Treading Lightly /trɛd/ /ˈlʌɪtli/
Why?
Cillie is here to bring personality and creativity into a values based home. We believe everyone should have spaces that spark joy and express individuality, without sacrificing ethics. Minimalism often dominates design, especially in the ethical and sustainable space. We aim to add colour, humour, and liveliness into the mix. Basically, Cillie is a place for the cillie people to have their joyful cake and eat it...consciously...
How?
At Cillie, commitment to our core values—integrity, honesty, and accountability—guides every aspect of the brand.
Integrity is about more than just making statements—it's about putting actions to our words. Integrity drives us to create original, authentic designs that resonate with our value set. We are committed to continuous learning and growth, never compromising our principles for fads or instant popularity.
We believe in honesty through transparency and ongoing communication, sharing openly where we stand, what we're proud of, and what we hope to improve on. This transparency extends to every facet of our operations, from the production process, materials used, packaging, etc.
Accountability is at the heart of everything we do. We take full responsibility for our products, from conception to end of life- following a circular design method. This means prioritising mindful manufacturing, quality, and minimising damage to the planet throughout the entire lifecycle of our goods. This being said, we're at a stage where having no brand at all would be the best way. We hope this initial, not-so-perfect-but-a-good-start to Cillie will propel us to make positive change. We want our brand to help the world, not hinder it.
These values inform our actions and decisions, driving us to constantly improve and make a less negative impact on the world (we won't say positive, because we're not there yet). We believe that by upholding honesty, accountability, and integrity, we can inspire positive change, foster creativity, and bring joy and individuality into the home.
Now What?
At Cillie, are committed to our value of honesty through supply chain transparency. We offer complete transparency with each product and its packaging, striving to provide you with as much information as possible.
To achieve this, we've developed a comprehensive system that allows you to access detailed information about every aspect of our products. On each product page, you'll find a dropdown menu containing details such as materials used, manufacturing processes, packaging materials, care instructions, and end-of-life considerations.
We have encountered obstacles along this journey towards total transparency. For instance, while we aim to provide precise traceability down to the source farm, some suppliers have minimum order quantity requirements that hinder this level of detail unless larger quantities are purchased.
Nevertheless, we remain unwavering in our commitment to communication. As we continue to progress, we will keep collecting and updating data to provide you with the most comprehensive information possible. Our goal is simple: we want you to know as much about our products as we do.
We believe that by giving you full visibility into our supply chain, you'll be empowered to make informed choices that align with your values. We also believe this transparency will help drive our ethics- if we're not proud of how it was made, we won't make it.
At Cillie, we take our accountability for the full lifecycle of our products seriously. We understand that by bringing something into the world, we are responsible for its entire journey—from creation to disposal. That's why we are committed to the principles of the circular economy, which help guide our actions and decisions.
The circular economy is governed by three major principles, and this is how we are currently participating in each of them:
1. Eliminate waste wherever possible: We strive to minimize waste and seek out solutions that reduce environmental impact. We buy packaging that is predominantly made from recycled materials. However, it's important to note that our yarns are currently sourced from new materials. While we continue to explore options for recycled wool yarns, we prioritise ensuring that our throws maintain softness and quality. We are committed to using repurposed materials wherever possible, but maintain that an item that gets used for years holds greater value than one that simply checks a sustainability box but won't be used for long.
2. Circulate products and materials at their highest value: We materials that will last years and maintain value throughout their lifecycle. This ensures that our products withstand the test of time and minimize the need for replacement. At the end of their lifecycle, we offer a buy-back program for our products. This allows us to repurpose or properly recycle them, further closing the loop and reducing waste.
3. Regenerate nature: We are committed to protecting and restoring the natural environment. For example, we exclusively use 100% RWS certified wool, sourced from farms that practice regenerative land management techniques. This promotes soil health, biodiversity, and the protection of native species. Furthermore, almost 100% of our materials, both product and packaging, are compostable.
As we continue, we aim to further progress with the principles of the circular economy. This is just the start and we have big plans for the future of Cillie!
At Cillie, integrity is about more than just making statements—it's about putting actions to our words.
While developing Cillie, we struggled with the pressure to be perfect and to meet every expectation. When we took a step back and mapped out our own value set, we were able to approach Cillie from a more authentic lense.
Now, we make decisions that align with our core beliefs. This approach allows us to maintain authenticity and make meaningful contributions without spreading ourselves too thin.
For example, when we put a statement at the bottom of our site that said "We acknowledge the traditional owners of the land we occupy," the words felt vacant when it wasn't followed up by action. Our brand is conducted on this land and benefits non-Indigenous people.
We wanted to acknowledge this in a way that extends into tangible support. That's why we chose to donate 5% of purchases to Djirra, an Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation. Djirra is dedicated to providing practical support and resources to Aboriginal women, especially those experiencing family violence or who have in the past.
By living in alignment with our values, we're able to navigate the complexities of business with clarity and purpose. Integrity isn't about being perfect—but it is about making a positive impact in the ways that matter most to us.
What Next?
Looking ahead, Cillie is fueled by some pretty ambitious goals. While we're proud of our current efforts, we recognise the need for continuous improvement and have set our sights on significant milestones for the future.
One of our primary objectives is to enhance our transparency efforts across the entire supply chain. As we secure larger orders, we aim to provide more comprehensive supply chain details, including information on the many hands it takes to craft each piece. We plan to leverage our growing resources to conduct Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs), calculate emissions, and establish clear sustainability goals with achievable timelines.
Reducing and offsetting emissions is a key priority for us. We're dedicated to minimising our environmental footprint wherever possible, and we're committed to making more informed decisions based on our traceability learnings. Ensuring not just fair, but good working conditions for all individuals involved in our supply chain is another imperative goal. While many of our materials are certified, we recognise the need to expand audits to all manufacturers, prioritising social fairness.
Regarding manufacturing in China, we maintain transparency about our decision-making process. We're comfortable with our manufacturing practices, particularly when it comes to the techniques we use, which are not feasible locally. However, we aim to reduce freight emissions by developing certain future products locally and continuously seeking opportunities for improvement.
Looking beyond simply avoiding harm, our aspiration is to actively contribute to positive change. We're inspired by regenerative design principles and are eager to incorporate them into our future endeavors. Additionally, we're committed to fully embracing the principles of the circular economy, striving not just to acknowledge them but to embody them in all aspects of our operations.
While we acknowledge that perfection is elusive, our ultimate aim is to tip the scales towards doing more good than harm. By continually challenging ourselves, remaining transparent, and prioritising sustainability and social responsibility, we're confident that we can make meaningful strides towards a better future.