ABOUT US
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 a dozen 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.
SUSTAINABILITY and GIVING BACK
While we’re all too aware of the damage that manufacturing, and specifically fiber production, has historically done to our planet, we strive to make environmentally conscious choices whenever possible. Some of these are obvious: our Reflect yarn lines, for example, are made with sustainable and recycled materials, and dyed here in the U.S. to lessen our fossil fuel footprint. Behind the scenes, we do everything we can to avoid plastic consumption in our warehouse. Last year we invested in a cardboard perforator in order to recycle our own waste into packing fill for our products. And Tuft the World now funds 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. After less than a month of working with Ecologi, we’ve funded the planting of over 1,800 mangrove trees on the biodiverse island of Madagascar.
Tuft the World’s latest initiative in sustainability and giving back is a stronger commitment to charitable giving. As of February 2021, 1% of every web shop sale is donated to a non-profit organization, beginning with several here in West Philadelphia. A new feature on our website allows customers to participate in a “round up” at check-out, in support of an organization of their choice from a rotating list. And our team is working toward greater direct engagement with local organizations in and around Philadelphia by taking on a new giving project every six weeks. Recently these have included a canned food drive for a local pantry, donations that bring reading materials to incarcerated persons, and monetary and item donations to Morris Home, a nearby residential recovery program that serves transgender communities. We’re excited to continue expanding this list over the coming months and years.