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Handcrafting our jewelry locally and running a company with sustainable values is important to us and we don’t just talk the talk. Pyrrha is a B Corp, a member of the Responsible Jewellery Council (certification number 0000 4572), Butterfly Mark certified through Positive Luxury, and a member of 1% for the Planet. We cast our sustainable jewelry in 100% recycled sterling silver, 14k gold, and bronze in our Canadian Green Building Council certified Zero Carbon Vancouver studio.
We want Pyrrha to reflect our personal belief that we should tread lightly on the earth. We’re acutely aware of the havoc that the conventional jewelry industry wreaks, and we want to inspire other companies to be more accountable, transparent, and better for the world.
We consider the environmental impact of everything we do and we’re committed to always trying to improve.
– Wade and Danielle Papin (Pyrrha founders and designers)
The 2030 United Nations Agenda for Sustainable Development provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet. The agenda is centered around the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that address the most critical issues in our existence.
At Pyrrha, we have assessed these goals and we've chosen to focus on those that align with our values.
As you read more about our sustainability initiatives, look for the SDG logos.
In 2009 we purchased a 100 year old house for Pyrrha to call home. After quickly running out of space we decided to build our dream studio. Over the past several years we've worked tirelessly to bring our vision of a fully restored heritage house with adjoining production facility to fruition. Our new zero-carbon certified build—comprised of the original heritage house and our newly built production tower—is a juxtaposition of the old and the modern, just like our jewelry. Along with our team of artisans, we sustainably handcraft every piece of our jewelry in the tower, while the heritage house is home to our showroom.
Our production tower and showroom have been granted Zero Carbon Certification through the Canadian Green Building Council (CAGBC) to recognize our build's sustainability and performance achievements. This means it is certified as producing net zero carbon emissions while operating. We accomplished this by designing the house and tower to be energy efficient, sourcing renewable energy, and using low-carbon building materials.
Heritage Renovation - The retention of the 100+ year old house preserves its immense heritage value, decreases waste to landfills, and reduces the need for new resources.
CLT Construction - Cross-laminated Timber (CLT) was our primary construction material, which replaced the more common concrete construction. CLT is a sustainable material that stores carbon, whereas concrete is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gases in construction. In addition to being renewable, CLT generates less material waste.
Smart Windows- The windows in our production tower are photochromic and use artificial intelligence to tint automatically according to the positioning of the sun. These Smart Windows reduce heat and glare to reduce energy usage while increasing comfort.
Geoexchange System – Instead of burning fossil fuels, our building is heated and cooled with a geothermal pump that draws energy from the ground. This renewable energy source is a sustainable alternative to traditional fossil fuels. Comfort is maintained by radiant heat and cooling slabs with ventilation provided by Passive House certified Heat Recovery Ventilators (HRVs).
Bird/Bug Habitat - Our landscaping features a unique bird and bug wall in our courtyard that provides much needed urban habitat and encourages biodiversity.
Your sustainably handcrafted Pyrrha piece has its own history. In a previous life, it may have been a silver goblet, a gold watch strap, a gem-encrusted brooch or even a series of electronic components. Precious metals can be infinitely recycled with absolutely no loss of quality. The mining of metals negatively impacts the environment in myriad ways and displaces indigenous peoples. Our commitment to casting our sustainable jewelry in 100% certified recycled gold and silver helps to preserve land and wildlife while drastically reducing our carbon footprint—compared to using new metals—by upwards of 97%.
B Corp is an international standard for ethics, transparency, and accountability in business. Companies that are certified to the B Corp standard lead the way in the business community by using business as a force for good. The idea is that through their products and practices, businesses should aspire to not only do no harm, but to benefit all. Becoming a B Corp is hard – the bar is high and the process is rigorous. Recertification confirms these standards continue to be met on an ongoing basis. While there are over 4500 B Corps from over 70 countries and 150 industries, Pyrrha is 1 of only 18 certified B Corps worldwide that manufactures jewelry.
Net zero impact.
We believe that every individual and community, and business must play a role in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. That’s why Pyrrha has chosen to be a carbon neutral company. We work very hard to keep our carbon footprint low by constantly evaluating and reducing our emissions.
Being carbon neutral means that for every tonne of GHG emissions we produce as a company, we invest in projects that remove a tonne of GHG emissions from the atmosphere. Pyrrha has achieved carbon neutrality for its Scope 1, 2, and 3 greenhouse gas emissions for the 2022 fiscal year under the Carbonzero Certified program.
