NYC-based jewelry designers Elise Shatz and Shelby Scudder launched their brand Garbage NY with a clear goal in mind: creating fine jewelry with little to no waste. “Our name is Garbage, but we care a lot about leaving as little of it behind as possible,” they stress on their website. To minimize overproduction and waste, everything is “made to order” with sustainable practices.
“As of right now, everything is made in NYC, and the majority of our stuff is cast from recycled metals,” they added in an interview with Buzzwork. “However, we acknowledge that there will always be countless ways to improve, especially as the business grows, and we strive to learn more every day. Whether you’re an individual or a business, climate change is destroying the earth and our work is never done when it comes to sustainability!”
According to the two designers, every component is sourced in the United States and assembled locally, with none of their production taking place somewhere they can’t see with their own eyes. And while gold and silver are the lifeblood of their product, they’re also notorious for dumping environmental waste into the earth; so the two found a caster in New York that primarily uses 100% recycled metals. “Some of their materials are sourced from a metal supplier that actively limits their energy, water, and production of toxic waste,” they note on their website.
But while their brand preaches sustainability, their products themselves promote a light-hearted approach. “Avoiding ‘preachiness’ is a huge priority for us, so humor definitely plays a role in the way we communicate our values,” Shatz and Scudder note. Designing everything with a sense of humor and playfulness in mind, their jewelry collections tend to be on the quirky, nostalgic side.
Sounds good to us.
