]]>
Abigail Forsyth - CEO of KeepCup - and his brother started a café business called Bluebag in Melbourne in 1998. As the business grew they became increasingly concerned about the volume of packaging waste in their business. They looked to purchase and sell reusable cups as an alternative to disposable, but observed that not only were existing options unsuitable for specialty coffee, they hadn’t won the hearts of consumers.
"Ceramic mugs were heavy, breakable, needing to be heated prior to filling and impossible to dose correctly with milk and coffee. Thermoses were bulky, unattractive and invariably the coffee shot had to be poured into the thermos destroying the crema on the shot. Further to this, both options were made of composite materials, making them dishwasher unfriendly and difficult to recycle at the end of life.
We had the notion to make our own, but were daunted by the enormous costs of set up and manufacture. My moment of clarity was when I was heating the milk in my daughter’s sippy cup one morning. Imagine if I gave her milk in a disposable cup and then discarded it? That idea seemed so wasteful, yet I did it with coffee twice a day! This moment was the call to action.
We took a huge gamble that usability and aesthetics were the key reasons for poor take up of reusables as an alternative to disposable cups. Our café experience was invaluable in providing input to make the KeepCup work behind the coffee machine as well as for the user", explains Abigail.
Almost four years later people purchase KeepCups because they love the way they look and feel, and continue doing so because they form a positive habit.
KeepCup is less plastic compared to disposable cups. Disposable cups are lined with polyethylene and have a polystyrene lid, so there is enough plastic in 28 disposable cups to make one small KeepCup.
Canadian chemist Dr Martin Hocking calculated that break-even energy requirement to manufacture a reusable plastic cup versus a paper cup over a lifetime use was under 15 uses.
The KeepCup is available in four sizes XS/120ml for espresso, S/227ml and M/340ml for most coffees and XL/454ml for bigger lattes. Prices are between 10.95€ and 13.50€.
As the KeepCup fulfills the barista standards, it's accepted in many coffee shops. For example Yves in Kaffee-ine in OLV-straat (Mechelen) is happy to fill your KeepCup!
Watch this video to find out more! Select your KeepCup style.
]]>"The Komodo label began to the vibrant new soundtrack of House music in the heady summer of 1988 when the wind blew me back to Bali and I managed to rope in some friends from Bristol Poly to come and help out. Named after the dragon that had once tried to eat me in earlier backpacking days, the brand was born out of a sense of fun and travel, with a philosophy of fair trade for both the skillful people who made our clothes and also for the environmental effect of the materials we used - but mostly it was about living our own lifestyle and avoiding having to get a proper job !
Those were pioneering days for ethical fashion, only Katherine Hammnet was really making a point with it at the time and to be honest it wasn't as if we were campaigning for anything (except maybe Free Love!) it just seemed the right way to work. Now we have a whole world of ethical brands working with their own interpretations and that's great, 'cos you cant make a Scene on your own...
We are a Fashion Lifestyle brand first and do our best to be as ethical as we can in the process, rather than Eco-warriors trying to make fashion.
So, here we are more than 20 years on... still batting... still in London, Bali and Kathmnadu where it all began... still independent and true to our roots. We've seen some changes but still know it's quality that shines through and wins the day."
]]>
]]>
We have extended our collection of Armed Angels to affordable basics, basic tops starting from 19,90€. We have more options in the collection of ecochique Ekyog, check the multifunctional Metamorphoses items. We have new chino model in Monkee Genes and many more new colours and also bamboo jeans.
Newcomers in clothes include UK based Nancy Dee. They do fantastic and chic clothing for chic ladies. Hint! Combine Nancy Dee style with a pair Swedish Hasbeens. Ecofashion Komodo is also arriving in the shop any minute now. It is worth to check especially their unique sweaters and tops this season.
We also stock the hip and ethical Veja sneakers from now on. More colours coming in during the autumn.
For the little ones we offer from now on great and comfy pieces from Duns Sweden.
So do come to take a look and remember that we offer free shipping in Benelux from 59 euros!
Monkee Genes, Nancy Dee, Ekyog, Ekyog, Nancy Dee, Armed Angels, Duns Sweden
]]>
]]>
Here's how it looked like!
Check more photos on our Facebook page!
]]>
But that is not all, our street has it's own event Feest in 't straat. There is a lot to do and see. And to taste, let's not forget.
In front of Supergoods you will find a stand with bio snacks, organized by Bioplanet. We will have our own Organic Cava Bar, and lots of special treats. At 3pm there will be a Fashion Show, together with other shops.
So join us, and bring your friends!
It is also good to remember that it does not only matter what we put down our throats. It also matters what we have on our skin and what we breathe. Toxics are actually all around us, unfortunately, and they are hard to avoid. Some stay in our bodies for years or decades. There are harmful chemicals in our furniture (yes, to deter fire, for example, but it isn’t healthy), in clothes, in cosmetics, cooking gear... These can mess up our hormonal and reproductive system and even cause cancer. Asthmas and allergies are maybe lesser evils, but they really are getting more and more common.
And it is not just us who get harmed, it is also the workers in the factories producing these necessities for us. And they really get the short end of the stick. Many times toxic substances is only one facet of the issue. It is lack of decent pay, ban on trade unions, child labor and dangerous conditions in the factories. These workers are not able to live a healthy life.
Luckily we all have a choice. We can choose not to support companies that use toxic chemicals. We can opt for organic or otherwise safer products. That means less pesticides in the fields and less chemicals in the factories. We can ask about the chemical content of the product. That saves our health, but also the soil, water and clean air. And if we keep it clean, we have healthier food and so on. It is a very closed circle, and we cannot run away to new pastures (not anymore in 2013 at least).
