Lucy Dalton
Human Resources Business Partner at Amey
Seasonal Gift Hampers
December 2022
What is in this years hamper?
We think you’re really going to love this year’s gift hamper. Alongside the incredible gorgeousness of the product and all the fantastic social giving, we’ve curated a box that includes Ethstat exclusives, world firsts and the greenest, most inclusive, box we’ve ever created.
After nearly a year of working with our supply chain, we’ve created a box that’s vegan, gluten-free, low-carbon, and completely free of plastic.
This Procurement Was Social:
Made in Lancashire from UK PCW. This is the lowest Carbon box available in the UK.
As an Exclusive wrap for Amey Happi removed the plastic wrap from each bar and their box/pallet wraps. This saved 28,000 pieces of plastic.
Still the lowest Carbon pen in the UK. The Tree pen is entirely compostable and made from corn starch. saving a staggering 63,070 pieces of single use plastic.
We worked with Ananda's for five months to perfect a plastic-free wrap that would protect the shortbread. The final design features a recycled board manufactured in Cumbria.
Tilly Tree are a company founded by relatives of Amey Employees. Their amazing gifts are made from sustainable materials.
It is almost impossible to believe that these exquisite chocolates are vegan, gluten, and plastic-free.
One online reviewer described these as having a texture like 'a cross between a Turkish Delight and a Jelly baby'. We would reply, except we've got our mouths full of them. Plant-based and plastic-free they are guilt-free treats for everyone.
Sadly there is no tissue paper produced in the UK anymore. Our closest manufacturer is in Denmark, where this paper is manufactured - acid and chlorine free, it is the lowest carbon paper available in the UK.
These crisps are completely hand-cooked, using local materials that are inspired by the flavours of Herefordshire, where the Two Farmers farm is located.
Initially blended for Amey, Jamila's has sold over 100,000 units across the UK and is still the world's only plastic-free, organic, fairtrade coffee.
Another world first developed for Amey. We worked with Lucy at Popcorn Shed for eight months to create the first ready-made popcorn in plastic-free packaging.
The last of our exclusive plastic-free wraps. Stand4Socks makes some of the comfiest socks we've found. Better yet, for every pair you buy, they donate another to the homeless.
Stand4Socks
Socks for the homeless
Stand4Socks already had a fabulous product and mission – to provide socks for homeless people in a buy one/give one model. But, when Josh, the founder of Stand4Socks, heard we were curating a plastic-free hamper, he leapt at the chance to join in.
Working with Yasmin, all plastic was removed in the packaging process, leading to more than more than 11,000 pieces of single-use plastic being removed from the environment.
Ananda's
nut-Free shortbread
The beautiful North Derbyshire village of Dronfield is home to Ananda’s and this artisan bakery produces a range of nut-free, gluten-free, and entirely vegan biscuits. To add to their credentials, through this commission for your hamper, they now come plastic free and, in a home, compostable wrap.
This is a first, as no other pack of biscuits on the market is completely plastic free.
It took our team a little over five months to find the perfect plastic-free, yet sturdy packaging to ensure your biscuits are fresh, and the worms are safe.
Sweet Lounge
Vegan Sweeties
Before we met, Greta McDonald was a dedicated vegan and plastic-free supplier. We worked together for several months to bring you this unique-sized and packaged version of her Strawberry Hearts.
We can genuinely say these are her best creations as we’ve sampled her entire range and, in some cases, several times. All in the interest of science, of course…
Popcorn Shed
LGBTQ+ supporting popcorn
I challenge anyone to do a better job of creating luxury popcorn than Laura and Sam. I truly don’t know how they make it vegan, and so buttery, but I’m glad they do. If you ever thought vegan food was bland, this WILL change your mind.
They had also told us that plastic-free was an impossible dream eight months ago, then we introduced them to Natureflex. Now it has become their norm.
This Procurement was Environmental:
Goupie
NHS supporting Truffles
We are so incredibly proud to present these extraordinary Gluten-free truffles. We have been fans of Goupie and have also been working with them for many years. They base their business hours around the school pick-up time which helps to make their employment accessible and give a proportion of their profits to the NHS.
And, if we don’t say so ourselves, they’re incredibly good at their job of being master chocolatiers.
Two Farmers
The first compostable crisp packets
Two Farmers Crisps are our most requested hamper item and a surefire crowd-pleaser. These delicious crisps are hand-cooked and only ever use local materials. We just love them.
