Cocoknits Sustainability Commitment
Each Cocoknits product is designed by Julie Weisenberger, the owner and creative mind behind Cocoknits. She creates new products with the intention of solving a problem and putting something useful and beautiful into the world. Sometimes the inspiration comes from the material, other times it comes from a need. Either way, she always wants to avoid adding to landfills, so we do not come out with new products unless we believe they are high quality and delightful. Because we are a woman-owned small business we can choose not to release new products when we believe there isn't a need.
We do our best to use the most environmentally-friendly materials in our products and packaging. Whenever possible Cocoknits products are made with sustainable and eco-friendly materials, and avoid using traditional petroleum plastics and glue. All of our products are free from formaldehyde and formamide. Many of our products are recyclable or biodegradable (in a commercial facility). All of our packaging is recyclable or reusable.
Read more about individual materials we use, below.
If you would like to learn more about the materials used in a specific product, please see the individual product pages.
Bamboo is a great natural alternative to wood. It grows quickly and doesn’t require pesticides to farm. When grown in its natural environment it is not an invasive plant and can help us avoid deforestation. It is naturally biodegradable and a strong material, so we use it in our products as an alternative to traditional wood.
EVA foam is used in many products, like shoes and some medical equipment. We chose to make our Stitch Stoppers and Blocking Mats from EVA foam because it is the most eco-friendly material available for this type of product. It is non-PVC, BPA-free, formaldehyde-free, formamide-free.
Jute is made from a plant which grows quickly without pesticides. It creates a strong coarse fabric that is biodegradable and durable, so we like to use it for our product totes.
Several of our products have cotton components to them. Even though cotton is a natural material it is a bit controversial. Cotton uses a lot of water to grow and process, and it negatively impacts the environment. More importantly, most of the world’s cotton production is infamous for human rights and labor violations. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee where our cotton comes from so we avoid using it wherever possible. Linen is a much more sustainable and socially conscious option.
Leather can be a controversial material for many reasons. We choose to use leather in some of our products because it is a natural material and many of the leather alternatives are traditional petroleum based plastics. Vegetable-tanned leather is the most eco-friendly version of leather because it is biodegradable and non-toxic materials are used during the tanning process, making it more environmentally-friendly and sustainable than other leather.
PLA is one of our favorite materials to design with because it is moldable and biodegradable. It makes for a great alternative to traditional petroleum plastic. PLA stands for polylactic acid. It is 100% fiber waste, made from fermented plant starch, such as corn, beets, or sugar cane.
Our first product made with PLA was the travel size Needle Gauge, and we loved it so much that we just keep designing with it!
Some history:
In 2018 we learned of a moldable, biodegradable material that was an alternative to traditional petroleum plastics. We were excited to start working with it, so Julie designed the travel size Needle Gauge! This first manufacturing run went great, we even tested it’s biodegradability by dissolving it in water over a few days. Although this was exciting, we soon realized that if the needle gauge got wet or was in extreme humidity it also started to breakdown or expand. So we went back to our manufacturer and they figured out that if they add non-fermented starch to the PLA mix, then it is more stable, no longer water soluble, and still commercially biodegradable.
Paper is one of our favorite materials. We use kraft paper in our packaging and kraft paper fabric in our products, as well as woven mesh paper and recycled paper. We love unbleached paper because it is biodegradable, recyclable, compostable, less processed than bleached paper, and in fabric form it is washable and durable. It is a great alternative to cotton and leather.
We love linen! It is a beautiful material made from flax which can be grown with low environmental impact. It uses less water than cotton to grow and process, and is usually farmed in humane conditions. Linen is also biodegradable because it is a natural fiber. We use it for a lot of our packaging. Who doesn’t love a drawstring linen bag?
Silicone is made from sand and is a good alternative to malleable plastics. We like to use silicone for products that we design that need to be bendable or softer than something made with PLA. Our Maker’s Keep magnetic bracelet was first designed and manufactured by Julie in 2007 as part of the Knitter’s Keep kit. Our most recent silicone product is the Maker’s Clips.
Metal, specifically steel, is used in many of our products because it is a durable and high-quality material. Also it sticks to magnets! Which is kind of our thing. All of our stitch markers are steel or nylon coated steel. The Curved Cable Needles, Tapestry Needle, and Stitch Fixer are all nickel-plated steel. Our Yarn Snips, which look like little sheep shearing tools, are one piece of forged black steel.
A couple of our products are made with fabric made from recycled plastic bottles. Although we’d prefer to use natural materials and avoid traditional petroleum plastics altogether, sometimes it isn’t possible for us. In those instances we use the next best thing, which is material made from recycled plastic. We like that this helps reduce waste and keep some plastic out of landfills for a time, but it is a temporary solution. That is why we still are researching and developing these products using plastic-free natural materials. We hope to have plastic-free versions of these products available in the near future.
Cocoknits products are not all petroleum plastic free, nor are they all made in the U.S. We avoid traditional plastic as much as possible and when we have to use traditional plastics, use recycled materials if we can. The products that we make in China are sourced with the help of our long-time partner in China who is an engineer. He helps us fine tune all of the products that Julie dreams up and prototypes. He then helps us find manufacturers that can make them with the materials we want to use. We would love to manufacture everything in the U.S.A., but unfortunately there is not a domestic infrastructure to work with sustainable materials, especially on the relatively small scale that we do. We have considered manufacturing our packaging or portions of our products in the U.S. and doing the final assembly and kitting here. However that would increase the transportation within our supply chain and ultimately increase the carbon footprint. So in an effort to be environmentally conscious regarding transportation, we make and pack in China then ocean freight (or sometimes air freight) to our warehouse in California.
The individuals who make up the Cocoknits team are each part of the knitting community. We’re passionate about the knitting and making communities in both our personal and professional lives, so we are sincerely focused on keeping these communities thriving. With that in mind we only want to contribute products and patterns that we enjoy and believe add something unique to what is out there.
A big part of sustainability is supporting local communities and small businesses. As a Maker, you are already doing a great job by making some of your own garments and accessories. As a small business we are intentional about who we partner with and support, from distributors and independently owned shops, to the producers of the yarn we design knitting patterns with. You can read more about our commitment to independently owned shops in our company statements.
There is always room for improvement, and as a small and growing company we are always working on ways to improve. We are currently working on redeveloping a few products with a goal of incorporating more sustainable materials. We are in the process of switching the transparent windows on our packaging to a plastic-free transparent material moving forward. We are also looking into more sustainable ways to ship and warehouse.