Making sustainable decisions in a (small) company isn't always easy. It's still the case that the better, more sensible, and more durable options are often the more expensive ones. As a startup that wants to quickly turn a profit, this is often a tough task. However, between the desire to do things as well as possible and the financial pressure, there's room to maneuver. Even if that means growing more slowly and not being able to implement all ideas and customer requests immediately.

Probably the most important factor is the production route. How often is my product or parts of it driven, flown, or shipped from A to B? CO2 emissions from air and sea traffic are a significant factor in advancing climate change. Therefore, production on the other side of the world was never an option for me. The material is cut and embroidered in Bielefeld. Then the pieces are sewn together in an owner-operated sewing shop in Bulgaria. This sewing shop sews exclusively for my production partner in Bielefeld and is therefore not subject to price wars or similar competition. A truck travels to the sewing shop and back every two weeks. Fair wages and high safety standards are a given. The same applies to the materials used – over 90% of the material for a backpack comes directly from Germany.

Normally, products are individually wrapped in plastic. Anyone who has ever ordered from Zalando or H&M knows this. The goods should be protected from dirt and moisture during transport. I asked that this not be done with our products and am very happy that my request was granted. We are returning the necessary packaging and will receive the next delivery in the same packaging.

We ship 100% plastic-free and climate-neutrally with DHL GoGreen. We use grass-based cardboard boxes made from 35% regional grass and 65% recycled paper, with an unbeatable environmental footprint. We deliberately avoid conventional packaging and filling materials and are brave enough to ship our "naked" product. The community appreciates this renunciation and is happy that an online order doesn't result in a pile of packaging waste, as is often the case.

"It's still the case that the better, more sensible, more durable options are often the more expensive ones."

Photovoltaic system and green roof on the roof of the Bielefeld production facility

Can consumption ever be sustainable? We say yes. This is true when it ensures the longest possible service life for a wide range of uses . When it eliminates the need for other purchases and creates added value. Our bags and backpacks achieve all of this. They are usable by all family members (unisex) and suitable for countless applications.

It is a fact that many products in the "baby/children's" category are produced for single use. Children's clothing is probably the most extreme example: it is increasingly more inferior clothing produced during the useful life of individual items of clothing is rapidly declining. But toys, small pieces of furniture, electronics, and even bags are mass-produced with such low material input that they can barely last a single child, let alone several siblings or generations. The intention behind this is obvious: everything should be bought new with every pregnancy.

This trend is not only a waste of time and money, but also highly unethical. For this reason, the primary goal in every product development at Anna and Oskar was and remains to a durable and resilient product Of course, a diaper backpack, for example, is subject to special challenges in everyday life. And that's precisely when the material and workmanship must be a top priority.

"This trend is not only a waste of time and money, but also highly unethical."

The most important thing to conclude: we're on a path. Many things are already going very well, some will come with time, and we're not perfect. I've received quotes for manufacturing or materials from Asia that would cost a fraction of our current purchase prices to produce a backpack. These quotes shock me. We've chosen the slow, sustainable path. And every order and every positive review encourages us that this is the right path.