Various terminology and language are used when it comes to the work people do in the environmental sphere, from ‘sustainable’ to ‘eco-friendly’ to ‘green.’ We have consciously chosen to use the term ‘regeneration’ when discussing our practices, as we believe it best encompasses the values we champion at Yu Mei.
Regeneration, at its core, is about renewing and restoring things to the same or better state than they started. Our ambition is to ensure that we focus on regenerating the resources and the environment we are drawing from when creating our products—looking at everything from the materials we use to our carbon emissions, to where our products end up when they are no longer usable.
Our goal is to have a net positive impact across the board—encompassing everything from our emissions, regenerative practices and circular design values, to the people and communities we work with and are surrounded by. This involves taking a holistic look at what we do and how we do it, and the many factors that come into play when creating and consuming a product.
To plan and execute this ambition, hold us accountable, and communicate our progress transparently to our community, we have created our Regeneration Roadmap. We have always taken a holistic and ongoing view of our Regeneration approach, so this ongoing Roadmap is structured around three key pillars that evolve with our business.
Provenance
The first pillar is the provenance of our materials and the integrity of our supply chain—this is the fundamental pillar which all other elements are built from. We have spent the past nine years developing a responsible supply chain and ensuring the integrity of our suppliers and manufacturers, including—but not limited to—elements like their own regenerative approach, their farming practices, how labourers are paid, how we offset carbon emissions, and so forth.
Stewardship
The next pillar is what we refer to as Stewardship.
Through regenerative processes and utilitarian design, we champion a circular model of production and consumption, including maximising use at every stage of our products’ life cycle. Yu Mei is committed to responsible consumption and cultivating sustainable buying habits within our community. This is the staple and ethos of our approach to utilitarian, intentional, and timeless design.
This includes the frameworks we have in place as a business that enable the customer to make good decisions around their use of our products. We believe the onus shouldn’t be entirely on the consumer to have all the knowledge and do all the research, themselves.
We must offer tools that encourage conscious consumption. Key systems within our circular model are our Care Products and Education we offer so that customers know how to look after their leather goods to extend their life; the in-house Refurbishment Service, which helps keep our bags in circulation for as long as possible, and our Buyback Initiative which allows customers to re-sell us pre-loved bags they don’t use anymore, so we can give them a second life by pairing them up with a new owner.
This pillar also includes making sure we use all our materials responsibly, maximising use and minimising waste. Our annual Club Yu Mei Archive Events offer recycled, repurposed, and exclusive samples, Seconds, past season pieces, or Buyback Bags refurbished through our in-house atelier—all at exclusive archive prices.
The Future
The final pillar is the Future.
We intend to continue to learn and innovate to remain a Regeneration leader within our space and beyond—and to be responsible for educating our audience on the value, intricacies, and impact of these expectations and methods. Our unwavering commitment to continuously improve, innovate, and lead through action permeates every aspect of what we do, and why.
This also involves the future of our products, and where they return to at the end of their life. Our goal is for our bags to become cradle to cradle: from land to luxury, then going from luxury to land again. But we’re not there yet—it’s a process that will take significant time and resource.
We also understand the importance of supporting the community that supports us. This ranges from our partnership with the Wellington City Mission to our collaborations with visual artists and beyond.
That’s why we’re calling this a roadmap. It’s an overview of where we’ve come from and where we want to go. It’s not set in stone, because while we’re proud of what we’ve established, we’ll inevitably need to revisit and evolve as things change as our practices—and the world around us—progress.
