Two friends, two backgrounds,
ONE MISSION

To save event waste from landfill.

Who are we?

We are two friends – Heather and Yvonne – who have worked together for various companies since they both joined the event industry.  So when Heather decided she wanted to start her own company – doing what she was already doing but in a sustainable way – it was inevitable that Yvonne was going to join her one day.

We are both mums, crafters and cake lovers (both our first jobs were in bakeries!). Neither are social media savvy or watch much TV – although we wouldn’t miss the Great British Sewing Bee or Bake Off!

And we drink Tea – lots of it.

Why Start Calluna Upcycling?

Working in the events industry it was the norm to see an exhibition hall full of waste post event – sometimes several large skips worth. Every time is a shock, even though no one else seems to bat an eyelid.

Heather started Calluna Graphix to provide sustainable exhibition stands, once finished with she turned the unwanted fabric graphics into products such as handbags.

The upcycling side of the company took off with many other event organisers wanting to donate their fabric to the cause of saving it from landfill – knowing that 10% of proceeds on the products sold would also go to Charity.  So Calluna Upcycling was born!

Our Sewers

There are so many reasons people find themselves out of work or unable to take on full time hours – mostly because employers can’t (or won’t) offer flexible working. People who need flexible working aren’t just parent’s trying to work around childcare issues (did you know that 2 adult’s standard holiday days do not equal the amount of days kids have off school!).  There are other reasons… working with illness – physical and/or mental, working whilst also being a caregiver, getting back into work after a trauma perhaps a miscarriage or mental breakdown, struggling with menopause or fleeing domestic violence. The list is endless.

We decided to help these people, with the support of Charity Landau.

All our sewers struggle with a personal circumstance but we offer complete flexible working.  They take fabric and all the accessories they need to make a product home to work in their own time and at their own pace with no pressure.  They are paid a fair price per product so it is up to them how much they make with no deadlines. We hope by doing this we give them more confidence and skills to help them in the future.

Female Empowerment Icon

Our Mission

Our mission is to save waste from the event industry.

We give it a new life in a sustainable, ethical way.

This allows us to give back to charity as well as empower women to get back into work.

Our Values

  • Dedicated to create exciting and durable products that our customers love
  • Determined to save as much event fabric from landfill as we can cope with
  • Striving to minimize our own carbon footprint and work in a sustainable way
  • Committed to giving completely flexible working to our sewers, mental health is equally as important as physical health
  • Believe that local charities must also benefit from what we achieve

Who are we?

We are two friends – Heather and Yvonne – who have worked together for nearly 10years.  So when Heather decided she wanted to start her own company – it was inevitable that Yvonne was going to join her one day.

We are both mums, crafters and cake lovers. Neither are social media savvy or watch much TV – although we wouldn’t miss the Great British Sewing Bee or Bake Off!

And we drink Tea – lots of it.

Why Start Calluna Upcycling?

Working in the events industry it was the norm to see an exhibition hall full of waste post event – sometimes several large skips worth. Every time is a shock, even though no one else seems to bat an eyelid.

Heather started Calluna Graphix to provide sustainable exhibition stands, once finished with she turned the unwanted fabric graphics into products such as handbags.

The upcycling side of the company took off with many other event organisers wanting to donate their fabric to the cause of saving it from landfill – knowing that 10% of proceeds on the products sold would also go to Charity.  So Calluna Upcycling was born!

Our Sewers

Female Empowerment Icon

There are so many reasons people find themselves out of work or unable to take on full time hours – mostly because employers can’t (or won’t) offer flexible working.

All our sewers struggle with a personal circumstance but we offer complete flexible working.  They take fabric and all the accessories they need to make a product home to work in their own time and at their own pace with no pressure.

They are paid a fair price per product so it is up to them how much they make with no deadlines. We hope by doing this we give them more confidence and skills to help them in the future.

Our Mission

DSCF6269

Our mission is to save waste from the event industry and give it a new life in a sustainable, ethical way which allows us to give back to charity and empower women to get back into work.

Our Values

Dedicated to create exciting and durable products using event waste

Striving to minimize our carbon footprint and work in the most sustainable way we can

Committed to giving completely flexible working to our sewers

There is room to keep giving and work with  multiple charities

Working for the future – the greener it looks, the better it looks

Life matters, our staff come first and we know that mental health is equally as important as physical health.

There is room to keep giving and work with  multiple charities

Back To Top