious decisions using the links you see here, or scanning the QR code on the WeCare card included in your package.
Now, I know we can do more. I know I can improve MeliCo by switching to alternatives for plastic packing tape, candy and sticker plastics, and simply educating myself on the other ways to improve. Each step toward sustainability should be celebrated, absolutely, but it should also be a continuous fight, not a singular one. I would love to hear any ideas you have on how small businesses or Melico specifically can improve, even in the smallest of ways.
Drop us a line here, I would love to hear from you!
ARemnantProject
In October of 2022, I was sewing bags left and right for my table at the monlthy market I attended. They had become not only my favorite part of our table display, but also a crowd favorite. After that market, I took a step back and saw my overflowing box of remnant fabric - and knew I needed to do something with them. Using those 3 R's as my inspiration, I started looking for solutions. I did some research and found out recycling fabric is not as accessible as one might think - even in Southern California. So I turned to the second R: Reusing. I sorted all of my remnants into three piles. The first contains larger scraps, which after some trimming and a zipper later become our unique pouches, that can be used for anything under the sun. The second pile contains those abnormally long and thin scraps, and realized they would be perfect for making wristlet lanyards. Sure enough, I found the right hardware and the night before our November market, I brought the idea to life. And finally, that third pile of teeny-tiny pieces becomes stuffing for my sister's many crochet adventures.
And just like that, practically every piece of fabric becomes something else, giving it another life, and allows those colorful, patterns to find a proper home.
Donation Transparency
As a supporter of MeliCo, you deserve to know where your valuable energy and hard-earned dollars are going. Donation transparency is invaluable to establish trust and accountability between you and the companies you choose to support. When you know where your dollars end up, you can make informed purchasing decisions that align with your values, and allow your dollar to stretch beyond a singular transaction. Below is a list of the various organizations MeliCo has contributed too, whose missions I support wholeheartedly,
