definition of ethical: eth·i·cal [eth-i-kuhl]  Pertaining to or dealing with morals or the principles of morality; pertaining to right and wrong in conduct.

Why do you manufacture your products in Canada?

We realize we're going against the grain here. There are so many companies that choose to manufacture overseas for many reasons, and that's their decision. We choose to manufacture in Canada to ensure a supreme quality product and exceptional working conditions for our employees. We believe in fair wages. We believe in supporting our own economy, creating jobs in our local community. We have toured factories in another country and entertained the idea of manufacturing elsewhere, and it solidified for us that this is the right decision.

I was hoping my order would come in a gift box, but there was hardly any packaging at all!

It's true. When shopping for gifts, there's so many beautiful packages out there. Lovely gift boxes, vinyl tote bags, etc. We chose not to use any packaging for our products, other than the bare minimum needed to explain the product for two reasons: to ensure we're not creating unnecessary waste and to keep shipping costs low. Our bibs simply come with a gift tag that explains product features and benefits and our accessories simply come with tag or card explaining the product. We do wrap our products with recycled tissue paper.

If you care so much about the environment, why don't you use recycled leather?

There is so many different types chemicals used in various leather goods during the tanning process, and in order to ensure child safety and CPSIA approval, the only choice for us is to use new leather. Each time we purchase leather we have it tested by a 3rd party CPSIA approved lab (at the tune of over $500 per color!), and to test each type of recycled leather to ensure child safety would simply not be possible.

Why did you start making small leather accessories?

The truth is, after years of making bibs our leather scrap piles started taking over. Even though it's biodegradable, we couldn't justify throwing it away when we knew we could turn it into something useful, so we started designing smaller products. Look at our change purses pictured below for example. Those are made out of the necks of the bibs! Each time we cut out a bib, we are left with the circular neck piece. After a few years we had thousands of circles and came up with this idea, as the perfect way to use them. Our change purses are now our 2nd most popular item, after bibs.

Why not use a faux leather or vinyl material to create a similar product?

Since the leather we use is resistant to food stains (yes, even spaghetti sauce!), we believe it's the best choice for durability and to ensure maximum longevity of the product. We used to say it's the only bib you need, but honestly most people go through two (baby size, then toddler size) but then pass down the bibs to younger siblings, friends or relatives as they outgrow them.

You used to print beautiful catalogs of your products. Why did you stop?

Yes we did, and it didn't feel right. They were beautifully designed by our graphics designer and printed on recycled paper, but with the internet and having a great website that showcases our products so well, we decided it was creating unnecessary waste. We don't want to say we're going paperless, because honestly, I think for any company that's completely impossible, but we are choosing to be paper-minimalist for sure!