Contents
In addition to profit, social and environmental aspects become important for business. The company “Prostoye Delo” has collected nine stories about young entrepreneurs who are developing a sustainable business in our country
The first part – the history of the company “Prostoye Delo” – read here.
The second story is the Banements project
Banements is a project that creates accessories from used advertising banners. Such production is the only way to extend the life of PVC material, which is not recycled in our country.
Founders:
Nikita Litvinov (21 years old) is an environmental engineer, a graduate of the Moscow State Technical University. N.E. Bauman;
Anastasia Varlygina (23 years old) is an engineer-economist, a graduate of the Moscow State Technical University. N.E. Bauman;
Arina Frutova (21 years old) is a culturologist, a student at the Russian State University for the Humanities.
The founders of the Prostoye Delo company, Nikita and Nastya, started by trying to live according to the concept of “zero waste” for a month. At one of the swaps, they met upcycle designer Arina Frutova and decided to create a joint project.
Overpacking
Arina:
For one of the meetings with the guys, I brought a laptop case with me, made from a recycled banner. I didn’t see anything like that in Moscow then. We decided that we should try to make a joint project to occupy this niche. Now I handle all the design tasks, and the guys are responsible for ensuring that this is in line with the green agenda.
It seems to me that advertising and packaging is already too much. It is not necessary to send to the landfill something that has already served its “information period”, but has not served its utilitarian one. Therefore, we use banners that can be reused, but not in the direct meaning.
Now it is somehow strange not to think about the environmental agenda: it is difficult to feel like a free person when you have to breathe dirty air.
Nastya:
Nikita and I are responsible for logistics, raw materials, partner search and wholesale sales. When Arina offered to make accessories from used banners, we began to study the market and found a partner who was ready to give us banners – the Biological Museum. The first collection was quickly sold out by our friends and local fashion communities.
Nikita:
We made the second collection from the banners given to us by the Seasons Project. At the same time, we began to participate in the Upcycle Fest, Zero Waste Shop and other events – this is how we introduced the target audience to our products.
During the first collections, we did not have bulk orders. They appeared after we made a collaboration with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) – we made a collection of their banners. Now these covers are on sale at the Good Gifts Showcase of the Foundation. Then there was a joint collection with Buy Social, which make corporate gifts.
We also managed to work with the regions: we made a batch of products for Vladivostok, Yekaterinburg, St. Petersburg. Another big order: a corporate party for the 2×2 TV channel. Employees of 2×2 collected banners for a long time, knowing that they cannot be recycled, and were happy with the new project.
Growth crisis and other problems
Nastya:
At the beginning of 2020, due to the fact that there were more orders, we realized that we no longer had enough production capacity. Then we entered into an agreement with another factory, which provided large volumes.
Arina:
There are big European brands that we don’t even try to compete with. They do a great job and inspire us. We hope that we will grow to such proportions and say hello to them from that height. There is a European brand that also works with banners, but they are made of a different, more durable material. We do not have such materials, because in our country the technology for their production is different.
As a rule, banner fabric is a strong and durable material adapted for outdoor conditions. In addition, large companies do not save on quality banners. The laptop case looks like new even after a year of intensive use.
At the same time, it is important to choose the right banners for upcycling, taking into account not only the quality of the fabric, but also the paint. If the paint is of high quality and non-toxic, the banner should not emit odor or crack.
Nikita:
On average, our accessories cost 1,2-1,5 thousand rubles.
Many people do not understand our pricing policy and believe that since we collect banners for free, it means that they should cost little. But in addition to the work of a seamstress, the cost of a product includes logistics, the work of a designer, promotion, etc. With small volumes of production, the cost is difficult to keep low, although we are working to make the price as affordable as possible for people who think about the environment and themselves in it.
Nastya:
In the spring of 2020, sales expectedly fell. Many companies are having budget cuts and can no longer afford to place orders. We made free contactless delivery, developed retail and looked for new formats of cooperation in the field of culture: with festivals, musical groups and other projects.
What has been achieved?
Arina:
My personal small achievement is that thanks to the existence of the project, my mother has developed eco-habits. It all started with the fact that she began to follow our new products and buy the most stylish models. Now she tries to use reusable packaging, refused to buy flowers for September XNUMXst for my little brother, monitors the consumption of water and electricity.
During the existence of Banements, we have produced about 2 thousand accessories from used advertising banners (large corporate orders also fall there). This is not much, but we do not strive for large numbers, we are for conscious production, and if there is a demand, we fulfill the order. We do not always have a lot of items on hand for retail.
In the future, we want to work with other materials, cooperate with large companies in Moscow and in our country. And we really want to open our showroom.
More information and news about how business, law and society are “greener” in our Telegram channel. Subscribe.