Our Ethos

Ethical sourcing & sustainability is at the core of our design philosophy

By choosing Curated you are directly supporting sustainable insect farming initiatives that help to empower local communities and protect endangered habitats.

The Challenge

Habitat destruction is the number one cause of species extinction and loss of biodiversity on our planet.

The Challenge

While some habitat destruction is driven by indirect factors like climate change and  pollution, the overwhelming majority is due to conversion of wild areas for agriculture, urbanisation, and resource extraction.

Without economic independence and security, communities and indigenous lands are more vulnerable to the encroachment of extractive industries.

Our suppliers are members of sustainable insect ranching programs, which work to preserve and restore the areas of tropical rainforest in which these insects live.

Not only does insect ranching offer local people a renewable, sustainable “crop” to farm, it also provides an economic incentive to protect these endangered habitats and a viable alternative to environmentally destructive practices such as deforestation for logging and agriculture.

The Solution

Entomologists and environmentalists agree that sustainable community enterprises such as insect ranching may offer a vital role in the conservation of insect populations in the wild, as well as the habitats in which they live.

The Kipepeo Project

Kipepeo is a community based enterprise that supports the livelihoods of people living around Arabuko Sokoke forest in Kenya

Kipepeo (Swahili for butterfly) farms and markets butterfly and moth pupae as well as honey and silk cloth produced by the community.

Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI) & Kenya Forestry Service coordinate the project and ensure through training and monitoring that the insects are bred and raised in a sustainable manner from wild parent stock. 

Insect farming has already led to the resurgence of threatened insect species in Papua New Guinea and Kenya, while simultaneously helping to support and empower local communities.

Our Carbon Commitment

We are working hard to be a carbon neutral brand, by investing in planting trees to offset our carbon emissions, using locally sourced materials whenever possible, and using 100% recyclable or reusable packaging.

“By turning often spectacular, yet common- place, insects into a cash crop, villagers are earning money while participating in a rational wildlife management programme that is helping to save not only endangered species of insects, and indirectly other wildlife such as birds and mammals, but more importantly the natural habitat itself.”

— Angus F. Hutton, Butterfly Farming in Papua New Guinea