Happi
Anti-slavery Chocolate Bar
In one of the saddest conversations we’ve ever had with one of our suppliers, Happi told us that a major supermarket had told them to exchange their compostable packaging for plastic, so they could boost their recyclable plastic statistics.
When someone had asked them to produce a special run of plastic-free packaging, they were delighted and threw themselves into the project with gusto.
Happi don’t just make the creamiest oat milk chocolate we’ve ever tasted; they also love the environment and campaign against modern slavery in the chocolate industry.
Tilly Tree
Amey related sustainable gift company
Tilly Tree is a brilliant company started by Amey staff members during the lockdown.
This order has meant the world to them, and we loved having them onboard. So much so that they are working with us on multiple branded merchandise offerings.
Ethstat Tree Pen
the original biodegradable pen
Originally designed and used for the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio that laid the groundwork for the fight against Climate Change, our Ethstat Tree Pen is made in Europe from bio-cornstarch and recycled paper, whilst also being 100% biodegradable. Once you’ve used it, you can plant it and grow something beauitufl.
This year, it is filled with bee-friendly wildflowers, so even the smallest window box can help mother nature.
Jamila's Ethical Coffee
The Only plastic-free, organic, fairtrade coffee.
We spent more than two years developing our coffee and creating it has been a labour of love. The journey began when my Mum was still alive, and in her 11th year of Dementia. We were pulling together an offering for you that was sustainable, Fairtrade, and one that would give back. I’d sit with Mum with our spreadsheets, and share our vision for a better coffee, and ever the supportive parent, she’d smile and tell us that it would happen one day.
100,000 units later, we are providing dementia dolls, pets, and aids all over the UK. Our coffee started with Amey, and we are forever grateful for your support.
Real Lives - real impact
How valuable is your hamper?
One of the faces you might have expected to see is not here. Kia has been at every Wrap and Pack event we have ever done and has been featured in the last two impact reports.
We first met Kia as a street sleeper that would deliberately get arrested when the weather got too cold so he could spend a few weeks in prison.
“ Life on the streets is a grind; when it gets too much, and I need a break, I throw a brick through a shop window and get myself arrested.”
His first contact was accessing one of our projects that gives hot meals to rough sleepers. We have helped him through several short-scale interventions across the last three years. Each of these interventions helped build his esteem and his confidence.
We helped him in other ways too. After last year’s wrap and pack, we helped him get his first flat and some counselling. In turn, that led to him becoming more ready to work. Today he is the manager of a Pret a Manger in Chelsea.
As Bruce, Ethstat’s Environment Director explains.
These projects are not one-offs. Each intervention builds one on top of the other to help people in desperate situations get back on their feet and contribute to society.”
Amey has been instrumental in helping Kia, and many like him rebuild their lives; it has allowed us to give consistency and support. It’s not just us that think so either, recently The Department of Work and Pensions has recognised that our interventions are crucial to helping people back into mainstream society and have funded a joint project to explore how this can be expanded around the country.
So, what’s your hamper worth?
It’s life-changing.
Real Lives - real impact
How valuable is your hamper?
One of the faces you might have expected to see is not here. Kia has been at every Wrap and Pack event we have ever done and has been featured in the last two impact reports.
We first met Kia as a street sleeper that would deliberately get arrested when the weather got too cold so he could spend a few weeks in prison.
“ Life on the streets is a grind; when it gets too much, and I need a break, I throw a brick through a shop window and get myself arrested.”
His first contact was accessing one of our projects that gives hot meals to rough sleepers. We have helped him through several short-scale interventions across the last three years. Each of these interventions helped build his esteem and his confidence.
We helped him in other ways too. After last year’s wrap and pack, we helped him get his first flat and some counselling. In turn, that led to him becoming more ready to work. Today he is working in Pret a Manger in Gatwick.
As Bruce, Ethstat’s Environment Director explains.
These projects are not one-offs. Each intervention builds one on top of the other to help people in desperate situations get back on their feet and contribute to society.”
Amey has been instrumental in helping Kia, and many like him rebuild their lives; it has allowed us to give consistency and support. It’s not just us that think so either, recently The Department of Work and Pensions has recognised that our interventions are crucial to helping people back into mainstream society and have funded a joint project to explore how this can be expanded around the country.
So, what’s your hamper worth?
It’s life-changing.
