Tuft your way to FREE yarn with Reflect Rewards!
Tuft the World began in 2018, not long after fiber artist Tim Eads purchased his first cut-pile machine and discovered the wildly satisfying pastime of at-home rug making. Since then, Tuft the World has grown from a home-based side-hustle into a full fledged West Philadelphia business with more than twenty employees. Our mission is simple: to provide our customers with the high-quality tools, materials, and instruction they need to make their own incredible tufted projects while staying true to our values.
We believe in people, community, and the health of our planet over profit. We’re committed to building a workplace ecosystem where our team can thrive, and in supporting and connecting a larger community of makers. We believe that creative thinking is the seed of growth, and that everyone is innately creative. It’s our hope that tufting might awaken that spirit in both the most confident artist, and the person who never thought they could make anything.
While we’re all too aware of the damage that manufacturing has historically done to our planet, we strive to make earth-conscious choices wherever possible, both in our products and behind the scenes. Our Reflect yarns are made with sustainable and recycled materials, and dyed here in the U.S. In lieu of plastic and as an antidote to over-packaging, we use compostable bags and minimal fill as often as we can. Thanks to our lovingly-named “Machine that Eats Cardboard,” Tuft the World now reuses its own cardboard waste to insulate the majority of our products. In 2021, an employee-run Sustainability committee formed to ensure that we add as little to landfills as possible. We're pleased to contract with local services like Bennett Compost, to lessen our office food and beverage waste, and Rabbit Recycling, who help us dispose of a range of materials beyond Philadelphia's standard recycling program.
Tuft the World knows that sustainability also means giving back, both environmentally and on the community level. We sponsor the planting of one tree for every order placed in our store through Ecologi, a company combating climate change through reforestation projects around the world (see below for the number of trees Tuft has planted so far). Since February 2021, 1% of every web shop sale is donated to a non-profit, beginning with several here in West Philadelphia. A new feature on our website allows you, Tuft customers, to participate in a “round up” at check-out, in support of an organization of your choice from a rotating list. And our team is working toward greater direct engagement with local orgs in and around Philadelphia by taking on a new giving project every six weeks. These have included letter-writing on behalf of refugees, canned food drives, book donations for incarcerated persons, and direct monetary donations. We’re excited to continue expanding this list over the coming months and years.
