Join us in #PlasticFreeJuly

19/07/2023

How does cleaner streets, oceans, and beautiful communities sound to you? A no-brainer, right? Then join us, Plastic-Free July and millions of people around the world to be part of the solution to plastic pollution. 

Here at Spitalfields, we are BIG on sustainability, so we’re encouraging all our visitors to join the 250 million participants worldwide in taking part this year. By making a few small tweaks to your daily habits, you can make some considerable changes to the community. 

We’re playing our part by ensuring all our food operators use recyclable materials and by encouraging visitors to use the recycling bins dotted throughout the Market. Also, don’t forget our lunchbox initiative! We gave away 1,000 stylish and sturdy lunchboxes to East London locals when we reopened Lamb Street to provide a reusable alternative to single-use ones. The lunchboxes have been snapped up for now (but watch this space!), however you can still redeem 10% off selected street food trucks if you bring your own food container. 

Ready for the challenge? To help you kick-start your journey to plastic-free living, we’ve shared some of our eco-warrior market traders and artists below who are killing it when it comes to sustainability. 

Urban Driftwood 

Urban Driftwood is a homeware brand that is truly passionate about sustainability. Every single one of the finished products available to shop in the market has been created using recycled timber, salvaged wood and other materials that would otherwise be sent to landfill. 

As a designer and maker of all types of interior decor, Urban Driftwood gets much of their inspiration from nature, and often the wood itself will dictate the design, making each piece beautifully unique. Find them in the market every Friday and Saturday. 

Electrickery

The brainchild of London based artist and designer David Wright, Electrickery offers truly unique art, jewellery and home decor, created using unwanted circuit boards and other computer components. If you have never seen someone transform a motherboard into a moth, or an old disk into a dragonfly, you’ll be ‘buzzing’ to see what David can do.  

Find Electrickery in the trader’s market every weekend, and soon one of his wonderfully one-of-a-kind ‘tech-sidermy’ bugs could be flying home with you. 

Sonia Santamaria 

The go-to-girl when it comes to taking the first step into your new plastic-free future! With over 20 years’ experience making jewellery, Sonia Santamaria is brimming with unique earrings, necklaces, bracelets and rings. Each piece has been lovingly handcrafted using recycled silver, injecting a new lease of life to something previously unwanted. The quality of each piece in the collection is unmatched, and the strong eco-friendly core values of the small business means you can look good and feel good about playing your part towards a zero-waste world. 

Steve Yeates 

British sculptor and keen environmentalist Steve creates his magic using recycled materials. Just take a look at his gallery to see the incredible works of art he creates with items such as vandalised London bus shelter glass and reclaimed bronze from fishing boat engines. Well, they do say one man’s trash is another man’s treasure!

What changes will you be making to live more plastic-free this month? Let us know! 

For more information on Spitalfields sustainability commitment, click here.