Amey Centenary Hampers
December 2021
When we received the call that we had won your hamper business, we knew that you would change our lives and the lives of our supply chains and communities. Making this gift for you has been an absolute honour. Amey is an incredible organisation. We can only imagine what it takes to be successful for a century.
Huge congratulations from us all at Ethstat for your 100 Years! You deserve all of your success, and we wish you a further 100 and many more. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to do what we love most. We hope you LOVE your hampers, and please email us your feedback and photos to hampers@ethstat.com where we will add your data to your 2021 Social and Environmental Impact Report to share your thoughts.
We were asked to create a Celebratory Hamper that reflected the best of Amey and one that honoured the best of social enterprise and meaningful procurement. Your products had to be of the highest quality; they had to give back to the communities they came from, and with an eye to the future, they had to be entirely sustainable. Some of the products were commissioned specifically for you.
Many of the manufacturers changed the way they worked as a result of this order, and each of them represents the very best in social and environmental procurement. Some of them have catapulted their business as a direct result of your support. When you contact a small SME and share that we’re ordering over 13,000 products, people are blown away!.
This Procurement Was Social:
What's in your Centenary Hamper?
Spare Crisps
eliminating food waste
Ben Whitehead, Founder of Spare Snacks, grew up with a mum who refused to waste any fruit or veg. So he was shocked when he discovered in later life that up to 50% of edible fruit and veg goes to waste.
That’s why he decided to create Spare Snacks, a social enterprise committed to saving unwanted produce and create healthy snacks. Spare Snacks create delicious, thoughtfully produced fruit and veg crisps.
These award-winning vegan snacks are naturally high in fibre, as well as free of added sugar, gluten and anything artificial. In fact, they’re school-approved snacks and one of your “five a day”.
1500 packs of crisps will be donated To sheltered housing residents.
Nemi Tea's
Supporting refugees
Nemi is a specialist tea company that supports refugees by giving them work and education opportunities. Nemi believes that good taste starts with good business, so they make premium tea products that spark enjoyment and create opportunities for refugees to shape their journey. Nemi gives employment to refugees in their Cafe’s and distribution centres. All Nemi teas are Fairtrade, organic and plastic-free.
The lessons learned by fulfilling this order have been invaluable to scaling and growing the brand. Nemi doesn’t have orders of this volume and has used this experience to learn about units per box, palleting and consistent distribution. We were also able to advise them on packaging reduction whilst retaining their brand and values. As a result, we’ve been able to offer a commercially viable offering of a small pack that enables you all to try this fantastic product
This order helped fund the salary of our newest staff member, Ashkan, a refugee from Iran.
Pranav Chopra
Nemi Teas
I was surprised how a small company like Nemi Teas makes such a huge difference to so many lives, from helping refugees settle in the country, taking them through education, work placement and then full time employment. They are an awesome company doing the work they do and doing it without fuss.
Lara Akers
Amey Consulting
Boundless Nuts
supporting frank water
Boundless is a Bristol-based company that provides the tastiest activated fruit and nuts and supports FRANK to bring clean water to some of the world’s most impoverished people. FRANK works to improve safe water, sanitation and hygiene in India and Nepal. Since 2005 Frank has funded safe drinking water and sanitation for nearly 400,000 people in 549 communities. FRANK work hard to support those ‘left behind’ by progress and development. Communities FRANK helps are often remote or vulnerable groups who don’t understand their rights. By supporting Boundless, you’re also supporting communities across India & Nepal, providing sustainable solutions for a better quality of life.
“This order will make a huge difference in the work we do: as a business, we work closely with our charity partners Frank Water. A Bristol, female-founded organisation, Frank provide safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene to communities across India & Nepal. Beyond sustainable water solutions, Frank enables these communities’ women access to a better life: opening up employment and education opportunities. As we grow, as does our relationship with Frank Water – orders like these help us to increase our support with Frank Water, and truly make a difference as a brand.”
Olivia Colbeck
Boundless Nuts
Divine Chocolate
Supporting women farmers
Divine are a female-led social enterprise that supports predominantly female Coco farmers through fair trade, education, and environmental support. Divine chocolate has been palm-oil free since 2013 and has taken a leadership role in conserving the rainforest areas of West Africa.
