PHOTOS COURTESY OF MONMADE

Monmade is growing greener. 

The Pittsburgh-based nonprofit has launched sustainablyMonmade, a new initiative intended to refocus the company and inspire products that use repurposed, bio-based, recycled or upcycled materials — and that also promotes a new way of thinking about material production from concept to end-of-life, circular and sustainable practices.

The nonprofit — which acts as an intermediary between design and development professionals, regional makers and manufacturers — is asking product designers to prioritize sustainable thinking when creating their newest designs. 

“Monmade is committed to fostering an ecosystem of sustainable creative businesses and products that add value to the region,” says Katie Schaible, director at Monmade. “As developers and architects focus on ways to make their buildings more sustainable, Monmade will be an easy resource for them to source sustainable finishes, fixtures, and furnishings.”

Monmade has defined six different dimensions of sustainability, among them environment, social equity, climate, circular economy, human health and eco-labels. To qualify a product as sustainablyMonmade, Monmade artisans must meet at least one or more dimension’s defined requirements. Each product also will have its earned dimensions labeled in the Monmade catalog. 

sustainablyMonmade also prioritizes support of minority producers, equity in the workplace and community stewardship. As part of the initiative, Monmade also plans to offer educational programs to teach environmentally friendly production methods to those participating in the program.

For more information about the initiative, visit monmade.org/sustainability.