Environmental
We love the countryside, the natural world and the people and animals in it. Therefore it is important to us that we live our daily lives and operate our business in an environmentally friendly manner.
Most of our timber is sourced from the local supplier WentwoodTimberCentre who are situated a short drive outside Newport. Their website includes a very informative page regarding environmental wood sourcing and associated issues which is well worth a read. If we source wood elsewhere (for instance wooden blanks) checks are made to help ensure that it derives from a renewable source.
The majority of the wool and fleece used is UK produced at a mill in Yorkshire.
We are mindful to carry out as much of our crafting activity as possible by hand using hand-tools. On the odd occasion where we resort to using electrical tools to assist us, we try to use tools with low power ratings and for the lowest duration practicable.
Care is taken not to waste any wood. In many cases the timber we buy in is of an ‘odd’ shape, so we might for instance need to cut the ends off in order to make e.g. a cutting board. Those end pieces are not thrown away, but instead we carefully consider whether we could create a small item with them such as a tealight holder or a small ornament.
Most materials used in the manufacture of our products are recyclable, such as wood, wool and metal. Notable exceptions are rubber feet and epoxy resin. The resins that we use are generally VOC free, low odour, food safe varieties and therefore (while not totally environmentally friendly) are relatively safe. The quantity of resin used is small in most instances and we do not waste a drop if we can help it!
Packaging is recycled where practicable in order to minimise waste.
Safety
We take safety seriously at Milton Creative Crafts. This includes the safety of our customers, the products that we craft, and also our own safety during the crafting processes.
Great care is taken to ensure that our products are safe when supplied to our customers. However, as an additional precaution we make written notes available regarding care of the item, any specific assembly instructions, and safe usage recommendations. This should help ensure safe usage and durability of the items. If you did not take a usage sheet at the time of purchase please feel free to download or view any appropriate documentation for your product on our downloads page, or email us with any specific questions.
Note that we do not sell toys or games. All of our products are intended for adult use only, or under the supervision of a responsible adult.
During the crafting process we sometimes find ourselves creating some dust, and also have the risk of eye injury when using mechanical tools: appropriate PPE is worn/used during these processes. The fractal wood burning process also requires special precautions due to relatively high voltages being used. Shane’s previous experience and training in electronics and high voltage working were very useful in devising a safe method of working, including the use of several safety switches, appropriate PPE and distancing, and the use of a current limited voltage supply. We DO NOT RECOMMEND TRYING HIGH VOLTAGE WOOD BURNING unless appropriate training has been undertaken, and suitable precautions applied.