Less waste, more connection, resilience and fairness in our societies—that’s what these reusable, sustainable, circular Fruit & Vegetable Bags directly contribute to, straight from the MakersCafés of Nynke de Jong, international fashion designer and expert on sustainability and the new economy.
EKOHOUSE envisions and pursues a world in which material chains are closed, fewer raw materials are used, and production, transport, and consumption consume less fuel and raw materials.
EKOHOUSE supports a swift and smooth transition to the New Economy, where companies practice green and social entrepreneurship, citizens live and consume sustainably with ease and rediscover their creativity, sense of community, and entrepreneurial spirit.
The vegetable and fruit bags
- made from intensively cleaned residual materials (e.g. net curtains)
- finished with biological materials (yarn, string)
- packed in residual materials (printing trimmings)
The MakersCafé
- Nynke de Jong, international fashion designer and EKOHOUSE founder
- neighbours deriving income and fun in joint micro-entrepreneurship
- the sewing studio is also a breeding ground and meeting place
EKOHOUSE
- works by fair share and transparency
- is inclusive and open-source (design is downloadable, business plan is public)
- coaches MakersCafés throughout the Netherlands (in Boekel, opening soon Amsterdam)
EKOHOUSE makes a tangible contribution to eight of the 17 sustainable goals of the United Nations and the Dutch government, which conscious corporations pursue as well.
The products and the process of the MakersCafés promote SDGs 1, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13: no poverty; gender equality; decent work and economic growth; industry, innovation, and infrastructure; reduced inequality; sustainable cities and communities; responsible consumption and production; climate action.
What makes EKOHOUSE special?
This start-up demonstrates that, with a bit of ingenuity, upcycling is possible: old curtains become trendy shopping bags that prevent the CO2 footprint of disposable bags.
This smart mini-company helps retailers and consumers to go green easily, both in behaviour and awareness, potentially leading to further effects.
The fruit and vegetable bags are available for every wallet: Right & Ready, immaculate bag in a gift box; Do-It-Yourself package with all materials and manual; and the Downloader with cutting pattern and smart tips.
The MakersCafé brings people together for fun, team work and co-creation. People can earn a fair wage by producing inventory for the company or create bags for their personal use. Or maybe first one and then the other.
Our ambitions
In addition to building a distribution network of supermarkets, farm shops and lifestyle stores and rolling out MakersCafés to serve them, EKOHOUSE also loves to empower its corporate customers with advice and support to make their organizations more sustainable, inside-out and bottom-up, on a firm footing and with lasting effect.
Our people
EKOHOUSE is the brainchild of Nynke de Jong, an international fashion designer (Diesel, Maxi Cosi, Trader Jeans, H&M). The team consists of the makers of the bags, boxes and displays, a photographer, copywriter, website builder, buyer, seller and sewing machine handyman, who often fulfil multiple roles and also undertake things together outside of EKOHOUSE.
EKOHOUSE Cooperative | Nynke de Jong, Klein Rondeel 72, 5427 GB Boekel | Phone +31-6-5103 0590 | info@ekohouse.nl | www.ekohouse.nl (website under development)
