Emily Carter is an award-winning British designer based in London who specialises in hand-illustrated silk accessories and interiors for the home. Each design begins with a detailed original drawing, with experimentation in colour and composition before being printed on high-quality materials. Every product is made in England to the highest standard, hemmed and packaged by hand.
Emily has never called herself a 'sustainable' business. Her approach has always been simpler than that: “I do the best I can with the resources I have.” But she wanted to fully understand her business's carbon footprint, particularly as she was expanding her charity partnerships with wildlife organisations. If she was representing them, she needed to be consciously doing the right things in her own business.
Technology moves quickly. Emily wondered if there were new options available now that weren't around five years ago - ways to make the business more carbon-efficient that she simply didn't know about yet.
What the LCT programme offered
The expert advice proved invaluable, particularly the sessions on materials and circular business models. As part of this guidance, Emily conducted a customer survey to understand existing behaviours and attitudes towards circular fashion. She offered participants the chance to win a free scarf as an incentive.
The response exceeded all expectations. "The customer survey I did as a result of the programme was one of the most valuable things I have ever done for the business."
Emily received 65 responses in a single day, with insightful customer feedback that was both affirming and gave her data-backed evidence for planning future initiatives.
Emily's focus is on logistics and fabrics. Her fabrics are already as sustainable as possible within current constraints, but the programme expanded her awareness of other options. Rather than rushing to implement changes, she's taking time to research alternatives properly - understanding what's available now rather than working on outdated assumptions.
Her partner factories have been responsive to questions about sustainability, making the process more straightforward than anticipated. The programme gave Emily the knowledge and expertise to have those conversations with confidence.
"Being part of the LCT programme has given me the knowledge and expertise I needed to have those conversations."
Beyond the practical changes to sourcing and logistics, the programme gave Emily a clearer picture of where her business stands and what's realistic to tackle. The customer survey, in particular, opened new possibilities for engaging customers in circular initiatives - an outcome she hadn't anticipated.
Having access to expert advice meant Emily could ask the right questions and make informed decisions, rather than guessing or hoping she was doing the right thing.
Emily's approach reflects her pragmatic philosophy: understand your impact, identify realistic improvements, and don't assume you need to overhaul everything immediately. Sometimes the most valuable outcomes come from unexpected places - like a customer survey.