The new year has begun and for us, this part of the year is always associated with reflection - both on our last year and the new year to come. We can look back on a great year. We have launched our second product, a closed-loop yoga mat bag, and continued the distribution of our first recycled yoga mat. Nevertheless, we can't wait to continue our journey this year, as we really see an acute need for action for more sustainability right now.
The past year has also shown us that climate change dominates us and that only drastic changes will prevent a collapse. This is why we see this new year as so important and why we believe that everyone - every single consumer, every small or large business, every institution and all our politicians - must change.
The power of the consumer
Over the past year, we have often noticed that so many people still believe that they cannot change anything on their own. You often meet people who clearly recognise the problem and also agree that something needs to be changed. However, they don't start with themselves. But this is exactly what we have to do, because we are running out of time. Every little decision each of us makes is important. We are important individuals, we are consumers and we undoubtedly have power and influence. Still wondering how? We influence the people around us, even if we often don't realise or believe it.
For example, when you set a good example and start questioning your flying behaviour, when you start eating plant-based food or when you practice yoga on the first recycled yoga mat. These small examples will certainly influence those around you and after a while they will start to think about these points too. So really use every opportunity to make sustainable consumption choices. Another reason that shows that there is consumer power is the fact that companies rely on customers. We developed the first recycled yoga mat and we need consumers on our side. Because we can only continue to work on sustainable and environmentally friendly products if consumers are interested.
The power of business and how we're trying to harness it with our first recycled yoga mats
Maybe you're wondering why we started hejhej? We were normal consumers and felt that there were too few sustainable products on the market. In our case, it was the market for yoga mats where we really couldn't find a sustainable alternative. That's why we decided to create the first recycled yoga mat and make it possible for us and all other consumers to buy a fully sustainable yoga mat.
We believe that old production patterns need to be stopped and companies need to use sustainable and alternative production methods. We are in 2020 and it is still so hard to find sustainable materials. When you do find them after a lot of research, they are much more expensive than conventional ones. The development of the first recycled yoga mat took quite a long time, because we want to do things differently. Every single part of our products, no matter how small, should be as sustainable as possible. We believe that a sustainable product also requires such a holistic approach. For example, there must be sustainable, plastic-free and recycled packaging.
How can you sell a sustainable and recycled product if you wrap it in plastic? For us, it just feels ambivalent and our first recycled yoga mat is therefore packaged completely plastic-free
A product consists of so many different parts and our goal is to make even the smallest part sustainable. For example, we just did a lot of research on shipping labels that you stick on the parcel. It was really hard to find a recycled version and it took some time to find an alternative. When we found them, we realised that the price was about 6 times higher than for normal labels. Nevertheless, it was crystal clear for us to use these recycled labels. This example is just a tiny part of a product, but all in all, companies can simply use the power they have to make their products as sustainable as possible. Companies can be role models for other companies and make sustainable alternatives the standard.
Consumers and businesses can influence how our economy develops and the direction we all move in. The development of the first recycled yoga mat is our contribution.
Remember that all small sustainable decisions are valuable. We're sure you've already made some. Be proud of them and why not try something new this year?
Photocredits: Fotograf Maximilian Salzer // Location: Bewegungsgarage
