‘Natural’
‘Clean’
‘Eco’
‘Made from partially recycled materials’
If I had a dollar for every second I spent trying to decipher labels like these, I wouldn’t be in your inbox today.
I imagine you’ve experienced the same frustration of trying to make a conscious choice in a world designed to make you buy before thinking…
The thing is, the sustainability industry is full of well-meaning, good-intentioned people… and a lot of greenwashing. Both unintentional and intentional.
Let me get real with you — there is no such thing as the perfect product. Not in the system we’re working with.
So the responsibility falls to us to decide “what’s sustainable enough”, what aligns with our values, what we will feel good about buying. (because remember you’re always in control).
But that’s a lot to ask.
As if we don’t already have enough on our shoulders (notice how I’m NOT talking about everything going on that we already know sucks).
Which is why I want to be completely clear about our choices. When you choose to buy from ( r e ) ˣ there should be zero confusion about how our products are made, and why.
Because a purchase you can feel good about is the first step toward a home you can feel good about.
Keep reading for the full story — it’s in the ‘what’s new with us’ section.
shop hangers that don't hurt people & planet
august's sustainable superstar: prelove you!
Prelove You is bringing the circular economy to kid’s clothes and as a former kid’s clothing designer, I think it’s brilliant!
Much like Newly and other clothing memberships for adults, PLY offers different subscription levels for baby & kid’s clothes.
Unlike Newly and other clothing memberships for adults, they have a unique swap model for once your kids have outgrown their clothes.
Once your kids have outgrown their clothes, you return them and get credits based on type, condition, designer, the usual. And even if an item doesn’t meet their criteria, you still get 1 credit for keeping it out of a landfill.
Not only is this a cool service, it’s more than just convenience. This is a great way to start teaching kids about sustainability from an early age.
It’s also a way to respect their growing personalities and let them have fun.
Just like we want to give you a long-lasting kid’s hanger that will last for years, Prelove You helps you find a home for clothes that will only fit for a few months (!!). It’s a simple smart way to do good for the planet and your wallet.
Support Prelove You
august's blog: eco news & journalism, why conscious media matters
Feeling overwhelmed by climate headlines? You're not alone.
The stories we see and who tells them are more important than ever. In our latest blog, we explore the power of eco-journalism, the reporting that connects scientific discoveries and policy changes to the real-life stories of people and the planet. It's time to shift from climate despair to informed action.
what's new with us? ( r e ) ˣ transparency continued
BTW if you want to read more, we have a whole blog about it
Where are ( r e ) ˣ hangers made? South Africa.
Why hangers? Almost every single person uses a hanger. For some, the 50 for $5 model works. But not for me. So I used my art and design background to redesign the hanger to make it stronger, better, and longer lasting.
Why South Africa? Because that is where I found a manufacturer who could provide a 100% transparent supply chain. I wanted to know exactly where our materials came from and who was making our products.
So who makes the products? Our partner, OPT, helps local people purchase and run Micro Recycling Plants (MRPs), which act as community hubs.
Where does the plastic come from? Locals are paid for collecting plastic pollution from oceans, rivers, and roadsides, creating jobs and cleaning the environment.
How does it get turned into a hanger? The plastic we use is 100% post-consumer and post-industrial waste collected from these local efforts. Once it arrives at the MRP, it's broken down into pellets. These pellets are then melted down in a custom mold I designed, giving them the shape of our hangers.
Why plastic? Why not something more sustainable like cardboard? I firmly believe that sustainable products can’t just be ‘sustainable’ — they have to work.
Would you hang a winter sweater or a coat on a cardboard hanger?
There’s already so much plastic waste in the world, I wanted to create a better product that not only lasts 10 times as long as the cheap ones but also helps remove plastic from our planet.
A key point often missed when it comes to recycling, is that plastic can only be recycled around 7 times before it loses its quality.
But our virtually indestructible hangers are designed to last you a decade or more. If one ever does break, we can recycle it into a new one because we're only on its second life.
Ready for a hanger that tells a different story?
august's eco earthly matters
🇿🇦UPDATE: 30% tariffs on south africa: Honestly, who knows if this will be true by the time you’re reading this newsletter, but as of now there’s a 30% tariff on imports from South African products. If you've made it this far, you know that my products are sourced from there. You also know that as a sustainable brand committed to quality and fair wages, our hangers are already considered a luxury. This tariff further impacts our costs, but we remain committed to our transparent supply chain and the people we partner with. As always, your support helps us maintain that commitment, proving that even in a chaotic global economy, our values can still make a difference.
🥱Is ChatGPT making us lazier? (promised from last month’s newsletter) This isn’t fun eco news but it’s important. A recent study from MIT Media Lab is calling this ‘cognitive debt’. It’s the idea that offloading complex cognitive tasks to an AI doesn’t let your brain get the practice it needs to stay sharp. They found that people who used ChatGPT to write essays had reduced brain activity, impaired critical thinking, lower creativity, and a lower sense of ownership over their work. Even when ChatGPT was taken away, their brains remained ‘lazier’. Using AI as a collaborative tool isn’t bad (for your brain), the danger lies when we let it think for us, especially young people whose brains are still developing.
🦋Good news! 300 miles for Monarch butterflies: Called the Highway 13 Butterfly Trail, this 26 mile wide and 292 mile long corridor is a conservation initiative that will pass through 12 counties in western Missouri. The corridor will feature gardens, art installation, and research facilities but the focus is to provide a conservation area for butterflies and specifically the Monarch butterflies, a threatened species. Not only will this help wildlife, it also contributes to the state’s economy through ecotourism! So get ready for a road trip!
🫗🗿Art is protest: Canadian artist Benjamin Von Wong has given a modern reinterpretation of Auguste Rodin’s famous sculpture “The Thinker”. This modern version holds crushed water bottles in its hands while looking down at a baby. Over the course of 10 days more and more plastic will be added to the sculpture which sits outside the UN headquarters where diplomats were gathered to finalise a global treaty on plastic pollution. Click the link to see the statue + plastic!
🛑Ignoring climate change can violate international law? The UN's top court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), has declared that countries have a legal obligation to protect the planet from climate change. This decision, which was sparked by the lobbying efforts of small island nations and young climate activists, isn't just a moral statement, it carries significant legal weight by saying that failure to take action against climate change, whether by continuing fossil fuel subsidies or not regulating emissions, could be considered a violation of international law. The court also said that nations harmed by climate change could even be entitled to reparations.
Before I go, remember, when the world feels chaotic, you have the power to create a little order in your own space.
The small choices we make every day have an impact. I always want to be transparent with you because making a better choice for the planet shouldn’t feel like trying to decode the Rosetta Stone.
( r e ) ˣ hangers are a simple, honest solution, a purchase you can make to show that you believe in a better way of doing things.