At Featherwind Forge we are dedicated to ensuring that we have as minimal impact on the environment as possible. Mining, refining, and fabricating with metal for a long time in human history has had some very negative impacts on our planet, and it is our responsibility to try to change and/or reverse that damage however we can. Some damage cannot be healed, so for us the first step toward protecting our planet are the small choices we make at the work bench every day. We take care to choose which chemicals and processes we use to make the least impact to our environment as possible, and that anything potentially hazardous is neutralized, contained, or disposed of through proper collection facilities.We only source our metals and stones from businesses that have made commitments to sustainable and ecological sourcing. We make sure to minimize our metal waste with our fabrication practices, and to recapture as much of our filings and dust as possible for recycling.

As a queer, non-binary owned business, our social impact means alot to us. We will always do our best to treat all of our customers and employees with utmost dignity and respect, regardless of the circumstances of their birth, the current path they travel, or their religious beliefs or practices. This mindset extends outside of our direct interactions with people face to face, but to all far corners of the earth that our choices impact. We believe in people and planet first, and must recognize that to get to the final product that gets to you, the materials from which it is made have passed through many hands before they even reach our doors, and before even that were born from the earth. It is important to us to ensure that all the hands in that chain are treated as fairly as possible, and to extract these materials whilst doing the least damage possible. As a business who wishes to make these commitments both to this planet and to its inhabitants, we find ourselves often at a strange crossroads. Mining new gemstones and metals brings with it a dilemma. On one hand, there is inherently no way to have absolutely zero impact when digging new gemstones and metals from the earth, this is an important thing to recognize. However, on the other hand we have whole communities of people, spanning across the globe, that rely on small-scale gemstone and metal mining to feed their families, often already in extremely impoverished conditions. We as a business do our best to navigate these waters by carefully choosing where our materials come from, and doing our best to carefully look into those businesses we purchase our materials from, and those whose services we utilize.

For now we may only be a small business, but as we grow, our commitments will grow with us. Going forward as we get bigger, we will always be looking into ways to not only minimize our negative impacts, but to make a positive impact as well. There are so many different ways to make a difference. We are currently looking into possibilities such as a carbon offset program, as well as supporting re-wilding,environmental, and endangered wildlife protection programs such as Mossy Earth (Check them out on Youtube!). We are also looking into supporting programs that provide transition assistance, relocation assistance, and mental health services for all the lovely LGBTQIA folks that may have trouble accessing them. If you have any recommendations of ways that we can help this beautiful planet or its inhabitants, please let us know!