What is sustainability?

It seems to be the new buzzword every other company keeps talking about in their marketing material, but what does it actually mean?

Well, let´s start with a history lesson. One of the first definitions of sustainable development was made in a 1987 report by the so called Brundtland Commission, who described as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” That´s simple enough, but since then, it has been commonly accepted among researchers, that focus should be put, not only on environmental, but also on economical and socio-cultural aspects of the development.

One of the biggest threats today that can compromise the ability of future generations to meet their own needs is, of course, climate change. For this reason, the majority of the sustainability focus of companies and brands are, rightly so, now focused on the CO2 footprint the production has.

To calculate the footprint, you should add in everything included in the production of the product, such as material and part sourcing (sourcing materials and parts from all over the world, will increase the CO2 footprint), material production (some materials are more carbon intensive to produce), final production (energy used), assembly and warehousing (CO2 of the shipments between production, assembly and warehousing).

In a nutshell, the more locally you source everything, the less carbon intensive your material is, the more energy-efficient your production is, and the closer your production, assembly and warehousing are to each other, and finally, the more durable your product is, the lower the overall footprint of your product is.

(Using recyclable material and organising your own circular economy system will also enable the reuse of the material, preventing your product from ending up as harmful waste at the end of it´s life cycle.)

But hey, let´s not forget the economical and socio-cultural aspects of sustainability.

What´s that all about? Well, in simple terms, this would mean that you are not, for example, using overseas factories with dubious reputation to manufacture your product, because you can, and it increases your profits. So, you are not exploiting people, but rather paying properly, while also addressing to fair work hours, and the overall well-being of your workers. An organisation called B Corp offers companies a possibility of being certified on this subject.

Is KOTA2®sustainable?

Well, that’s a good question, luckily for us, it is also very easy to answer, because sustainability or reducing the environmental effects of our products was one of the key design philosophies for us.

If we start from the design process of the VÄKI multi-use coffee mug, one of the main design ideas was that it was a multifunctional product, which adapted to your lifestyle. So, basically, it was 3 products in 1: a coffee and tea maker, a camping mug and a takeaway coffee cup, which you could use just as well in Lapland or Tokyo, basecamp, office or the campus.

Being multifunctional reduces the need of buying several different products, of which many would gather dust in your cupboard for several months each year.

We chose a material, which is recyclable, durable and low material carbon intensity & production emissions, which all reduce the CO2 footprint of the product.

We decided to purchase the molds locally, instead of Asia, which is now pretty much the norm. Our contract manufacturer is located in Finland and the assembly + warehousing is mere 30 km´s from the production.

The material is made in the EU, and most of the part sourcing is also done and made inside the EU. The only part we currently source from Asia is the stainless steel filter, as we couldn´t find any manufacturer who could meet our premium needs and standards in the EU (true story).

What this all means is that by keeping the production, assembly, warehousing, and for the most part sourcing local, we significantly reduce the CO2 footprint of our product, compared to a scenario, where we would manufacture our products in a far away country with global sourcing.

We are also committed to joining the 1% for the planet organisation and organise our own circular economy system within the next two years.

That´s fine, but what about the statistics?

The CO2 footprint of our 450 ml VÄKI multi-use coffee mug.

  • It´s made of mineral-filled polypropylene, which has roughly 1,8 kg CO2/kg material carbon factor/CO2 intensity (approx. 200 g)

  • The production is done by injection holding, which adds around 0,44 kg CO2/kg

  • The overall CO2 production footprint is roughly 2,2 kg CO2/kg.

    The break-even vs disposable paper cups

  • Around 15, So, you have to use the VÄKI minimum 15 times in order to it being more sustainable than a disposable paper cup.

    CO2 footprint of a 450 ml stainless steel mug

  • Stainless steel mug has around 6,5 kg CO2/kg material carbon factor/CO2 intensity (approx. 350 g)

  • The production of a stainless steel mug adds around 2,3 kg CO2/kg

  • The overall production of a stainless steel mug is roughly 8,8 kg CO2/kg

    CO2 footprint of the VÄKI compared to a stainless steel mug

  • Steel as a material has 3-4 x higher CO2 as our mineral-filled PP

  • The production emissions of a stainless steel mug are around 5 x higher than our mineral-filled PP

  • These factors are due to the mining of iron ore, smelting process, alloying and multiple forming steps.

    Lifecycle comparison (1000 coffees)

  • Disposable cups roughly 30 kg

  • Stainless steel mug roughly 5,3 kg

  • Bamboo composite roughly 3,7-4 kg

  • PLA mug roughly 3,6-3,9 kg

  • The VÄKI roughly 3,4 kg

  • PP+ pine cellulose mug roughly 3,2 kg (currently not certified for food use in the EU)

    In a nutshell, the VÄKI features:

  • Low weight, durability, recyclability

  • 80% lower production CO2 than stainless steel

  • 36% less CO2 over the product lifecycle compared to stainless steel

  • 38 g saved CO2 per mug from the mineral filler

  • Low break-even vs disposable cups with only 15 uses

Buy sustainable, for a happy future?

Well, yes in a way, but don’t be fooled to think that consuming sustainable products will somehow save the world. Buying seven jackets from Patagonia doesn’t make you a hero, it makes you a consumer.

We all have to buy things every now and then, because of the nature of the modern life, but it is important to try to make calculated decisions and not just follow trends or peer pressure.

Electric cars reduce CO2 emissions compared to cars with combustion engine, but not buying a car at all is even more ecological. Bike , walk or use the public transportation to go to work or school.

Buy fewer products that cost more, are more durable, recyclable, multifunctional and feature classic design, which will not go out of style next year. Use those products for longer, maintain them properly, repair and recycle them.

Support companies that pay attention to the right things, that are local, dedicated for a core sport or niche craft, with focus on quality and integrity, that are not in the stock market with the main purpose of maximising the profits of the stock holders.

Vote for people, who aren’t climate denialists, who are pro education, pro science, pro equality and who you think will do the right thing. Demand for legislation that will sanction the companies with no care about the environment and force standards for the longevity of products, repair systems and circular economy systems.