Due to the scale of your order we placed with Divine we created an ornate celebratory bar for Amey and reduced packaging that removed two single used plastics for each bar
Divine Chocolate are really passionate about making a difference. The way they support women farmers and are challenging inequality in the industry really made me think more about what is behind the production of a luxury product sold in the UK. Divine support Fairtrade which means better workers’ rights, safer working conditions and fairer pay. My shopping choices will definitely change having seen the positive impact they give back to the farming communities in Ghana.
Philippa Patterson
Amey Secure Infrastructure
Refuge Chocolate Melt
helping victims of human trafficking
Refuge is a freedom fighting chocolatier. Refuge exists to help give people a brighter future through our support of Flourish NI (a Northern Ireland based anti-human trafficking charity). Refuge donates proceeds to Flourisusinessh and provides survivors of human trafficking an opportunity to get involved in the business.
‘Not being a tea or coffee drinker I spent many years sampling the hot chocolate drinks throughout Ireland and beyond, never quite getting one that hit the taste buds of how I thought a hot chocolate should taste. Until a few years ago I went skiing in Andora and tasted something that hit the spot. It was strong, thick and had so much taste. More like melted chocolate than the expensive dish water I was often served in cafes.
This awakening must have been filed away in the depths of my brain and came to the fore when I was trying to come up with a solution to financially support a local anti human trafficking charity I volunteer for. I briefly tested several ideas of projects to raise finance for the charity. Until one day the name Refuge and hot chocolate literally dropped into my head. This is when I started experimenting with recipes I read about and ones I made up.
Once I got closer to what I thought was a good tasting drink I asked friends to test some and give me feedback. After this I had the recipe for the original chocolate. It’s still the same recipe we use today.’
Tara Mullan
Candy Kittens
Vegan Gourmet Treats
We have especially commissioned your sweets by Candy Kittens for your Centenary Hamper. Using vegetarian and vegan recipes, only the best ingredients are used for people and planet, so you can feel good while satisfying your sweet craving!
All animal gelatine has been removed from production as well as palm oil. To top that, production is carbon neutral.
500 of these packs have been donated in our Dementia and Homeless giving
Jamila's Ethical Coffee
helping Dementia families - a thank you from yasmin
We spent more than two years developing our coffee, and creating it has been a labour of love. The journey began when my Mum was still alive and in her 11th year of Dementia. We were pulling together an offering for you that was sustainable, Fairtrade and one that would give back. I’d sit with Mum with our spreadsheets and share our vision for a better coffee, and ever the supportive parent, she would smile and tell us that it would happen one day.
There are two calls from Amey that gave us this opportunity.
The first is when Dean called me just weeks after Mum had passed to say that we had won your Tea and Coffee contract. At that moment, we knew with Amey’s scale we had a chance of building a credible brand.
The second is when Emily called to say we had won your Hamper supply. This moment allowed us to press go on a forward PO to our tin manufacturers and bring the plastic-free, sustainable vision to life. As a result, your order of 13,350 tins quickly grew to over 27,000 coffee tins for us with other customer orders, and this is all thanks to Amey.
From Dean, recognising our vision and heart, to Emily trusting us to deliver your order – you have all made this possible. The ripple effect of love that we are generating as a direct result of this is humbling. For this, I can never thank you enough. You have allowed me to keep my Mums memory alive, and together, we are building a legacy. So please, enjoy your coffee, and do share your feedback! Over 100 people at Amey have taste tested several blends for us and what you have in your hamper is special.
To launch our coffee, we have produced a 100g jar for you to share at home. 100% of the profits from our tin is supporting families living with Dementia. Available in 750g for the office. Please email us at coffee@ethstat to share how you’ve reused your tin. We’d love to know!
Elsa's Cake
Working with Mental health
Elsa runs a small social enterprise that helps people experiencing mental health issues, a subject close to her heart. Elsa and her team have lovingly baked each of your cakes by hand.
All proceeds from the sale of your cakes go towards Mind the mental health charity. The confidence it’s given Elsa has been extraordinary. We have given advice in setting up her business and pricing model and designing the fully compostable food safe packaging which Elsa spent hours researching and getting just right.
Elsa has been utterly amazing. She has built a functioning social enterprise that has done real good and delivered brilliant cakes on time, batch by batch, beautifully packaged and consistently supplied. This is not the first time Amey have supported Elsa. Some of you have enjoyed her bespoke iced biscuits, and yummy brownies that we have sent out in Wellbeing and Conference Packs. Elsa also bakes wedding cakes and prepares platters for larger crowds.
