Guest Blog: lum's 2050x story
By Catriona Patterson // lum // Project supported by the 2050x fund
I developed and launched my small business - lum - in autumn 2020. lum seeks to create more sustainable habitats (at home and in the wild) by making luxury, sustainable homeware and self-care inspired by the Scottish species at risk of extinction. Everything is handmade in Edinburgh (by me!) and 10% of profits are donated to the conservation work of the Scottish Wildlife Trust.
Earlier this year, I applied to the 2050x fund with a hope to create a new product line which would build on my sustainability principles, whilst also solving a couple of different problems I'd observed among my peers.
Heat packs for a cooler planet
Lum’s heat packs are rectangular and made from a mix of European linen, unbleached cotton and UK-grown linseed (flax). Microwaved for a minute or two, they are traditionally used to soothe sore muscles. However, as an avid maker and user of heat packs for years, I’ve also experienced their benefits when it comes to energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions!
In Scotland, we know that we have a problem with decarbonising heat. Most of our heating systems rely on gas as a fossil fuel, the burning of which directly deepens our climate crisis. Our heating can also be quite inefficient: leaky or uninsulated homes, or inflexible central heating systems which heat a whole house rather than just the room someone is using at the time. The recent collapse of energy firms and the power cuts following Storm Arwen only further demonstrate how fragile our heat system is. And with a winter ahead likely to consist of outdoor socials or well ventilated rooms, we’ll also need to find new ways to keep warm.
I’m a big fan of the idea of ‘heat the person, not the room’ as a way to maximise cosy winters that don’t cost the planet: focusing on warm jumpers, blankets and heat packs to reduce the need for extensive central heating. My lum heat packs provide instant, localised heat in an efficient way.
How I used my 2050x funding
I had the idea last winter, but I couldn’t afford the upfront costs as a new business, and was struggling to move things forward on my own. My application was successful and £300 from the 2050x Fund enabled me to invest in the tools and materials to design and prototype my lum therapeutic heat packs - particularly enabling me to buy some linen fabric (which is one of the most sustainable fibres produced in Europe) and the fabric labels I needed to professionalise my business.
I also applied for funding to help deepen the connection between the products I make and sell and the ethos of biodiversity and conservation which underpins their inspiration. All of my lum collections are inspired by emblematic Scottish flora and fauna at-risk from climate change - current collections include the Red Squirrel, the Scottish Wildcat, the Basking Shark and the Northern Colletes Mining Bee. With the help of a local artist I developed product information cards that share information on these species and their conservation efforts. The 2050x funding enabled me to have these printed on recycled kraft card - and now every customer understands the connection between their home and our global environment.
I received the funding in March, developed the heat packs over summer and launched them this October. They’ve become one of my most popular products, and I’ve since launched a new collection (the Basking Shark). The last two months have been my busiest in business and I’ve been making heat packs for people up and down the UK.
My experience of the 2050x Fund application process
I found the application process straightforward (I think I wrote the application over an evening with a gin and tonic to hand!) and communication with the team was very easy. Furthermore, I think the process of thinking and developing the application actually helped me to clarify and communicate what I am trying to achieve through the project - something which I’ve continued to build on in the months since!
The 2050x Fund gave me the seed money to boost something from an idea to a reality. I would thoroughly encourage any Young Leader with the spark of an idea to apply the next time the 2050x Fund opens for applications.