With sustainability awareness growing year by year, 2021 is likely to see further changes in our purchasing behavior.

Last week we highlighted the environmental and SDG initiatives of our clients, and this week we would like to share some of the efforts of our Candlewick staff.

The first post is by Catherine. Her hometown is New Zealand!

I’m originally from New Zealand, and my parents are somewhat self-sufficient. Ever since I was little, we’ve been eating fruit and vegetables from my dad’s garden, and recycling and reusing items as a family. After coming to Japan, I don’t have the luxury of a big garden anymore, and some of the sustainable choices I made in NZ are a bit different in Japan.

So, in some ways I’ve been re-learning how to be sustainable whilst living in Japan.

Since Junior high school, I’ve almost exclusively shopped at second-hand stores and thrift stores for clothes, furniture, and books. Rather than buying something new that needs to be produced, I try to give a new life to an item that already exists.

From last year I’ve also been working on reducing my consumption as a whole- trying to avoid purchases that aren’t totally necessary, and finding new ways to use items I already know. When fashion is continuously changing, it can be a bit of a challenge, but it’s also fun to explore different styles and ways to wear items.

This year, it’s my goal to look into more sustainable options in my food and beauty purchases.

Sometimes I feel like I’m not doing much to help. However, if everyone contributes a little it has a big impact, I think.

The second post is by Shimmura who is obsessed with traveling!

Hello, everyone!

I’m a new member of the Candlewick team, and currently handling our Instagram posts!

My hobby is traveling and I have been to over 30 countries so far. One of my favorite places is the Netherlands. There are pretty towns, open-minded people… And it’s one of the most developed eco-friendly countries!

I try to make sure that my actions are connected to sustainable activities. For example: my “eco-bag”. I use the bag from the brand, “I was a Sari”.

It is an Indian fashion brand that sells the unused traditional sari, by converting it into other clothes, shoes, and accessories. Impoverished women are trained on the job, and the firm is reinvesting sales profits in supporting women’s advancement and business development to create a sustainable and environmentally friendly business model.

I have used the bag for almost 2 years, but it still has a lot of life in it. The pattern is also very fashionable.

Let’s all try to be sustainable together- our future is decided by what we do today!

The third post is by Asano. She will share our company’s sustainability action!

Today we would like to highlight one of the sustainable activities that Candlewick, with our “Sustainable PR”, is doing as a company for the environment.

Shipping and postage is an essential part of any PR company.

Previously, Candlewick used metal staples and plastic padding for our releases. However, as a PR agency representing a number of sustainable brands, we felt that this environmental consciousness should be applied to our distribution methods. We have updated our materials to keep up with the times, moving from metal staples to staple-free fastenings and paper clips, and from plastic padding to using recycled paper instead.