I bake to stay sane. Thank you for supporting my small business and enabling me to do what I love.”
Elsa Santana
Two Farmers Crisps
Leading Environmental innovation
Two Farmers Crisps, run by Sean and Mark, are two of the most passionate business owners you will ever meet. They stand for everything we hold most dear. Two Farmers use local produce; the potatoes they grow themselves, local flavourings, low food miles and protecting their rural community whilst giving local employment and training. Along the way, they have solved a problem that has eluded some of the biggest manufacturers in the world.
One of the most challenging environmental problems is how to recycle a crisp packet. It should be easy, but the simple answer is you can’t, and the problem is more significant than you might think. One factory in Leicester produces 11 million packets of single-use plastic a day, many of them destined to litter the streets or end up in the oceans. Sean and Mark figured out that you might not recycle them easily, but you can solve the problem by creating a compostable packet.
It might just be a packet of delicious crisps in your hand, but it’s also a revolutionary world-first – brought to you from the heart of Herefordshire.
The story behind the 100% compostable crisp packaging and the determination by Two Farmers to find this solution was really interesting. Crisp packaging is notoriously difficult to recycle, so being able to compost them at home is brilliant.
Daniella Ord-Hume
Amey Consulting
What struck me the most about the visit to Two Farmers and meeting Mark and Sean was their enthusiasm , professionalism and commitment to deliver the very best product in the most environmentally friendly way possible.
David Fawcett
Social Value Manager
Harry Specters
Giving work to people with autism
Since starting in November 2012, Harry Specters have helped a total number of 310 people with autism. Alongside this, they’ve supported 155 carers/parents, making their lives just that little bit easier.
Autistic people contribute to the business in different ways. They do real work in real jobs, from making, packing and selling chocolates to working in administration, design, and photography. Through this work, they’ve all learnt new skills resulting in increased confidence, hope, and aspirations for their future.
As part of the procurement, Ethstat worked with Harry Specters to help eliminate plastic in all their packaging.
Working with Harry Specters on this procurement we removed 40,500 pieces of Single Use Plastic from the environment.
Saving 837.9KgCO2
Ethstat Tree Pen
Plant a pen save a tonne
Originally designed for and used to sign the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio that laid the groundwork for the fight against Climate Change – our Ethstat Tree Pen is made in Europe from bio-cornstarch and recycled paper and is 100% biodegradable. Once you’ve used it you can plant it and grow a tree and save up to one tonne of CO2 for every pen you use.
Our Ethstat Tree Pen is unique to us here in the UK and we are the only distributors. Having worked tirelessly for over 6 months to create it, we think this pen is a gamechanger. Most plastic pens are made from single use plastic and many are unrecyclable. If you think about just how many pens we get through during the working week alone, the carbon footprint attributed to them is alarming and unnecessary.
If everyone plants their tree pen Amey Staff will have taken 13,350 Tonnes of CO2 out of the biosphere.
This Procurement was Environmental:
Key Ring and Coin
Supporting Arts and INdustry
Made in the UK, 100% of the profits from this keyring have been donated to Pivot – a social enterprise that empowers people experiencing homelessness to pivot their lives through making and enterprise.
£2000 has been donated to Pivot to help fund a workshop for people experiencing homelessness.
Vegan Cookies
Feeding the homeless
Challenges to the supply chain have meant that there have been two suppliers for vegan cookies. Angelic Gluten Free in Inverness and Biscuits International in Northumbria. Both make exceptional vegan biscuits.
Working with both suppliers, we have removed 13,350 pieces of single-use plastic and consolidated deliveries to reduce carbon emissions and waste
2,140 Hot meals have been donated to Rough Sleepers in Manchester and London from this Product
Amey Celebration Bag
Green and Social around the world
The Amey Centenary Bag is made in India by a cooperative that gives women highly paid work, in line with our own Higher Living Wage. It is almost the exact opposite of the stereotypes you would have of far eastern garment making. Instead, this factory is sustainable, ethical and compliant with the highest levels of certification.
The factory is more than just a place of work; it is at the centre of a community. The wages allow the women that work there the opportunity to support their children throughout their schooling and live a decent life. This order gave 1,575 hours of fairly paid work and supported a local community.
While there is a burgeoning Fairtrade garment industry in India, this order allowed them to do something completely new. This bag is the first Fairtrade Organic Cotton to be made and printed under with same ethics. The garment printing industry has lagged behind the construction industry. Your bag is the first to have both credentials to come out of India and into the UK.
