As a company we have 3 core values that define what we do and how we do it: mindfulness, wellness and love. What is also very important to us is to include sustainability in these different aspects of Désirables, within the way we run our company and how we create our products.

Sustainability doesn’t have to be a core value, because it should be an essential component of every 21st century business. Every aspect of our activities, values and decisions should have a sustainable aspect to it.

What Does Sustainability Means:

‘’Sustainability means meeting our own needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. In addition to natural resources, we also need social and economic resources. ... Embedded in most definitions of sustainability we also find concerns for social equity and economic development.’’

• https://www.mcgill.ca/sustainability/files/sustainability/what-is-sustainability.pdf

How are we Sustainable?

Locally made and sourced 

Everything we do and create; from the design process, to the creation of products and even the packaging is done in the province of Quebec! 

We are able to keep the high quality of our products by working with talented local artisans and small suppliers both for our products and packaging. Our porcelain products are made by local potters which allows us to create jobs locally as well as to be a part of the fabrication process every step of the way. And we only use the best ingredients (organic, vegan and coming from a renewable source) in our massage oils and candles. Same goes for our storage bag and packaging.

To do business close to home, is also a more environmentally friendly choice as we reduce the CO2 emission from heavier types of transportation such as boats and planes.

Transforming an Imperfect Dalia Into Art

Something you might not know about porcelain is that it is a tricky material! Our Dalia is made using a technique called Slip Casting, which means the liquid clay is poured into a mold and then fired in a special oven (kiln) twice. This process can create ripples on the surface of the finished product and in itself it is not a problem, this Dalia will be as strong and body-safe as any other. But because it is not visually perfect we do not use them for our Classic Dalia. Instead of discarding them, we either use them for store demos or we transform these Dalia by hand painting on them with body-safe glaze. This is how we came up with the Love Dust and Marble, from a desire to use each Dalia and not create unnecessary waste. We also use these ‘’imperfect’’ Dalia to create some amazing collaborations with local artists and companies, such as the Miss Bourguignon and Génération Sidechick!

Limiting our Waste Impact 

The materials that we use for the products and packaging will either be recyclable as much as possible or won’t degrade over time. Take the Dalia for example - porcelain can literally last hundreds of years compared to some types of plastic or silicone. It won’t lose its smooth finish over time or from using it too much and it is non-porous, so it will not absorb any bacterias.

When we fire our Dalia in the oven, a special “stand” must be made to support the curves. This stand is now available to our resellers if they want to showcase their Dalia in their shops.

At the beginning of Désirables we wanted to use as less plastics as possible, that’s why we decided to select a glass bottle for our massage oil. With time and experience we discovered that plastic, when recyclable, can be a more sustainable choice than glass, it all depends on the context. Since most of our customers cannot come by to refill their bottle, recycling PET or HDPE is way easier and utilizes less energy than recycling glass.

➡️ For more information on Sex Toys and Materials, click here!

➡️ Also on our blog: Sustainable Sex Toys: Myth or Reality?

We do our own R&D! 

When developing new products many companies will use the help of foreign partners to do so as it usually is less costly. When we decide to develop new products, we seek out the help of local artisans or we do it ourselves! When designing a new product our founder sketches it first, makes a 3D render and then we actually print it on our own 3D machine. The 3D print is made of PLA, a corn-based plastic which is partially biodegradable.

This grants us a better understanding of the shape, the ergonomics of the object, the flaws and the stronger points of our design. It also allows us to make modifications and improvements more quickly following feedback and comments from clients and reviewers.

Working with ceramic locally also enables us to do smaller quantities of a product when we want to test it, so we don’t have to do 1000 units just to validate an idea. We can do 50, then adjust our plaster molds and then go from there to create the perfect product. 

Everyone gets a fair pay 

Here comes the economic aspect of our sustainability; from our employees, to suppliers and retailers, our goal is for everyone to receive a fair pay. We are also encouraging the local economy by working with people around us. We try as much as possible to align our production with our artisan's partners so that they have work in periods when they usually don’t. This way we make sure that we become a partner in their work more than just a client.

💚 Going forward with Désirables means continually trying to do better. If you have any suggestions or ideas on how we could be better and change the world one product at the time, make sure to leave a comment!

For more information about our products and company, visit our About Us page. To learn more about porcelain, click here!