Running a business in today’s financially-strained climate isn’t always synonymous with low impact practices – especially when it comes to saving time and money.

The good news? There are still plenty of businesses striving hard to buck the trend and, here in Penzance, we’re lucky to have a whole community of like-minded businesses doing their best to make a difference.

That includes contemporary jewellery designer (and Sustainable PZ Business Hub member!) Justin Duance. His work is all about celebrating the resources we already have, using recycled metals, ethically-sourced gemstones, salvaged woods and more to create pieces inspired by our natural surroundings and full of personal meaning.

But it’s not just about the end result of his work; lowering impact where possible is in his daily practice, too.

Energy and impact

Most recently, his focus has centred around his new workshop in Penzance, which was once an almost-derelict building. For Justin, it was an opportunity to rethink how a creative business can operate with minimal environmental impact, starting from the fabric of the building itself. “Rather than ripping it all back and destroying everything, I decided to try to keep as much of the stuff that was in it already,” he says.

While this approach meant compromising slightly on insulation, it avoided the negative impacts associated with plastics, foams and new construction materials. Walls were repaired rather than replaced, while insulation was focused where it made the most sense (in the floors and ceilings) to ensure it remained as low impact as possible.

“I felt it was more sustainable because I’m not burying the walls in plastic and foam and chemicals,” he says. “We then just renovated it back to kind of a new clean state, and then installed solar panels and batteries and took out the gas heating.”

The solar panels mean that, during the summer months, the business has the capability to be almost entirely energy self-sufficient, while they generate close to nine kilowatts of power. The result is using a negligible amount of electricity from the grid, despite having ten people working on site with machinery, motors and lasers.

Any excess energy is then fed back into the grid, helping to offset fossil-fuel-generated electricity used elsewhere. And, while winter will be the real test, the aim is for the building to be close to carbon neutral over the course of a year.

Compared to the previous workshop, Justin explains this building is also warmer, potentially because of its location, with the last workshop being shaded by trees and facing away from the sun. And, being closer to town, the team is now able to shop for office needs locally, instead of hopping in a car to do it.

It’s not just about energy use or location, though. Justin says, “One of the reasons we got this building is not because it looks nice, or we’ll make more money. It’s so that everybody here has a really nice place to go to work.

“We don’t need to spend any money on the yard [for example] but I think making the yard nice will just make it a nice place to come to work and hopefully the karma rubs off, I suppose.”

Sourcing materials

So, what else is the business doing to mitigate impact?

Jewellery is traditionally a high-impact industry, so procurement is an area where the business has worked hard to reduce harm. “We try to get materials that are pre-owned as much as possible and we try to convince people to use things that are pre-owned, especially with the gemstones,” Justin explains.

As a result, all metals used are recycled, and (wherever possible) gemstones and diamonds are pre-owned, or sourced from ethical sites. When newly-mined stones are required, the team prioritise traceability, sourcing diamonds and gemstones where the mine (and often even the miner) is known.

Connecting with place

Connecting with place is also a key way Justin likes to keep engaged with the planet around him, and one of the reasons leaving minimal impact is important to him. “I do some things where I go down to the beach and I just take a blowtorch and then I try to find all the stuff (apart from the metal) on the beach to make the jewellery,” he says.

“I really like the idea of not having to take very much stuff with me to go and be able to produce some really interesting jewellery.

“And I try to run my business a bit like that in terms of where, if we’re buying materials, we get them in a sustainable way. Because I don’t think you necessarily need to waste money and energy on doing, or using other stuff.”

Meaningful change

Like many small businesses, Justin acknowledges that sustainability isn’t perfect or finished, that systems need to be easy for staff to follow, and sometimes need wins out. The key? Constant reflection and improvement.

Most importantly, by thinking about where things come from and how day-to-day business can be less impactful, these small, practical decisions have added up to meaningful change for Justin Duance Jewellery. Low impact is not just an add-on, it’s built into the very foundations of the business.

Want to join the Sustainable PZ Business Hub? Find out everything you need to know, right here.

Images: Justin Duance Jewellery