We offer a lifetime guarantee on our rings - on the surface level, this promise means that we’ll resize and repair your ring throughout your lifetime, free of charge. But our lifetime guarantee really means something more to us. That’s one of the reasons we’re so proud of our work with The Trevor Project - when you purchase your ring, you may be contributing to saving someone else’s life.
The Motivation
We’ve been reflecting on what else a “lifetime guarantee” means, and one thing that we see as an imminent threat to life itself is climate change. There is no guarantee of a life unaffected by climate change, so what can we, from a climate perspective, guarantee as part of your ring purchase? Ever since Holden began, we’ve made our product as sustainable as possible while being transparent about the fact that sustainability and consumerism contradict each other in many ways. That being said, we’re committed to do everything in our power to make our rings and your purchase as sustainable as we possibly can.
Because of this commitment, we’re excited to announce that we’ve partnered with Climate Neutral to measure and offset 100% of Holden's carbon emissions. This means that the production, materials, and shipment of your ring will emit net zero carbon emissions. In 2020, our total carbon emission was estimated at 533 tonnes, which we offset in its entirety by purchasing carbon credits.
The Process
A carbon credit is a certificate that’s generated by an organization that, through its actions, eliminates or avoids the emission of one metric tonne of greenhouse gas emissions. For each tonne of carbon that we create, we pay for what it costs to remove or prevent the emission of one tonne of carbon. This way, our net carbon emissions are zero, making Holden carbon neutral.
Measuring our emissions was an eye-opening process, as we had the opportunity to clearly delineate where we’re doing well versus where we have room to grow. For example, we’re proud that our central Manhattan location means that our entire team commutes to the office via public transportation or bike. Because we’re located only one block from our manufacturing workshops, we walk orders back and forth from the office to the studio and do all of our fulfillment in house. Our gold is 100% SCS-certified recycled, and our new Ring Size Kit envelopes are made from 100% recycled materials.
The Future
In addition to the accomplishments that make us proud, we know we still have room to grow. One of the great things about working with Climate Neutral is they require each brand to commit to actionable steps to further reduce its carbon emissions. We’re excited to outline those goals today so we can hold ourselves accountable to meet them:
1. Switching to 100% recycled platinum: While 100% of our gold is SCS-certified recycled, about 90% of our current platinum is recycled. By June of 2022, we’re committing to make that number 100%.
2. Eliminating all virgin plastics from our packaging: We’re also promising to completely eliminate virgin plastics from our packaging - which means rethinking our ring boxes (we’re also hoping to give customers the option to opt out of ring boxes altogether).
3. Committing to 100% recycled cardboard packaging: Right now, our packaging is made from at least 50% recycled materials, but we plan to push ourselves and our manufacturers to commit to using 100% recycled cardboard packaging.
We’re excited to be working with Climate Neutral, a nonprofit organization committed to making carbon neutrality simple and accessible. It’s also a rapidly growing community - over 300 brands became Climate Neutral Certified this year. Collectively, Climate Neutral Certified brands neutralized about 700,000 tonnes of carbon emissions so far. Keep an eye out for brands that are Climate Neutral Certified - you’ll be able to recognize the logo on their packaging and website!
One of the things we love about weddings is the vow of future - you and your partner promise in front of your closest family and friends to love and honor each other through whatever it may hold. Since we're a company that represents a promise of the future, we are committed to doing everything in our power to make that future a healthy one for our planet.
Questions? Give us a shout at help@hiholden.com or a ring (pun intended) at 646.722.6817.
