Thoughts on creating a responsible company

As an entrepreneur, I have experienced it as relatively easy to create a sustainable company in some areas. When I started, there were so many things I didn't know anything about. Google became my friend. By putting the word 'sustainable' at the front of my searches, I easily found sustainable packaging, print and pretty much anything else I've needed.

Time is with us who want to go the sustainable way, no doubt about it. The products, the attention and the demand are there, and it's only getting bigger.

There are possibly a few more stones on the road if you, as an established or larger company, want to change in a more sustainable direction. Time and money must be spent on the restructuring, (purchasing) habits must be changed, perhaps breaking up with a long-term commercial collaboration with a supplier and, on the whole, thinking in different ways than usual.

Having said that, you also have to be on your toes as a newly started, green company. The development of sustainable raw materials is going strong. It is often quite complex to choose the solution which, in the overall calculation, is the most sustainable and CO2-neutral.

Bump on the road but exciting horizons

As the founder of ReCollector, I myself have also experienced bumps in the road that have delayed the product launch. For example, it took many tests of different types of sustainable recycled plastic before a mix that met my quality requirements for the sorting box was found.

I am not at all aiming to create a sustainable business. Another side of the matter is that the product must also be financially sustainable and not be too expensive. For example, I have investigated the possibilities of using bio-based plastic rather than recycled plastic, but I just have to state that the price is currently too high, and that is therefore not an option right now. At the same time, the development in the bio-plastic area is not yet where it is the perfect substitute for other plastics. Sure, it has a smaller CO2 footprint than many other types of plastic, but then there are other dilemmas associated with it. Among other things, one can discuss whether the crops for the bioplastic take up space that could otherwise be used for food.

But the point is that I am open, absorb knowledge and am constantly looking for new opportunities to create an even more sustainable business. One step at a time.

World Goal 12 as a benchmark at ReCollector

ReCollector also works with the UN's 17 global goals, where number 12 on 'Sustainable consumption and production' is very close to our hearts. We work to emit the least possible CO2 with our products and use suppliers that cause the least possible or no damage to the climate.

And of course we hope that ReCollector's sorting box can help many to recycle even more waste. In this way, we will collectively emit less CO2 and use a little less of the earth's scarce resources. We believe that every small action can make a difference in the journey towards a better future.