We have a choice. We can vote with our money what kind of conditions people work in in countries like Bangladesh. We can choose to support companies with Fair Trade and decent enviromental policies in developing countries. We can also choose to buy products that are made in Europe, where the producers have tighter norms.
That means probably that we pay a bit of extra per item, but the quality counts as well, right? And the quality often means less chemicals, less environmental damage, less abuse, longer use thus less production. And that is better for us. In the long run we may even save a few euros in our health costs, right. And taxes. Et cetera.
And it is not all that boring either. There is a wide range of producers for all the styles in ecological and fair fashion, for example. We love for example Studio Jux, who not only do Fair Trade, but have also committed supporting local women’s right to work, and who try to produce their collection as sustainably as possible. Still with style, and the Nepali Tailors just rock.
L’Herbe Rouge marks in their labels the environmental footprint of the garment. This way you can quickly see how big a baggage that particular garment has, and make an informed choice.
Detox or not, it is worth to look a bit more closely what we purchase this year!
Did you know? To for example make 1 million T-Shirts from conventional Cotton uses 165,000 Kg of chemicals, equivalent to the weight of 4.5 full 18 wheeler trucks. That's why we only sell organic cotton clothing, like Knowledge Cotton Appar
Well, listen up.
First of all, producers are required to ensure that they do not exceed the natural capacity of the land on which animals graze. Second, so-called mulesing is nMost of the world’s farmed fur is produced by European farmers. There are 6,000 fur farms in the EU. The EU accounts for 63% of global mink production and 70% of fox production. Denmark is the leading mink-producing country, accounting for approximately 28% of world production. Other major producers include China, the Netherlands, the Baltic States, and the U.S.
Demand fell in the late 1980s and 1990s because of a number of factors, including the failure of designers to come up with exciting new lines, and also the efforts of animal rights campaigners. Since the turn of the millennium, however, sales worldwide have soared to record highs, fuelled by radically new techniques for working with fur, and a sharp rise in disposable income in China and Russia.
80 percent of the fur clothing industry's pelts come from animals raised on farms. And in the farms it is not nice. The animals have no activities, not space, no opportunity to live a life according to the needs of the species.
Each year on fur farms worldwide more than 50 million wild animals get raised under torturous conditions and killed for their fur, by anal electrocution (foxes) or gassing (minks), or even skinned alive.
So let us keep the foxes alive and inspire the fashion, rather than to be used cruelly by fashion.
Fake fur coat and Fox dress by Norrback
Actually, the amazing thing is that everything went more or less as planned. Even the opening event last week, imagine that ;-) Okay, we are forgetting about a few hazards here and there, but we can't complain really. Although it has been so terribly exciting, my God!
In the meanwhile we are still waiting for some fantastic stuff to arrive, like toys, more clothes (yes please, bring the men's clothes in finally!) and great wooden homeware, to mention only a few things ;-) Can't wait to put those on the shelves. Just can't wait...
]]>The opening fiesta is planned to be August 30th at 18h. Invitations are to be sent very soon! There will be a surprise act performing, and it will be a lot of fun.
To open an ecodesign store also involves a bunch of decision about how to run your business as sustainably as possible. We cannot sell ecological products without making a same effort ourselves to be a sustainable business, can we!
Of course one of the biggest decisions is the shop itself. It should have double glazing, so this is good for the insulation. The heating system is also very new, so this should make the energy-efficiency better. We also chose Lampiris to provide the gas and electricity. So the energy that we use should be green.
In the renovation we have tried to limit the use of harmful chemicals and to do it with natural products. On the walls and FSC-certified wooden shelves we have used Eco Tinto, which contains only natural substances and no industrial chemicals. Eco Tinto left a very beautiful matt finishing on the walls. And the other good news is that you can find it at your closest Brico. The clothing racks are just hooks, jute rope and a wooden bar. Inexpensive, light and no-nonsense. The counter we found in the wide treasure selection at Stefantiek.
A lot of our shop furniture is actually made by We:Do:Wood, so bamboo. Bamboo is a good choice for furniture and for example floor as it is quickly renewable. Bamboo grows without insecticides, inorganic fertilizers or herbicides. The natural animal and plant life of the habitat are not damaged by cultivation. Bamboo re-circulates large volumes of CO2 and produces 35 percent more oxygen than other plants in the same regions and therefore contributes to cleaning the climate whilst it grows.
Shops need a lot of light. Many old-fashioned lamps convert only a tiny bit of used energy into light, most of it is used as heat. The traditional incandescent bulbs only transform one tenth into light, 90 % is wasted as heat. We have selected mainly LED as our lighting solution. This will also help to keep the electricity bill small. The lamps cost a lot of money, but last longer and need much less electricity.
On packaging front we try to recycle old materials and use recycled paper. All print work is done by Ecoprint in Willebroek.
We selected cardboard hangers, that are ade of recycled paper and are easy to recycle when they get broken.It is quite a job to fold them together, but they also look pretty nice!
And while you want to open the boxes right away you cannot, as otherwise all the fantastic treasures will be covered by dust, so one has to remain calm, collected and patient and just carry on the renovation phase.
Once the furniture is on its place we can start putting the products into their own spots. But that will still be a few days I am afraid.
But it will all come together nicely. The space is lovely and even lovelier will even walls and white ceiling. Plus white doors to the back garden (yes, the weeds are still there).