Carbon offsets are often misunderstood, and because of this, they are sometimes dismissed as greenwashing due to their use by some unscrupulous companies. We stand behind the concept of carbon neutrality at Pyrrha for the following reasons:
Offsets are additional – These projects would not have happened without funding. This means they are “additional,” or beyond business as usual. In other words, we are accelerating the shift to renewable energy and land conservation by investing in projects that would otherwise not be viable.
Offsets are voluntary – No one makes us offset our emissions – we are not “paying to play."
Offsets are verified – Each project is reviewed by independent third parties, to ensure the science is sound and the project is credible. Verifiers even continue to check on the projects many years after the offsets have been sold to ensure they are reducing emissions as promised.
Offsets are our last resort - Before we purchase offsets, we first do everything in our power to decrease our carbon footprint as much as possible. For any emissions we're unable to reduce, we purchase offsets.
To maintain carbon neutrality, we must measure our carbon footprint each year. This involves taking an inventory of all GHG emission sources at Pyrrha, from the energy we use in our production facility to the flights we take to trade shows and the shipping of our sustainable jewelry. Once we’ve quantified our annual GHG emissions, we know exactly how many tonnes of carbon we need to offset.
1% for the Planet membership is the gold standard for corporate environmental philanthropy. We are committed to donating a minimum of 1% of our gross sales to eco-initiatives to drive on-the-ground change within the core areas of climate, food, land, pollution, water, and wildlife. We are proud to be a part of this global network of more than 3,400 responsible businesses giving back to environmental nonprofits to create a healthier planet.
RJC is the world’s leading standard-setting organization for the jewelry industry: as certified members, we are helping to transform supply chains to be more responsible and sustainable. The RJC code of conduct covers all the metals used in jewelry manufacturing as well as colored gemstones. The RJC’s robust certification process is independently audited and ISEAL accredited, upholding the highest standards. We are united in our shared belief that responsible business should not harm people or the planet.
We have been awarded the Butterfly Mark by Positive Luxury in recognition of our commitment to creating a positive impact on society and the planet. The Butterfly Mark is an independent, globally respected trust mark awarded to luxury brands, retailers and suppliers that meet the highest standards of verified ESG+ performance: Environmental, Social, Governance and Innovation.
It’s important to us that our business gives back to the community. We choose initiatives and causes to support that align with our values, like education, mental health, diversity, inclusivity, and the environment.
'Love Her But Leave Her Wild' was written by Atticus as anappreciation of the irrepressible power of the female spirit. We donate $50 from each talisman sold to To Write Love on Her Arms, a non-profit organization that aims to present hope for people struggling with addiction, depression,self-injury and thoughts of suicide, while also investing in treatment and recovery.So far, we have raised over $35,000 USD.
‘She Wore Her Scars Like Wings’, a piece using Atticus’ words, is a celebration of self-love. $50 from each talisman sold is donated to Love is Louder, a charity dedicated to creating more supportive communities and campuses for teenagers and young adults. Funds raised go to programs combatting bullying, discrimination, self-image issues and the harmful aspects of social media.
We donate $1 for every gift box declined on our website to the Environmental Youth Alliance (EYA), a registered charity that supports BIPOC youth in connecting with nature and their community, while learning the skills required to become environmental stewards and community leaders. EYA provides free land-based education and paid employment-training programs in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.
The Pyrrha Scholarship and the Pyrrha Indigenous Student Award are part of our ongoing commitment to support the craft of jewelry making through the Vancouver Community College (VCC) Jewelry Art and Design program. Along with the monetary awards we also offer the recipients ongoing support in their career growth . We (Danielle and Wade) sit on the Program Advisory Committee and regularly share our vast knowledge of the jewelry industry to help shape the program.
We regularly contribute to Hives for Humanity through partial proceeds from our Bee themed talismans. Hives for Humanity is a non-profit organization that supports inclusion within the community and builds belonging by leading therapeutic bee-keeping programs on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.
Our printed materials, gift boxes, and shipping boxes are all made from recycled and/or FSC certified paper. Our meaning card paper is handmade in Canada from recycled cotton t-shirt offcuts, linen, flax straw and jute, letter pressed locally and hand-torn in our studio. While we feel we do a good job with sustainable packaging, we're always looking for ways to do better.
We are proud to be a certified Living Wage Employer and we are dedicated to the health and wellbeing of our staff. Vancouver is an expensive place to live, and we believe that the government minimum does not come close to providing the required income to support a good quality of life for workers and their families.
We encourage other businesses to pursue this certification to help support the local economy, reduce barriers to social inclusion, and support the mental and physical health of our city’s residents.