SLT Conference
_______________________September 2021
We hope you enjoy your SLT Conference and it was a fabulous success! Huge thanks to Emily Davies and Roy Nielsen for choosing us to assemble your packs and for helping us! By procuring from Ethstat Ethical Stationery CIC you have helped impact our communities and given back to people , our planet and our supply chain. Here’s the impact:
- Over 31 hours of Higher Living Wage Employment for 2 homeless people.
- Your bottles are recyclable and BPA free and made in the UK.
- Your sanitiser is from Wales and supports Food Banks.
- Your notebook is made in the UK, printed using vegan inks and is made by a company that gives back to their employees and offer extra training & support.
- Your lanyards are made from recycled fabric and bottles in the UK.
- Your mask is manufactured in the UK, water repellant and washable 100 times.
- Your Ethstat Tree Pen will save a tonne of CO2 once planted and is 100% certified biodegradable.
- Even the bag is fully biodegradable and large enough to hold all your event papers and filled water bottle should you wish.
Cancer Research Awards
_______________________September 2021
Thank you to David Fawcett at Amey for giving us the opportunity to make your Thank You Packs for your amazing team, raising £11,000 for Cancer Research UK!
Your pack was put together by Nathan at Ethstat. Everything is plastic-free, biodegradable and compostable. Your biscuits were hand made by a social enterprise, Elsa’s Cakes. Elsa loves baking and gives her profits to MIND.
Here’s your pack!
We Miss You
_______________________April 2021
We hope you enjoy your pack put together by Nathan and Elsa and thank you for giving us the opportunity to make these for you. Pop the kettle on and enjoy a lovely Fairtrade coffee and homemade biscuit. Your pack is plastic free and everything is fully biodegradable, including your biscuit wrap which is home compostable too!
So, take a moment, enjoy your treat and read the leaflet. You are appreciated. Amey Values.
Thanks to our tea and coffee contract with Amey, Ethstat have employed Nathan full time. He is growing in confidence day by day and he loves his job. Nathan lives in a Homeless Hostel but he has now paid off all his debts and we are helping him take the next step to living in a flat of his own. Elsa runs Let It Be Cake and she made your biscuits. She has battled with mental health issues all her life and she bakes to be creative and feel good about herself. Lockdown has been tough for Elsa so we’ve been working with her on various projects to support her small business and show her how appreciated she is.
100% of the profits of your pack are going to be donated to our homeless and dementia community to offer mental well-being aids and support.
Thank you for helping us make a difference
Together, we are Ethical.
Induction packs creating jobs for ex-offenders
_______________________October 2021
Nathan is a homeless person who is also a struggling entrepreneur. He wants to make a difference by bringing families together during these unprecedented times of COVID-19 through the Food App he is working on.
“Working with Ethstat and being given well-paid employment and a friendly team who value me means everything to me,” says Nathan.
Nathan says that he is massively grateful for the opportunity Amey has given him and the work they are sponsoring in the community. Whatever the future holds, Nathan is focused on using his talent and energy to bring people together.
I want to prove to people that I may be homeless, but I have the fire and
passion to succeed in life and business. Shaking off the label of ex-offender is
very important to me. I am worth so much more.
Behind the mask we're ending homelessness
_______________________
_______________________
June 2020
What's in my pack?
If you are a member of staff at Amey, you will have received an envelope in the post. That envelope is quite exceptional. Unlike most padded envelopes it is entirely plastic-free making it recycled and easily recyclable. Before you open it, you will see that the letter has not been franked; instead, a stamp was bought from a local post office supporting the local sub-postmaster.
When you break the seal, you will find a letter from your Chief Executive, Amanda Fisher, a Wellbeing Guide, guidance on how to put on and remove your face covering safely, a covering in what seems like a plastic slip and a compliments slip from us telling the story of the person that packed your letter. The paper on which the information is printed is the lowest carbon paper available in the UK today. It was printed by the only company to be trusted by Greenpeace, The Carbon Trust and Friends of the Earth.
When you feel the plastic around the covering, it might feel a little different. That’s because it isn’t a standard vinyl; instead, it is a bioplastic that will degrade in less than three months in dark wet conditions.
