Brand Spotlight: Sustainability is in Style with Nordgreen

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If you haven’t heard of Nordgreen before, then now might be a better time than any to shine a spotlight on this Scandinavian watch brand. Established back in 2017, the brand dedicates itself to sustainable practices, as well as gorgeously simple, versatile and functional designer timepieces – including the design featured in this post, the ‘Philosopher‘. All of their watches are available in a versatile range of straps (including a selection of real or vegan leather – with more on that a little later).

Before I delve into their watches (and more on their brand), I also want to shine a spotlight on their Giving Back Program, a partnership that gives you the opportunity to donate a portion of the profits made from your purchase towards a cause that resonates with you – whether it is providing clean water for the Central African Republic, giving education to a child in India or working towards preserving the rain forest in Latin America, it’s there for you.

So if you’re in the market for a new watch or maybe just want to see what brands are doing for our planet, head on over to Nordgreen. They are absolutely transparent and have put so much detailed information onto their website, but here’s my run down!

Watches & Options

Nordgreen watches are essentially designed in a ‘mix and match’ style. For their women’s range, they carry four different face designs, with two of them being unisex. These include:

• Infinity: A simple and minimalist design with a curved edge for a subtle point of interest
• Philosopher (Unisex): A unique two piece dial with an asymmetric second hand design, this also comes in both white or a super striking black
• Native (Unisex): A classic, simple design in either Black, White, Navy or Mother of Pearl
• Unika: A totally minimalist design with a clean metal dial, this is available in White, Black or in a Polished Metal style.

After choosing your watch face, you can then personalise the watch with your choice of interchangeable straps (which can be purchased in a set or individually). There’s too many colour options to include but materials include:

• Genuine Italian Leather
• Vegan Leather
• Stainless Steel Links
• Stainless Steel Mesh
• Nylon Straps
• Gold links

All of these can totally transform the look of your watch, so there’s plenty of versatility.

And if you really want to do something great for the environment though, you can also check out their Refurbished Watch range! In order to minimise excessive waste, Nordgreen has collected returned products and fixed them up to the same standard as a new watch for re-sale. All of the watches have the same 2 year warrantee as a new product and you can save up to 30% off.

Sustainability & Materials

One of the most unique things with the Nordgreen brand is their dedicated approach to sustainability (and social responsibility). All of this information is available on their website, but I do want to highlight some of their most impressive values and actions:

• The Giving Back Program: Each watch sold will contribute towards a meaningful cause. Nordgreen encourages their customers to choose which charity to donate to. However, in the event that the choice isn’t made, that money will still be equally distributed between the three partners – Pratham UK, Cool Earth and Water for Good. So far, they have contributed 40,000 months of education, 87,000 months of clean water and preserved 1,600,000sqm of the rainforest.
• Repair & Maintenance: Any watches that are returned are gathered and sent for repaired approximately once every quarter. Although this may mean slightly longer wait times, being able to minimise shipments is a solid set towards minimising waste and carbon impact.
• Packaging: All of their packaging is made of recycled paper and plastic bottles, as well as designed to use as little material as possible. Even their shipping boxes are made of FSC certified cardboard paper (a highly respected organisation checking for environmentally responsible forestry).

When it comes to the materials used for their watches, there is also a lot of informational available on their website so you know exactly what you’re purchasing. Some key points:

• Leather: The leather used in their straps originates from tanneries in Italy. The raw cow hide used is is a byproduct from the food industry – meaning that no animals are slaughtered purely for their skin.
• Vegan Leather: For those who don’t want to be using any animal by-products, you will also be happy to know that Nordgreen’s vegan leather is GreenGuard certified and complies with RoHS. More information on their website.
• Batteries: And lastly, you’ll be happy to know that all of their batteries carry the CE mark for high safety, health and environmental protection requirements.

Why Nordgreen is a winner

Let’s be super frank here – even the Nordgreen website states that “[t]he most sustainable thing you can do is not to wear a watch.” However, that sort of black and white attitude is not a logical or sustainable approach and what we have here is really the best alternative (or a compromise).

When it comes to aesthetics, Nordgreen has it down. I’m loving the look of my Philosopher watch – the interchangeable strap is going to carry me over so many different occasions and I love the somewhat gender-neutral unisex design too. I also decided to go with their larger watch face (this one is 40mm, but you can also get it in 36mm) which, in my opinion, gives a more modern appeal. My only complaint would be that the larger size is a bit inconvenient at times, as it limits wrist mobility, but may not be an issue for everyone.

Moving on from aesthetics though, I am honestly floored by the brand – not only from their dedication towards sustainability and ethically responsible practices, but also their transparency around processes. Being able to read all about their materials, production and company initiatives makes me so happy to be featuring and supporting a great business.

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Are you a fan of watches, the environment and/or doing the right thing? Head on over to Nordgreen now and discover a brand that’s making some serious moves towards a brighter future – and, while you’re at it, check out their stunning Watch Designs. Fair warning though, choosing your colour and straps is going to be super difficult.

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