AS COP26 kicks off in Glasgow, a Christchurch-based micro business, the Emma Jane Collection, has shown that generating profits and protecting the planet are not mutually exclusive.

The Emma Jane Collection, which Emma Jane Lovell has been running from a tiny studio nestled at the top of her garden in Christchurch, is just about to turn six

Emma has always loved recycling items and giving them a new lease of life, so she started to collect pieces of scrap wood from the refuse tip and paint images of wild and often forgotten flowers on them.

She started visiting local shops to see if anyone would be interested in stocking and selling her work and, to her delight, every shop she entered enthusiastically accepted her work.

Caring for the environment is at the heart of Emma’s business. For example:

  • Her studio uses 75 per cent recycled materials
  • Her artwork is made up of 90 per cent recycled materials
  • Her water usage is down to zero waste since 2019. ( Emma subsequently received the Litter Free Coast & Sea Business Award)
  • Her packaging is 100 per cent recycled
  • She has switched to ink stamps in place of non-recyclable stickers.

This year, ahead of the COP26 summit in Glasgow, she joined Ecologi to donate to tree planting with every sale through her website, and personally makes a monthly donation to offset her carbon footprint.

Now, as her businesses approaches its sixth birthday, Emma Jane has a small but successful business supplying beautiful paintings from recycled materials to shops and galleries regionally, as well as via her own website.

“Using eco-friendly materials is a very important part of my creative process, and absolutely nothing goes to waste,” she said.

“Everything that has been forgotten or is destined for the tip I will try to make use of, reclaim, recycle and re-love.

“What I hope to show to others is that caring for the planet and earning an income are not mutually exclusive.”

More about Emma’s work can be found at emmajanecollection.com