Ethics

Ethics, Core Values, Making Methods and Sustainability.

We are fully qualified, skilled, insured and experienced in creating and working with small, metal objects and every item is engraved and quality checked with the utmost care and attention, ensuring that every engraving is of the highest quality, clarity and longevity possible for your chosen metal. We want you to be happy with your engraved product and for it to last for a long time.

We are proud to be a local business offering products and engraving to mark special moments throughout life.

In addition to offering online engraving services and products, we feel it is also important to offer a local, in-person service. This is why we chose to have a mobile unit, so that we can provide an in-person service to more people and areas.

We aim to offer clarity in pricing as this can sometimes be difficult for customers to ascertain upfront for engraving services. Our on-line shop and in person-service aims to provide clear pricing information.

Many of our making and finishing processes are undertaken by time honoured, hand techniques. However, our skilled craftspeople may have disabilities or chronic health conditions. Therefore, where needed, in order to support our talented craftspeople, we sometimes semi-automate or automate some processes (such as metal cutting) using the most up to date technologies, dependent upon the product.

We are proud that we primarily engrave using a traditional method of (machine) engraving using a diamond tipped tool. The diamond tool is moved across the metal to remove some of the surface layers, leaving a clear, bright cut. For this reason, it is often praised as being one of the most durable types of machine engraving and is suitable for very fine, detailed engraving.  This method has been used to personalise jewellery and other objects for decades.

More recently, this technique has been combined with contemporary digital technologies to make it easier and quicker to convert any style of font, design or image for the engraving process. Because the process is faster than Hand Engraving, it can offer a more affordable engraving option for customers. 

Many of our products are made to order, by us in our workshop. However, in order to offer some more affordable engraved options, we do offer some pieces that are pre-cut out, ready for finishing and engraving by us. These products are all premium quality and are sourced via long standing, reputable companies who abide by REACH regulations and are ordered only when new stock is required to fulfill a customer order .

For any of our engraved to order precious metal products such as Sterling Silver, all are fully compliant with UK Hallmarking regulations and are fully hallmarked within the UK where applicable under these regulations. Our (sterling silver) pieces that come under weight for UK Hallmarking regulations will be marked 925. If you require a full UK Hallmark on one of these (under weight) designs, this is possible at an extra charge and extra time.

Sustainability

Unfortunately, many objects are seen as disposable in our society. Every material we take from our planet and every process that is undertaken to transform it into an object has the potential to leave some type of scar on or residue within our environment.

We believe that every engraving we undertake should either be to add an inscription to a product already in existence or for any piece that we make to be engraved, each piece should be small and consciously designed towards being either necessary (such as with a Pet ID Tag) and/or being treasured through adding a meaningful inscription. It should also be made to last for as long as possible, preferably for a lifetime of use and beyond, in order to try to minimise any negative environmental impact.

Our core design motto is “Minimum Materials with Maximum Meaning”.

Sustainability

At The Engraving Van, we do our best to minimise any affects on our environment in the following ways;

• Almost 20 years ago, we decided to work with metals as this is one of the most recycled and recyclable and long lasting mediums with which to make products.
• We like to offer the chance for you to renew a piece of your own through giving it new life and new meaning via adding a personal, engraved inscription.
• All of our new Anodized Aluminium products are premium aerospace grade aluminum and are made from 80-90 percent recycled aluminium and are recyclable. We keep a minimum stock of these items in order to serve our customers only, and only re-order stock when required.
• All of our new silver bullion is purchased from a reputable and longstanding UK supplier which comply with REACH regulations and wherever possible, we use 100 per cent certified recycled silver to create our products for engraving.
• We do not carry a stock of silver, meaning that minimal material is purchased unnecessarily. Most of our silver products are engraved to order only, and we order material only when we have an order to complete.
• All precious metal cut-offs, filings, chips and dust from engraving or making processes are collected for recycling.
• All of our products are fully recyclable. We hope our products will stay with you for your life time, but if you find they are no longer of use or significance and your local recycling facility will not take them, then please return them to us and we will collect for recycling.
• We do not ‘fill’ our metal engravings or seal our metals with anything, avoiding the use of any unnecessary toxic or non biodegradable fill or sealing products. We believe our metals and engravings look fantastic just as they are and with proper care and cleaning, will last a very long time.
• We aim to imbue all our pieces with either utility (such as items that are necessary for items such as Pet ID tags), plus/or with meaningful inscriptions. We hope that by offering personalisation, it will increase the meaning and personal attachment between the engraved object and the owner, with the aim of promoting longevity, reducing any thoughts of disposal in landfill, and hopefully handing these pieces on to future generations of your family.
• For items such as pendant or bracelet charms, keychains, gift tags and pet ID tags, our chains and attachments are offered as an optional extra purchase, so that you as a customer have the choice as to whether you require a new chain or attachment or can utilise one that you may already own.
• Our presentation ribbons are also optional and are made from recycled, used plastic bottles.
• Polishing cloths are also an optional extra purchase – again this is to avoid producing extra waste of anything that is surplus to requirements.
• We do not add extra, unwanted free gift products to your orders.
• All of our products are built to last. In the unlikely event that a repair is needed, we offer a repair service (for products that are made and sold by The Engraving Van only).
• We offer advice on how to care for and clean your pieces in order to promote their longevity. Please see our care guides here.
• We supply minimal packaging in order to get your product to you safely and in perfect condition. Again, this is to allow you as the customer to recycle any presentation boxes you might already have if giving as a gift. Our packaging is either re-used, or recycled and recyclable. Our postal packaging boxes can be re-used.
• Our business cards are made from recycled paper and are recyclable.
• Our packaging tapes are either made from recycled paper or plant based products, are plastic free and are recyclable.
• We use the postal service that offers the most deliveries on foot. Currently, this is royal mail.
• All of our products are engraved locally in our own workshop where health and safety and environmental impact is given the highest importance and consideration.
• Our engraving machines use minimal wattage power and do not emit any toxic fumes.
• Spare parts are available for our engraving machines, allowing them to be repairable and not need replacing for a very long time.
• We use biodegradable lubrication oils for our engraving machines.
• Wherever possible our workshop tools and equipment are sourced as second hand/used tools.

Finally, as it is unlikely that any process of producing, engraving or selling objects can have zero environmental impact, we are open to new ideas on sustainability and are always reviewing our procedures and processes and looking to improve. If you have any ideas that you feel we should consider implementing, then please feel free to contact us.