It is usually a long road to a 100% sustainable business model. GfaW has the privilege of accompanying many companies on this journey. We spoke to GLOBAL THINKING GmbH at Vivaness 2020. The Stuttgart-based company has already established itself on the natural cosmetics market with its HA-THA natural essences products. The company is now taking another important step with the NCS-approved C0CC000N cosmetic series. C0CC000Ns are care pads made from refined silkworm cocoons – but also an important approach for the cosmetics industry. In this interview, Managing Director Michael Köhler talks about the development of a cosmetic product that is not only natural, but is also intended to make a positive contribution to the climate and society.
Your raw material comes from a social project in India. What came first: the idea of supporting people or the product idea?
First there was the social project. We have known about the project for about 5 years and thought about how we could participate. My wife did some research on silk cosmetics and discovered that cocoons are already used for soft peeling in Asia and the United States. Great, if we have access to non-violent silk, then we can make non-violent cocoons at HA-THA and support this project.
What is non-violent about silk or cocoons?
In Sanskrit, ahimsa refers to the principle of non-violence, which reflects the basic attitude of humans towards living beings and nature in many Eastern religions. In conventional silk production, the pupa is torturously killed in its cocoon by hot steam or boiling water. In so-called ahimsa or peace silk, no animal is harmed. The cocoons are allowed to complete their metamorphosis from silkworm to butterfly.
What would happen to the cocoons if they were not used for cosmetics?
They are thrown away.
How are their cocoons grown, is it a pure monoculture?
For conventional silk production, cocoons are nowadays bred in factory farms in drawers. Our
Caterpillars come from wild collection and can move freely in their mulberry trees. At certain times, the trees are covered with nets to protect the silkworms from predators. Shortly before hatching, the cocoons are kept in a protected place until they can complete their metamorphosis from caterpillar to pupa in peace and fly away as small white moths. I’m looking forward to finally being able to see this in person, as I’ve only ever seen it in photos and videos.
Product idea is ready and the desired raw material is available, what happens next?
We contacted the head of the project, who lives in Germany. We simply drove to him and discussed the project with him. From the manufacturer’s point of view, it was important for us at HA-THA to be able to patent the product. There are already several international producers of cocoons for the cosmetics sector, some of whom also use Ahimsa silk. It was therefore not a viable business model for us to simply pack and market the silk cocoons. We also wanted to make the cocoons even more attractive for daily skin care. We knew of other ingredients from Asia that have proven to be very effective in cosmetics. So we thought about whether the cocoons could be impregnated with other active ingredients in powder form. This was followed by a test phase, which resulted in a formulation of Tanaka powder, turmeric and ginger. This enabled us to multiply the effect of the cocoons and apply for a patent for the product. We also developed another pad for body care and worked on the packaging of the products. And now here we are, at Vivaness 2020, and the product has been well received.
Have you been on site for the project?
No, but that is on the agenda. It is very important for us to get to know the local people and to check our impact. Because the project manager is trustworthy, we have decided to launch the product first and travel to India in October. We also want to shoot a video there and focus more on the project.
Is the entire product manufactured in India?
No, we do that in Germany. We are considering perhaps carrying out the finishing in India in the future. At the moment, however, we prefer to keep production in Germany. I can quickly get to the contract manufacturer’s production facility and check on things there, which I prefer. We are also researching further cocoon-based formulations together with our production partner. C0CC000N-Cosmetic is to be expanded into an entire cosmetics line.
Is this the first social project HA-THA has been involved in?
Directly yes. We have our other products manufactured in Thailand. The local producer does donate to local social projects, but this is a living practice in Buddhism. So we have no connection to the projects. That’s why it was high time for us to cooperate with a project where we can check and communicate our impact. Now we can see directly that the money from the cooperation is being used for school contributions, for example.
So what influence do you have on the ground as a result of the project?
The creation of jobs, especially for women, and the promotion of education for their children. The trees in which the silkworms live are not treated with fungicides, insecticides or genetic sprays. In addition, more mulberry trees are planted locally than are cut down. This leads to greater local added value, as mulberry juice is also extracted from the trees. It also promotes the positive carbon footprint of our products.
Does this cooperation change the way we see ourselves as entrepreneurs or, more generally, has there been a moral change of heart?
Yes, absolutely. I have even become politically active. For example, I recently contributed to the “Ethical Business” business round table in Baden-Württemberg. This is about creating pure win-win situations for everyone. When I think ethically, I also create value – but with a different mentality! The question of meaning is an important motivation. It’s not just about earning money, but about being clear about the purpose of your actions.
What exactly do you mean by “ethical business”?
I would like to illustrate this using our industry as an example. You can offer a 110% organic product here, but it was created under conditions that do not correspond to our ethical values. Then the product is not okay – even if it is organic. Or the organic product has an ecological footprint that is unacceptable. If someone absolutely wants to sell something like this, then they must at least do something to reduce the footprint. In terms of our company “GLOBAL THINKING GmbH”, it’s about valuing everyone involved in the value chain and maintaining the ecological balance at both ends. It’s no good if we feel good here because we use “organic”. We also have to think about the other factors.
This is also very much about transparency and the question of how these criteria can be identified. The Society for Applied Business Ethics, for example, has launched the CSE seal for this purpose. The seal identifies ethically operating companies.
Yes, unfortunately sustainable management has not yet fully arrived in the organic sector. For us, the C0CC000N project was initially very product-oriented. We are very happy with the progress of the project and are pleased that the product and our commitment have been very well received. Of course, this motivates us to do even more in this area and to communicate this. Who knows whether CSE certification might be on the agenda at some point.
Thank you very much!
The interview took place on February 14 at Vivaness.