The covering is different, as well. It was made, right here in the UK by Saville Row Taylors, who usually make suits for the movie industry. You will have seen their work on Daniel Craig in the James Bond movies or on Peaky Blinders. The material is different too, as Q would have wanted; the mask is three-layer cotton for comfort and breathability, covered with a Nanotech layer that provides filtration and water resistance. It is durable and will wash 100 times.
As for how the letter was packed and who packed it? Well, that’s a whole story in itself.
Meet the packers
Not everyone in the project wanted to share their stories, and there is so much more to each of them than a few words can describe but here are some of the people that Amey helped in the course of this project. These are the people that packed your envelopes.
Lauren, is a swimming instructor and content creator on YouTube. COVID-19 meant that Lauren had to move back in with her mum, as she couldn’t afford her house share. Lauren suffers from mental health issues and like so many, she has been feeling hopeless. ‘I have all the time on my hands and I am trying to find work that benefits the community to keep my mind active. This opportunity has made me feel more positive.’
Louise is an ex-offender who has jumped leaps and bounds since arriving at Evolve and especially since working with the Peer Circles project. She is passionate about animals and nails and will be studying to complete her nail technician qualification after lockdown. She is currently on Evolve’s Entrepreneurship Program to develop her ideas and gain support to start her own nail business. She is a mother of two and is committed to leading a more fulfilling and positive life for herself and her family.
Nathan is an ex-offender and who has made massive strides in the last 12 months to turn his life around. After completing Evolve’s Entrepreneurship Program and joining the Peer Circles project, he has begun developing an app to help people source, buy and cook with local fresh ingredients using easily accessible recipes on his app. He is also developing a console game that is based on the cultural history of Rastafarian’s. He is a dedicated father and family man pursuing his dreams and achieving his goals.
Kate is currently homeless. This work opportunity has come at just the right time for Kate considering the current climate and her on-going circumstances. Kate has a passion for the arts and in the future hopes to be able to set up her own art photography business.
David has turned his life around in the last 2 years. David has struggled with poor mental health and addiction. After working with Evolve’s Peer Circles project, he is now living independently, working part time, and has become a father to a beautiful little girl. He is dedicated to looking after and providing for his family. David gives back to his community through his church and supporting local causes.
Ricardo. He is a regular client at Croydon Nightwatch. He became homeless last year when hisemployer didn’t pay him. ‘Becoming homeless is one of the worst things that can happen to someone. I had always paid my own way and suddenly I felt like I had lost everything including my dignity. I don’t want to be reliant on other people’s support, I want to be the one helping others. This is my main motivation for improving myself and making my life better.’ Ricardo wants a full time permanent job so he can transform his life. He is one of Amey’s Beam Sponsorships.
Jayden has struggled to get work since his seasonal job at Costco ended. Jayden has struggled with mental health over the past couple of years. ‘This lockdown isolation has slowed down my progress in achieving my goals. I feel like I’d benefit from this opportunity as it would allow me to interact with others, give me a sense of self-worth and help regain my confidence in both myself and the workplace. I genuinely feel like this could give me the boost and motivation needed to reassess and focus on future life goals.’
Ellie is a PE coach, who was made unemployed due to COVID-19. The last couple of years have been a struggle for Ellie due to a big change in her life. Ellie had been living with her Grandparents, but due to the pandemic Ellie moved in with her Aunt. ‘The last 3 months have been a struggle. Not only the money, but getting out and conversing with others. This is going to help me massively.
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Joseph has been out of work since last Christmas. Joseph wants to work in IT and become a web developer. He is looking for an opportunity to be placed with a company where he can work his way up. With COVID-19, Joseph has found it harder than ever to find work. His sister is part of Team Ethstat and as we grow, we hope to find work for Joseph to help him on his life’s journey.
When Amey came to Croydon
This project would not have been possible without the following people.
It takes a lot of work to put together a project where every penny goes toward making a difference. Ethical Stationery is proud to have been working with a large and diverse group of social and charitable enterprises. Our Ethical family, Yasmin, Bruce, Sarah, Sasha and Drew would like to give thanks, and deepest gratitude goes to:
Lives not Knives: The incredible charity started 13 years ago by the then 14-year-old Eliza Rebeiro to turn pre-teens away from gang, and knife culture. LNK recommended some vulnerable young people to come and spend a few days with us in a positive team environment packing your letters and getting positive forward momentum.
