Over 30 years ago, Mercurius was born in Australia, in partnership with Mercurius International. From the very start, Mercurius has held the core vision to support healthy child development and education in Australia, particularly from the Steiner and Anthroposophic perspective.
Mercurius, lead by experienced Steiner teachers, grew up quickly in Australia. Originally operating out of Melbourne, Mercurius became a wholly owned Australian business in 1993, and in 2022, moved to Adelaide, under the umbrella and care of Oskars Wooden Ark.
Throughout it's inception and right through to the current day, Mercurius has had the vision, mission and commitment to supply Schools, Early Learning Centers, Therapists, Artists and Retailers with quality products that support the developing child. And to this day, Mercurius remains true to its vision.
Our product selection is inspired by Steiner, Waldorf, Montessori and Reggio Emilia education - working with and recognising the age-appropriate learning that takes place in nature and through imaginative play.
We select our products to be as close to nature as possible, while still retaining a consiousness around quality, usability and function. The quality and agelessness of our products speak for themselves - much of our core range has remained unchanged for over 30 years.
Our values form part of the everyday decisions we make, including the way we run our business, the products we represent and the business partners we work with.
We aim for transparency in the products we distribute - from the raw materials they are produced with, through the production process, shipping, packaging and right up to the final delivery and supply to our customers.
Product selection is a critical part of ensuring we adhere to our values. Before selecting a product to represent and distribute, we look into the product as well as the company behind the product.
In summary, the questions we ask are:
1. Does a product meet our expectations of performance? This includes evaluating the artistic quality and workmanship of the product, looking at the durability and longevity of the product and examining how the product enhances or supports the healthy development of the person using it.
2. What are the environmental credentials of the product? We look at a broad range of enviromental impacts for the products we source, including, but not limited to organic certification, natural materials, plant-based dyes, natural finishes, sustainably harvested raw materials and FSC-accredited wood.
3. What are the social and ethical credentials of the company behind the product? Many of our products are produced by small, sustainable businesses that support social therapeutic communities. In supporting these businesses we enhance these therapeutic communities by providing the people that live there with meaningful work.
It is not a simple process, but by looking at these questions we can evaluate the product on a balance of all aspects. It is not enough if a product has glowing enviromental credentials, is all organic and natural, but then does not support the healthy development of the child; or if a product appears perfect, but the company behind it is only after large profits, uses child labour and is without respect for the environment.
We take our selection criteria seriously. When you choose a product from Mercurius a lot of research has gone into selecting the best possible product for performance, healthy development, environmental impact and social ethical responsibilities.
We value products whose manufacturers support socially aware work places, have an environmentally aware culture and where possible use FSC, organic, natural and sustainable raw materials
If you would like more information about any of our products or their credentials, please contact us.
The little decisions often have the greatest impact - within our office and warehouse we constantly review and implement environmently conscious best-business practice and decisions.
We print on both sides of our in-house use paper, or where this is not possible, use the back as note paper
Planet Ark FSC certified, 100% recycled, made in Australia photocopy and printer paper is used for all our printing
Once fully used, our printed paper is shredded, with the shredded paper used as part of our packing materials
The majority of our packaging materials we recycle from deliveries to our warehouse, including packing boxes, packing noodles and bubblewrap
Where we need to replenish our packing materials, we souce compostable vegetable-starch packing noodles
Where we need to buy new packing boxes, we choose recycled cardboard or FSC certified boxes
Where our imported raw wood products and toys require treatment to meet AQIS regulations, we investigate and choose the least toxic form of treatment possible
What will you find in our kitchen and cleaning room?
Enviro Friendly cleaning products
Who Gives a Crap Toilet Paper
Organic tea and coffee supplies
Real coffee cups and glasses for staff and visitors
