Use these guidelines when deciding on the materials you will use to make your work
- What materials do you need to make your piece? Make a list.
- What do you already have in your studio? Can you recycle your own materials or objects?
- Does it damage the aesthetic of your piece to use a more sustainable material? If yes, then can you source your materials from a local supplier cutting down on fuel emissions instead?
- Does your piece need to be large? Can it convey its message whilst being a smaller size?
- Can you use recycled materials or electronic components?
- Do you need a company to fabricate your artwork? Can you use a local company, with a sustainable business model or a small local business?
- What will you do with the waste you create whilst making your work? Donate it? Recycle It? Turn it into a new work?
Links for further reading
Precious Plastics, make your own plastic recycling machines at home and create your own materials
Open Workshop Network, resource for all open-access workshops in London where you can make your own projects The Sustainable Angle, organisation that has created a database of sustainable soft materials LCRN Waste Management resource British Glass, information on glass recycling Living Roofs, information about green roofs |
Forestry Commission, information about why using sustainable wood products is a good idea
Grown in Britain, local woodland project FSC, information on sustainable wood certifications PEFC, information on sustainable wood certifications Timber Trade Federation, why there work is crucial in the wood industry |
Links to suppliers
(currently these links are all based in London and the surrounding areas, UK. We will be expanding these resources as the project develops)
(currently these links are all based in London and the surrounding areas, UK. We will be expanding these resources as the project develops)
Sustainable wood suppliers
Saunders Seasonings Timberyard South London Timber Vastern Timber Accoya Lion frames (FSC certified framing profile) Reclaimed wood Suppliers
Riverside Timber Recycle St.Albans Wood Recycling Reclaimed Ltd West7 Reclamation Yard City Wood English Woodlands Timber Waste management: Recycle and Reuse centres
Western Road, Haringey Summers Lane, Barnet South Access Road, Waltham Forest Gateway Road, Waltham Forest Regis Road, Camden Islington Reuse and Recycling centre RRC, Tower Hamlets Reuse and Recycling Centre, Lewisham Reuse and Recycling, Southwark Reuse and Recycling Centre, Acton Vale Street, Lambeth Nathan Way, Greenwich |