Evolve Housing. More than just a housing association Evolve run an entrepreneurship programme that helps rebuild the lives of ex-offenders and drug addicts. Evolve nominated three of the packers to come to earn a wage and spend some time with other social entrepreneurs and us to mentor them.
NightwatchThe rough sleeping charity that feeds the homeless of South London nominated a number of the packers to come and work with us. We hope that some of them may become your colleagues in days to come.
OWRFC: The RFU recognises old Whitgiftian Rugby Club as the most ethnically and economically diverse Rugby club in the country and quite possibly the world. More than a sports club Old Whits is a genuine community club with a kitchen run by Lynne Gillingham and Suzanne Piscina that provides meals for the old and the homeless as well as a community refuge for all ages. Old Whits provided the venue and support for the packers.
Vital Meals supplied the catering for both days. Vital Meals is a non-profit venture set up in response to the global Corona Virus pandemic. Run by Ayesha Pakravan-Ovey, the head chef & founder of The Plattery. They are cooking & delivering free nutritious meals to anyone unable to feed themselves during this difficult time.
Safety is the Key provided detailed Health and Safety Support to allow the event to happen in the first place. Shabbir at SITK is quite possibly the most fun health and safety advisor on the planet and managed to keep us safe with incredible knowledge, grace and panache.
The Recycling Centre to Noordin and Luca who worked hard to ensure all the items we needed leading up to the event were delivered, and for helping us with the 300 plus postal bags we needed to transport safely.
Deesha Gangully who volunteered her time and donated her wages for the two days to the vulnerable, so that they would receive more. Deesha is a fantastic young woman and a credit to Warwick University. ‘ I am passionate about sustainable development and hope someday to work for a social enterprise that has significant social and environmental impact, just like Ethstat does. Now more than ever, working together as a community is imperative and I am proud to be contributing to this fantastic project, that is going to help the UK become both safer, and greener!’
David Shorto our friend from Greenpeace, print consultant and paper guru. David identified the best printers we could use and gave us access to them.
Deesha Gangully and Shabbir waived their fees to allow us to pay the packers who worked across the two days £250 instead of £100 a day. A sum that could make a significant difference for many of the workers.
Great personal thanks also go to, The Simon family who alongside Tiffany turned up and refused to leave. Amy Atkinson, who volunteered, brought her lovely boys Morgan and Elias as well as birthday cakes for Ricardo, Suzanne Piscina, Lynne Gillingham, Mark, Fergus and the entire Endersby clan who ensured that the venue was open and available for us all. Shabbir Halai owner and founder of Safety is the Key can never be thanked enough for all he does for the Ethical family. Sarah Jones MP, for her passion and commitment to Croydon and sharing our goal to eradicating homelessness. Humayun Kabir, The Mayor of Croydon for his positive energy and support with all that we do. His heart for changing the lives of our local residents shines through. Amey has some of the best staff we have ever met, but this project would not have been possible without the patience and encouragement of Emily Davies, Richard Walsham, John Cully, Mike Ashford and so many others.
Last, but by no means least, we’d like to thank Dean Mayes. – It was Dean that recognised our vision and introduced us to the Amey team, and without him, none of this would have been possible.
Thank you for this opportunity. We have created so much good and touched many lives. We look forward to continuing our work with you and helping to give back. Together, we will be the change. There will be further edits and footage added so please stay tuned.
Together, we are Ethical.
Made in Lancashire from UK PCW. This is the lowest Carbon box available in the UK.
As an Exclusive wrap for Amey Happi removed the plastic wrap from each bar and their box/pallet wraps. This saved 28,000 pieces of plastic.
Still the lowest Carbon pen in the UK. The Tree pen is entirely compostable and made from corn starch. saving a staggering 63,070 pieces of single use plastic.
We worked with Ananda's for five months to perfect a plastic-free wrap that would protect the shortbread. The final design features a recycled board manufactured in Cumbria.
Tilly Tree are a company founded by relatives of Amey Employees. Their amazing gifts are made from sustainable materials.
It is almost impossible to believe that these exquisite chocolates are vegan, gluten, and plastic-free.
One online reviewer described these as having a texture like 'a cross between a Turkish Delight and a Jelly baby'. We would reply, except we've got our mouths full of them. Plant-based and plastic-free they are guilt-free treats for everyone.
Sadly there is no tissue paper produced in the UK anymore. Our closest manufacturer is in Denmark, where this paper is manufactured; acid and chlorine free its the lowest carbon paper available in the UK.
