If you haven’t already heard about the Berlin-based brand einhorn, then you should know that it is – along with its founders Waldemar Zeiler and Philip Siefer – among the pioneers in the sustainable production of condoms and period products! einhorn produces organic tampons & pads, vegan condoms and menstrual cups with a deep respect for the environment and people, so their products are more sustainably produced than most cosmetic brands and the people involved in the process (from start to finish) can make a proper living ♡

In 2019 and ‘20, their products consisted of 27% plastic and 73% organic plastic. With the “REGENERATIVE RUBBER INITIATIVE” which was founded last year, they work in cooperation with farmers in Thailand as well as manufacturers who want to support agroforestry and purchase sustainable rubber. The farmers receive a purchase guarantee and premium from einhorn so they can count on a secure income.

And with each passing year, einhorn takes further steps to become even better and more sustainable. They lead the way as a shining example and show us not only that it’s possible to build businesses sustainably, but also how it can be done. And on top of that, they calculate the total carbon footprint of their company each year and offset it by planting trees in northeastern Portugal through LandLiveCompany, and by having Seven Clean Seas fish the amount of plastic they put into circulation out from the sea ?

They inspire us with their approach to sustainability, the drive to be even better, their entrepreneurship, education on topics like sex and periods, and their political engagement. Personally, I’m a fan of theirs and am thus super happy that we can include them in our Amazingy web shop. I get the impression that they see themselves as part of the system and want to make the world a better place with their success. I would like to share this interview with you, to maybe also infect you with a similar desire to do good. Because everyone is able to make some contribution to the safety of our world, in accordance with their own scope of action ☆

You’ve been around since 2015, I even still remember the survey question about your condom packaging: “What do customers use to hide condoms when shopping?” ? How did you come up with the idea of offering vegan condoms back then? Was it your goal from the beginning to make the biggest possible impact?

Philip and Waldemar (our two founders) knew each other a while before einhorn ?

Together, they founded the Entrepreneurs Pledge, a network of experienced, sustainable entrepreneurs. The goal of this organization is to build and support social enterprises to solve the world’s challenges with entrepreneurial skills. It was from this basic idea that einhorn was ultimately born.

At the time, Philip was standing frustrated in front of the condom shelf in the drugstore because the condoms, which are clearly a sex product, were hidden there between sanitary napkins and dog food. There is something embarrassing about buying condoms, there are studies by condom manufacturers that say that the average condom purchase takes less than a second because no one takes several products from the shelf and compares them, but furtively and hastily snatches a package from the shelf as they pass by.

They wanted to change that. They wanted to create a sexy and, above all, sustainable condom that no one would be ashamed of ?

Have a look at our crowdfunding video… that’s how it all started.

What was one of your biggest challenges?

At that time, the first hurdle was to find a suitable partner/manufacturer who was committed to our vision.

It was clear to us that in order to realize our idea, we would need a strong partner who was already established in condom production – after all, you need a lot of certificates, for example, because it is a medical product. During our research, we soon came across Klaus Richter, who supported us from the very beginning. We were overwhelmed by his vote of confidence – from then on, it was clear: partnership in cooperation is more important to us than margin, numbers, data, facts, etc.

Our new partners in period products also had to undergo our “Klausibility Test” first. 😀

“Klausibility Test” sounds fun! What does it refer to?

In the “Klausibility Test”, we “test” potential new partners on their partnership & collaboration.

So is the new partner cooperative, is he/she willing to rethink and adapt old production processes to make the supply chain more sustainable, is the communication transparent, etc.?

There simply has to be a willingness to engage with us and our mission/vision.

What were your first successes and how did they manifest?

Phew! The first big success for us was definitely when we held the first, real condom bag in our hands (during crowdfunding, we only had self-made prototypes, so we were even more surprised when we reached our goal. There was no finished product at all, but the “crowd” still believed in us and our idea. That really overwhelmed us.)

The second milestone was the step into profitability, which we reached at the end of 2016. We have always been lucky to be independent and without investors, but this gave us additional security and of course finally allowed us to meet our goal of 50% Reinvest.

When our customers buy period products or condoms from einhorn, what else do they support apart from organic quality?

Many, many social and sustainable projects. As I said before, we reinvest 50% of our profits every year. Every year, you can read in our Fairstainability Report where exactly the money goes. Click here for the current report.

Last year you launched the “REGENERATIVE RUBBER INITIATIVE“. What do you mean by agroforestry and to what extent have you already achieved initial successes with it?

Agroforestry refers to an agricultural production system that combines elements of agriculture and animal husbandry with those of forestry. You can read more (in German) about what this means in our case here.

What does a “fair salary” mean in Thailand?

We would not necessarily call it a “fair salary”, but a premium that we pay to the farmers, which is added to the standard latex price. Salaries are only paid to employees, and unfortunately the farmers are not paid salaries.

What gives you the energy to stick to your goals and keep going?

We just believe in what we’re doing.

In this world, there are so many worksites and grievances on so many different levels that must finally be addressed. We hope to inspire other entrepreneurs to do their part, as well.

To put it in Waldemar’s words:

“We have fucked up our planet, divided our society and put our democracy in doubt: it’s time to ask ourselves what our way of doing business has to do with it.”

Sounds like shady advertising, but maybe you’d like to read his book Unfuck the Economy. There you will learn a lot more about what, where, why, etc. ?

And as already mentioned, Waldemar and Philip are also quite inspiring when it comes to entrepreneurship. But maybe more on that next time! ?

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