Frequently Asked Questions

We aim to pack and send your order the next working day, but it can take up to 5 working days to dispatch during busy periods.

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Yes, you can cancel your order before it ships. Please email me at [email protected] to cancel your order.

If your sequins are unopened, unused and undamaged then you can return them for a refund on the goods. You will need to cover the shipping costs. Please email me at [email protected] to arrange any returns.

If you need an item that is showing as out of stock, please email [email protected] and we may be able to punch it for you.

5 to 50 grams are available through the online shop. Please email [email protected] to order larger quantities. You can see colour chart, shapes list and pricing here. ADD IN LINK

Sequins on the spool which are listed in the online shop can be purchased individually. There is a minimum order of 10 spools of the same colour/size/shape for any colours which are not in stock. Please email rachel@thesustainablesequincompany to place an order.

We initially used conventional plastic spools for our sequins. We have now developed recycled card spools but some of the old stock remains on the original plastic spools. 

All stock in listed in the shop. But if you need something else then please look at the colour chart, shapes list and pricing here. ADD IN LINK

My workshop is based in East Sussex in the UK, but visits aren't possible at this time.

We can't offer student sponsorship but we can offer a 10% discount - please email rachel@thesustainablesequincompany for details.

Our current sequins are made from 20% post consumer recycled PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and 80% virgin PET. PET is the chemical name for polyester. These sequins don't contain PVC. 

We don't currently have GRS (Global Recycle Standard) certification as we are focussing on the move to biodegradable sequins.

The Sustainable Sequin Company is a member of 1% for the planet so 1% of all income (not just profit) goes to environmental not-for-profits.

These sequins are suitable for gentle hand washing, not machine washing or chemical cleaning.

On average, 33% of the sequin film is wasted during the punching process (the shop lists the exact waste per sequin shape). The majority of the waste is punchinella (the film with the holes punched out) which is sold through our online shop. Any damaged pieces are donated to local schools/community projects.

We don't sell the sequin film, but we do offer a bespoke cutting service if you need any unique shapes.

Yes - please email [email protected] to discuss your requirments.

Our bespoke cutting service means that you can have any shape cut as a sequin. You can have the same shape cut multiple times in the same colour or many different shapes in many different colours - it's your choice!

Email [email protected] with any questions. If you can, please provide a sketch of your design, dimensions, quantities, fixing hole location/s and size/s and colour/s.

Yes, you can digitise in Illustrator and email your design to [email protected] or we can digitise it for you from a sketch. 

Shapes can be 1cm*1cm to 12cm*30cm (although shapes tend to curl if you go too big).

It's a good idea to check your design will cut well before spending time digitising. When your shape/s have been approved, please draw your shape/s with a 1 pt thick stroke with no fill colour and ensure shapes are formed of a continous line which is completely closed. Remember to add fixing holes (usually 1-1.5mm in diameter and at least 1mm from the edge of your shape). Round your corners slightly if you don't want them to catch on your fabric.

If you just need one shape cutting multiple times, you only need to draw it out once and state the quantities, dimensions and colour/s needed. 

In general, small detailed designs take longer than larger more simple designs. We can provide an estimate before commensing cutting. Although our estimates are usually pretty accurate, the actual time/cost might be slightly higher or lower.

Digitising and bespoke cutting costs £30 per hour. There are no minimums, so if your design only takes 20 minutes then you only pay £10, plus the cost of the film and postage. Sequin film is charged at £2 per metre.

You will be invoiced after cutting and can pay via BACS or PayPal.

We use Ecologi to plant trees automatically when an order is placed through our online shop. We always plant at least 100 trees per month, even if our orders fall below this number. The trees are planted around the world, including Mozambique, Ethiopia and Kenya. You can see The Sustainable Sequin Company forest here. 

'The initial survival rate at our mangrove restoration projects (where the majority of our trees are planted) exceeds 80%. However, between years three and five the young mangrove trees begin to produce their own propagules (baby mangrove trees) resulting in a proliferation of natural regeneration. Multiple studies demonstrate the initial survival rate combined with natural regeneration results in a luxuriant impact ranging between 150 and 500 percent.

For all of our tree-planting projects, we are selective in choosing partners to work with who actively take steps to secure these high survival rates.'

From: https://ecologi.com/faqs

Carbon avoidance projects prevent carbon being emitted by changing practices, such as funding wind farms or clean cookstoves. So far, we have funded the avoidance of 82 tonnes of CO2 equivalent through Ecologi.

Carbon removal refers to the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. We plan to fund carbon removal to offset our historical emissions and any unavoideable future emissions on our net-zero journey. So far, we have removed 3 tonnes of CO2 equivalent from the atmosphere through Ecologi.

You can view our impact so far here.

Ecologi's Climate Action Workforce package means that every month we fund certified high-impact carbon avoidance projects all around the world, as well as funding tree planting that boosts local communities and biodiversity. Through this, we compensate for the approximate carbon footprint of each employee (16 tCO2e in the UK) and fund the planting of trees through trusted reforestation partners.

1% for the Planet is a global movement inspiring businesses to support environmental solutions through annual membership and everyday actions. Members, including The Sustainable Sequin Company, commit to donating 1% of annual income (not just profit) to environmental partners for a healthy planet.

Find out more here.

Ecologi is on a mission to inspire all SMEs to start their own climate action journey. They give members the tools to calculate and reduce carbon emissions and to fund carbon avoidance, carbon capture, habitat restoration and tree planting.

Find out more here.

Our 1% For The Planet partner is Redress.

Redress is an environmental NGO based in Hong Kong, with a focus on Asia, and is dedicated to accelerating the transition to a circular fashion industry by educating and empowering designers and consumers to minimise the negative environmental impact of clothing.

Find out more here.

Plastic Bank helps stop ocean bound plastic by stewarding its collection and empowering collection communities to thrive. The recycled plastic is reborn as Social Plastic® feedstock and used in the production of products and packaging – thus helping create new life for old plastic.

Find out more here.

We are using Clean Growth UK’s Carbon Calculator to measure The Sustainable Sequin Company's footprint comprehensively and accurately. It covers all 3 scopes of carbon emissions, as defined by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol – the globally recognised standard for measuring emissions.

We plan to have calculated our carbon footprint by mid 2024 and have a plan in place to reduce our scope 1, 2 and 3 carbon emissions shortly afterwards. We will produce a roadmap to get to Net Zero carbon emissions by 2035.

We calculated the plastic used in our products by the weight of sequin film we purchased since founding The Sustainable Sequin Company. This includes all sequins sold, all sequin waste and all sequin and film currently in stock. This figure includes recycled and virgin plastic.

We have not yet calculated any non-sequin film plastic products purchased, such as plastic storage boxes, or plastic packaging that any purchases were wrapped in. This will be calculated by the end of 2024 and plans put in place to dramatiacally reduce or eliminate any further synthetic plastic purchases.

We will be funding the collection of ocean based plastic, equivalent to or exceeding our total plastic usage by the end of 2024, through Plastic Bank.

Biobased sequins, crafted from natural sources, offer a world of advantages over their synthetic counterparts. They represent a significant step towards a more sustainable sequin industry. Advantages include:

• Renewable Source
• Reduced Carbon Footprint
• Biodegradability
• Reduced Dependency on Fossil Fuels
• Reduced Pollution
• Potential for Closed-Loop Systems
• Promotion of Circular Economy

We are working hard to perfect and test these sequins and expect them to be available in limited colours by the end of 2024.

Initially the biodegradable sequins will be available in translucent and white. In the future, we plan to develop further colours and effects.