Acknowledgement of Country
In the spirit of reconciliation, our organisation Tragic Beautiful, and all who work here, acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea, and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.
From our humble beginnings in 2006, we have continued to maintain high ethical, fair and sustainable standards for all our products. From idea conceptualisation, through the entire manufacturing and production process, all the way to your order being packed, and finding its way to your door. We give a f*ck, and we will always continue trying to ensure we do better.
SUSTAINABLE
We take sustainability seriously. In 2017 we introduced biodegradable void fill products and have phased out plastic packing products. We now only use plastic pillows if they are being recycled from a supplier order that we have received.
We also phased out the use of plastic bags in your orders, any pick up orders are packed in recycled bags. Likewise, we also recycle and reuse as many cardboard boxes as possible in our packing process. All invoices included in your order are printed on recycled paper, as is all paper in our office. We use an ecotank printer, again reducing the amount of plastic in the printing process. We also only use ecopure bubblewrap - it contains an organic additive that uses the presence of microorganisms to make polymer plastics completely degradable in 3–5 years without any environmentally harmful residues.
Not only that, but we’re a slow-fashion brand, and we think overproduction sucks. Fast fashion is ruining the environment in more ways than one; so when it comes to our apparel, you can rest assured knowing we only create pieces in inclusive sizing up to 5XL, while having it produced in only small quantities.
We are always looking for ways to significantly reduce our carbon footprint. Dispatching parcels out to all of you is such a huge part of our business, so we want to do it as environmentally friendly as possible.
FAIR
When it comes to sourcing our items, we don’t just focus on commercial criteria – we put ethical trading at the forefront, always.
While in recent years we have worked diligently to do as much product creation in house as possible, we still stock a variety of wonderful alternative brands locally within Australia and from around the globe. All of our vendors go through a scrupulous examination period prior to stocking them - from their manufacturing standards and practices, to their in house policies and brand identity. We will never stock brands with low ethical standards or practices - yuck!
Products we manufacture overseas are made with the highest ethical standards - as they should be. We have ensured good working conditions, clean and safe environments, and a pledge of a fair wage. None of our vendors or suppliers use child labour.
Every year, we try to produce more products within Australia and use as many Australian components as possible. All our designs are created in house - and none of our artwork or design is made using AI. We think AI art blows, and anything it can create - our designers can do better.
Most of our printing is done in Australia using local small businesses.
Charity
We work with an incredible array of fantastic charities and over the past few years we have partnered up with charity organisations such as:
National Homeless Collective – a grassroots Australian charity that creates solutions to complex issues arising from homelessness, domestic violence, and social disadvantage.
Black Rainbow - Black Rainbow is a national advocacy platform and touchpoint for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBQTI peoples. 100% Indigenous owned and operated.
FreeHER Campaign run by Sisters Inside - This is a fund used to free Aboriginal women thrown in jail in WA due to poverty. They have no criminal records, are mainly single mothers, and are locked up over unpaid fines such as council or parking tickets. It is appalling and we want to help contribute.
Elephants Home & Nature - Home for rescued & abused elephants in their habitat. They all are now living in never-fading love.
Happy Boxes Project - The Happy Boxes Project provides essential care packages to women in remote Indigenous communities across Australia, aiming to relieve the burden of isolation and limited access to basic items.
LGBTIQ+ Health Australia - Support healthy lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans/transgender, intersex, queer and other sexuality, gender, and bodily diverse people and communities throughout Australia and the world, free from stigma and discrimination.
Respect Inc - Respect Inc is a non-profit, peer-based organisation focused on protecting and promoting the rights, health and wellbeing of Queensland sex workers
Pride Foundation Australia - Work Diligently To benefit LGBTQIA+ people and allied communities in Australia by advancing equity for the most disadvantaged LGBTQIA+ Australians and support for LGBTQIA creative arts.
ETHICAL
The rights of all animals are paramount to us, and our founder has been vegan or vegetarian for over 2 decades.
We will not purchase or sell any part of vulnerable, endangered, or exotic animals.
When sourcing or supplying bone, shell, teeth or taxidermy, we ensure that every supplier we use ethically obtains the specimens. We will never, ever risk animal welfare for commercial gain.
Ethically & Sustainably Sourced Insects
All of our insects are responsibly sourced. We only sell unprotected species from sustainable captive bred and wild sources. Our suppliers always have appropriate permits. They are sustainably raised and farmed in their native habitats by people indigenous to the same locale. This regulated practice gives local people the means to make an income. It also aids in the conservation and protection of at-risk rainforests and other habitats that these species depend on.
Bat Specimens & Sourcing
We understand that offering bat skeletons and skulls can raise ethical concerns, and rightfully so. For that reason, we rarely offer these specimens and take great care in sourcing when we do.
We source these exclusively from a single, long-term supplier we have vetted. This individual travels directly to rural regions where bats are sometimes culled in small numbers by local communities as part of traditional, small-scale pest control. Instead of allowing these remains to go to waste, the locals sell them for a small profit, supporting their livelihoods in a sustainable, low-impact way. Our supplier, who collects and sells insects from these areas, purchases these remains. We purchase these bats with the snakes, insects and birds we also stock from him.
No bats we stock are killed in bulk or by cruel means. The only species we carry are common species that are classified as “Least Concern” under conservation guidelines and not CITES listed. Every specimen is treated with the care and respect it deserves.
Because of our strict ethical policy, we very rarely offer bat specimens for sale. Currently, we are liaising with our community, and if the consensus is that they prefer us not to stock bats, even with a trusted, vetted supplier on a small scale, then we will listen, as we always have.
Cosmetics
Any cosmetics we manufacture, produce or source must not in any way be tested on animals. Instead, we only test these products on our family and friends.
We are committed to a worldwide ban on animal testing.