Sustainability
The challenge we face as mindful explorers is that travelling presents a paradox. On one hand, we want to see the world. On the other hand, travelling is a major source of human-driven carbon emissions. To preserve the gift that is our planet, we must do better. PROJECTKIN is a movement in response to this paradox. We want to create better alternatives for the mindful traveller. By putting action into practice, we challenge the travel industry and consumers to become more conscious.
How we put our cause to action
Transparency
Openness and transparency is something we advocate across all aspects of our business. We actively work with our suppliers on clear sustainability guidelines. This includes our Code of Conduct and our Restricted Substance List based on the EU regulation REACH.
Design
In our view sustainability is a natural extension of the Nordic design tradition of minimalism, functionality, and quality. We have chosen to work with world-class designers sharing our beliefs when it comes to design and sustainability. Together we create timeless design classics made from natural and sustainable materials.
Innovation
Research for us is critical and we pride ourselves on continually evolving in the realm of new materials. We look to nature for inspiration and push the boundaries for what is possible. Together with a range of product engineers, we work tirelessly to identify new sustainable materials. The shell for our suitcases is just one of the results of this process.
You (Our KIN)
Being part of PROJECTKIN means more than just owning travel products. You are welcomed in person and given access to a growing community of travellers who can share their values and experiences with living sustainably.
Materials
We use materials from nature. That means they look natural, feel natural and are natural. A product from PROJECTKIN is recognized by its raw and natural look and feel, and is instantly recognizable. We are proud to be using natural hemp, flax, vegetable tanned leather, and biodegradable plastics.
We carefully select the materials that go into all of our products to ensure the highest quality and make our products as sustainable as possible. In the selection process we pay special attention to water consumption, recycling, CO2 footprint, biodegradability, use of chemicals, and land use.
Growing crops and processing them into raw materials require water. The water consumption varies significantly across crop type, it is therefore our concern to select crops that minimize the use of water.
In a world of limited resources recycling is a requirement to ensure sustainability. Reusing and recycling materials is therefore a key concern in developing our products. Where possible we use recycled materials.
One of the causes for global warming is human-driven CO2 emissions. We are concerned with minimizing our emissions and focus on materials that have a fundamentally lower CO2 footprint
Wherever possible we try to use biodegradable materials. We hope that our products will be used for many years and later be recycled. However, if they end up in nature most of our products will degrade over time.
We have strict limitations on what chemicals can be used in bringing the final product to you. All our suppliers have to comply with our Restricted Substance List. This list is based on the EU REACH regulation.
All crops require land to grow, some more than others. This can in many cases lead to deforestation to make space for new crops. We look for crops that take up little land and that are not causing any deforestation.
Our hero materials
We are proud of the materials that we are using in all our products. In the below section you can explore the main fabrics and materials that we are using in our products.
Hemp is a strain of the Cannabis sativa plant species. It is one of the fastest growing plants and has been one of the first plants to be spun into fibre. There are many advantages of using hemp compared to other fibres.
- It uses 80% less water per kilograms of fibre to grow than cotton
- It is fully biodegradable
- It requires no pesticides and herbicides to grow hemp
- It requires 50% less land to grow than cotton
- It can be grown for 10+ years without soil depletion or yield reduction
- It is more than 4x more durable than cotton
Finally it can be said that hemp contains very little of the psychoactive compound tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) being the active ingredient in marijuana. Thus, one cannot get high from smoking hemp.
Flax also known as linseed is a member of the Linaceae family and just like hemp it is a fast growing plant. Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant and it is one of the oldest textile fibres. There are many advantages of using flax:
- It requires a lot less water to grow than cotton
- It is one of the most biodegradable fibres used in the fashion industry
- It uses very little pesticides and herbicides to grow
- It can yield more than 2x the material per acre compared to cotton
- It is known to be one of the world’s strongest natural fibres
- Every part of the flax plant is traditionally used, creating no waste
The flax field blooms for around 2 weeks with beautiful blue flowers.
Bioplastics are plastic materials made from renewable biomass, in our case corn starch. This means that it is grown on a field compared to traditional plastics that are derived from crude oil. We specifically use PLA, which has a considerably lower carbon footprint than other plastics. Furthermore, it is biodegradable under the right circumstances (don’t worry it will not fall apart, if it starts to rain). Finally, PLA is highly efficient to make, using only 1.6 kg of raw material to make 1 kg of finished material. Meaning that it will take up less area to make the raw materials than many other bioplastics.
Vegetable-tanned leather is made using organic material and natural tannins derived from barks, leaves, and branches of trees and plants. This is a much more environmentally friendly process than traditional tanning using chrome. Our supplier is part of the Leather Working Group, a group of companies focused on creating the most environmentally friendly production of leather. All of the hides that go into our leather come from cattle that have been bred for other purposes than creating leather e.g. dairy cattle. We have chosen to use real leather rather than any of the fake alternatives that exist. This is mainly due to the greater strength and durability of real leather, which will give our products a longer life span.
Aluminium is a light metal that makes up ~8% of the Earth’s crust in terms of mass. It is the third most abundant element in the crust. Aluminium has a low density and a strong ability to resist corrosion. Of all aluminium ever produced 75% is still in use today. Recycling aluminium only requires 5% of the energy needed to produce the virgin material. We use a combination of recycled and virgin material.
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