And von Holzhausen is part of making it happen.
When was the last time you bought a snack from the store, ate that snack and threw the package into the trash. Yesterday? Us too!
But recently, every time we’ve done that, it’s been impossible not to think, “this is crazy, what am I doing throwing a good piece of plastic into the trash 2 minutes after I used it?!”
Maybe that’s because we’ve been doing so much work on circularity.
Circularity is a product, service or resource that can be renewed or regenerated, not thrown away.
In a truly circular economy, that plastic packet would transform into a shopping bag, and then a toothbrush, and then a kid’s toy, and you would never throw it away.
This year so far, the world has dumped 1,936,732,943 tons of trash* - the mind-bending outcome of an old economic model which takes as much from the Earth as possible, extracts its value, and puts it back as waste.
Cue: rising global temperatures, collapsing ecosystems, plastic trash everywhere.
A circular economy says: instead of continuing our wasteful ways, how about we only take what’s easily replaceable and then extend its life through reuse, repair, upcycling, and remanufacturing - so that it never becomes waste at all?
No surprise that it’s a key component of every major global program for change, including the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Treaty.
Or that at von Holzhausen, we believe it’s the standard needed for all materials. It’s embedded into:
The way we choose raw materials - our FSC-certified bamboo, renewable castor oil and linseed, and agricultural waste that would otherwise be burned.
The resilience and durability of our products - the reason we can offer lifetime guarantees.
The engineering in our plant technologies - yes, all of them! With an honorary mention of our new plant-based, petrochemical-free, truly circular topcoat Liquidplant, that can biodegrade back into the soil or be recycled into more Liquidplant.
The way we run our business - we’re female and minority-led, ethically-manufactured, and give back to our local community, all in support of building sustainable human systems.
Circularity isn’t easy. It takes some serious focus and dedication. But when you start to figure it out, it feels amazing!
Now we need everybody else to start figuring it out too. As the late great David Bowie said: “Tomorrow belongs to those who can hear it coming.”
We hear it coming and it’s circular.
*At time of writing, from theworldcounts.com
