At Alectro, we’re constantly on the lookout for sustainable and impact-driven alternatives to everyday items. This is an opportunity to share the brands that we love and that are making the world a greener place to live.
Black+Blum is a design-led company that creates innovative, sustainable products for the home and office.
Their products are designed to help people live a more sustainable and eco-friendly lifestyle, with a focus on reducing waste and single-use plastics.
We caught up with Dan Black, who founded Black+Blum, to discuss their journey and the future.
Why does Black+Blum exist?
"To create products which help our customers lead a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle.
Our objective is to reduce the need and reliance on single/short-use plastics and packaging by providing high-quality and innovative reusable alternatives that look beautiful and function perfectly."
How did Black+Blum start?
"Martin Blum and I met while studying industrial design at Northumbria University. In 1998, we formed Black+Blum and based it in London, one of the most diverse and creative cities in the world.
The business started as a design consultancy creating products for other companies, but our passion lay in developing and selling our own designs. We launched our first range (lighting) in 2000 and over the next ten years we expanded into other homeware products, which quickly became iconic best sellers and global design competition winners.
In 2010, we launched our first lunch box ‘Box Appetit’. It took inspiration from Japan, a country that had developed the designs of Bento lunch boxes into an art form. At the time, the West was making do with boring, waxy plastic food containers. ‘Box Appetit’ was the first adult lunch box that catered for Western cuisine and presented food beautifully, greatly improving the user's eating experience. This was swiftly followed by our ‘Lunch Pot’ and ‘Bento Box’.
In 2011, we took further inspiration from Japan, and introduced our first filter water bottle ‘Eau Good’. The filtration power of active charcoal has been used by the Japanese for centuries, so we leveraged this idea into a bottle that both reduces single-use plastic and makes tap water taste great. It was an instant hit and has become iconic for the brand."
How does it tie in with sustainability?
"Taking your own food and drink on the go helps reduce food waste and single-use packaging. Whether it is taking your lunch to work, having a takeaway coffee with a reusable cup, or going on a day hike and taking a picnic from home, all of our designs help make it easier and more enjoyable to bring food and drink with you, wherever you want to go."
Why are they doing what they’re doing?
"As designers, you become acutely aware of a product's purpose, and whether or not it’s something that is necessary. There’s so much stuff in the world, and every day this pile of stuff is growing bigger. We wanted to make sure that every product we release represents a solution to a real need, and has a place in the world. It’s not a great business model, but our ethos is buy once, buy well. We want our products to be used every day, and they’re made to last a lifetime."
What does Black+Blum do best?
"Many companies in our sector take existing products off the shelf in a warehouse and simply add their logo. At Black+Blum, all of our designs are unique to us and are designed by our in-house team in our London studio.
We make products which are truly functional and designed to be used every day, without any superfluous features. We only work with super high-quality materials that are built to last and age well.
We also have an excellent aftercare service and sell replacement parts for nearly all our products, that way when a lid or a fork goes missing, or a seal needs to be replaced, our customers don’t need to buy the entire product again. Our product designers are always on hand to help customer service answer queries from customers or to explain the best way to care for a product (to be honest, any excuse to talk about their products, and they’re there)."
Adam is a design manager at Black+Blum in London. He designs, develops and manages the manufacture of the eco-conscious food and drink containers. A large focus is on sustainability, in the choice of materials and construction.
What are the trends in your market space?
"There are many companies in our space who are fashion-led and rely on colour and pattern to give their designs appeal.
We actively go against this as we want to ensure our products are timeless. We achieve this with a modern (almost ‘Bauhaus’) minimal utilitarian aesthetic… the sort of design that can become an ‘antique’ of the future and still have appeal in years to come (even with scratches and dents). We are starting to see other companies follow us on this approach, so perhaps we are the trend setters on this approach."
What's next for Black+Blum and what should people get excited for?
"We are always working on new designs but don’t want to give too much away. We are working on more soft goods (bags) and products for the Outdoor market."
What are the challenges of starting a sustainability journey for a business such as Black+Blum?
"It is very complex and difficult to measure emissions for lots of different materials, being made in many different locations. This is especially hard when you’re a small business and use a lot of different suppliers as well, so you’re relying on emission measurement processes you have little control over."
Black+Blum takes an active role in minimising the carbon impact of products. While understanding that they use carbon-intensive materials like stainless steel, all Black+Blum products are built to last. As Dan tells us: "In the design department of Black+Blum we always talk about the word ‘soul’. A product develops ‘soul’ when it becomes a cherished item to the owner. We live in a society where too often people buy cheap products which do not last and often end up as landfill."
Some of the things the company already does are ensuring production factories are regularly 3rd party audited to comply with standardised working conditions and environmental regulations, and only ever using marine freight (never air freight).
"It’s definitely important to audit all business processes and identify where changes can be made in order to function more sustainably. For example, we’re 1% for the Planet members, which commits us to donating 1% of our annual sales to environmental charities. All of our packaging is fully recyclable (you can even add it to your home compost). But most importantly, the durability of our designs means we want our products to last for years to come, and not end up in landfill."
Thanks to Dan at Black+Blum for taking the time to talk to us about their sustainability journey
If you're interested in finding out more, make sure to keep an eye on their socials @blackblumdesign and visit their website for updates or more information!
If your company is embarking on its sustainability journey, reach out to us to discover how Alectro's Virtual Sustainability Officer® can swiftly assist you in measuring and managing your carbon footprint.
Let us know who you'd like to see us cover next in our Brands we Love series by emailing hello@alectro.io
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