It’s nearly February, and we’d bet an Imbiza dining room table that your social media feeds and website pop-up ads are sprinkled with elements of pink and red, with large text telling you what you need to buy to spread the love this upcoming Valentine’s Day…
Now, we’re all for loving love, but if you’ve been here long enough, you’ll know that nothing gives us the proper heebie-jeebies more than hyper-consumerism…
If you’re new here, hi, welcome to Homewood. 😉
Our challenge to you, the consumer, this Valentine’s Day is to think about how to spread the love across the whole supply chain in a way that positively impacts not only the recipient of any gift but also the people and planet involved in making the product in the first place.
We’d suggest asking yourself the following questions:
- What is this product made from?
- How long will it last (1 month, 100 years?)
- Where was it made (imported or local?)
- Who made it? (machines or human beings?)
- Can it be reused? (regifted, handed down, thrifted?)
Once you’ve answered these questions about a product, you’ll often find that the ‘love’ is somewhat lacking…especially in the realm of sustainability.
So, what to do?
Thankfully, there are plenty of businesses at home and abroad that have considered these very factors and have built businesses that give more than they take from our planet and its people. We’d be bold enough to count ourselves among them.
Here are a few of the ways Homewood aims to “share the love” all year around through sustainable furniture.
#1 Sharing love for our environment
At Homewood, our love for the environment underpins everything we do. We strive to steward our planet’s resources as best we can for the most minimal impact on future generations.
This is why our furniture is nearly exclusively made from timber sourced from alien invasive wood species (with the exception of Plantation Teak), namely — blackwood, red river gum, sugar gum/ spotted gum and cottonwood.
These thirsty species wreak havoc on our indigenous environments, drying up our waterways and acting as a potential fire hazard.
This is why we’ve partnered with the Working for Water Programme, who aid in the removal of these trees, with the biomass purchased by Homewood and used to craft one-of-a-kind sustainable furniture pieces.
Nothing is wasted, with everything from the wood offcuts to the sawdust repurposed and utilised in a dynamic way.
#2 Sharing love for our people
We love our beautiful country and the people who call it home. Our Homewood factory, situated in the Midlands in a small town called Lidgetton, provides vital employment opportunities in an area with limited job prospects. Over 90 households benefit [CF1] from the income generated by our factory workers, who are predominantly hired from the local community.
Our team are passionate about upskilling and identifying potential, providing growth opportunities to anyone who is keen and willing to learn.
#3 Sharing love through our furniture
Finally, At Homewood, we firmly believe that handcrafted furniture captures the heart and soul of its maker. In our factory, machines never replace humans. We uphold high standards of craftsmanship, training and empowering our team to be masters at their craft.
Every detail is carefully attended to, ensuring our furniture not only looks beautiful but is also built to last.
In fact, we’re so confident in the quality of wood and craftsmanship that we’re the only wood manufacturer in South Africa that will buy back and accept trade-ins of our own Homewood creations, which are refurbished and sold on to new loving owners.
So, this upcoming Valentine’s Day, let’s spread the kind of love that reaches as many people as possible. The kind of love that protects, honours and lasts.
