Behind the Scenes at a Sustainable Merch Company | S5 E7

Aaron Brice, Founder and Director of Ambient Inks, joins Earth Care for episode 7 of the Sustainability in the Live Music Industry Series. 

Ambient Inks is a merchandise company based out of Wisconsin that focuses on producing and managing conscious, sustainable merch for artists, bands and organizations. Their purpose is to create a positive impact within the global community.

The company was founded in 2009 by two best friends whose shared love of screen printing and merch led them to open a printing shop in their garage. As Ambient Inks has grown, the team has intentionally left room to reinvent their operation to benefit people, their community and the world first. 

Their company sources products from sustainable, conscious brands and have systems in place that lessen the environmental impact of their production process. As their website states, they envision a merch industry that’s restorative and is mindful to the needs of people and planet.

One day each month, Ambient Inks donates their entire share of webstore proceeds to Plus 1. These donations support causes and organizations that align with their company values.

In this episode, Aaron Brice discusses the beginnings of Ambient Inks and their focus on supporting artists. Aaron shares his journey towards sustainability, including a transformative trip to Haiti. They also talk about the challenges and changes in costing and sourcing sustainable materials. Aaron emphasizes the importance of communication and education in promoting sustainable merch. They discuss the negative impact of fast fashion and the need for slow fashion in the music industry. Finally, they explore how fans can support the sustainable merch movement!