Imagine: You just used a public restroom facility. You’ve finished your business, washed your hands with soap and water, and you turn to look for a way to dry them. What’s on the wall? A paper towel dispenser. You reach forward to grab a towel and then you… don’t!
Think about it… If every time a human in today’s world washed their hands in a restroom facility and chose NOT to use one of the disposable paper towels from the dispenser, what would happen?
Would the paper/pulp manufacturers continue manufacturing disposable paper towels? Would the trees needed for the demand we currently generate be cut down? Remember – one tree provides the oxygen for three people to breathe*. One less tree … You see where we’re going with this.
Now, there was a time before tissues. There was a time before disposable paper towels and their dispensers. Yes, indeed, we’re bringing hankies back.
With the opening scenario in mind we’re happy to introduce #BringBackTheHanky – our latest community initiative!
So, what’s it all about?
We’re making hankies in an effort to lead people away from the world of using disposable paper-towels. As you probably know, social entrepreneurship is a cornerstone of the SEEKJOY community approach.
Where a traditional entrepreneurial business venture will strive to maximize financial gain, a social entrepreneurship model seeks to maximize social gain. As part of this initiative, our goal is not to make a quick million selling hankies (though that would help us out immensely) – our goal is to have humans stop using disposable products. If we sell some handkerchiefs in the process, great! Maybe we can stay afloat a little longer …
If humans see this initiative and say, “Hey, I could make some hankies myself using old fabric scraps laying around my house …“ – then what? Well geez, that’s even better! Yes, this would probably mean you aren’t buying our HempHanky but remember that’s not the point – the point is to stop using disposable paper towels and encourage others to do the same. Because the “social profit” is more important than the “financial profit”, even an outcome like having everyone make their own still means our “business model” has succeeded.
So – if you’re not going to make your own, why support our efforts and buy one of ours as part of #BringBackTheHanky?
Reason 1: The Fabric
We’ve sourced a 55% Hemp & 45% Certified Organic Cotton fabric blend from a Colorado-based leader in environmentally-responsible textiles. We could have used a different fabric but we’re big fans of Industrial Hemp and the fact that just about every paper and/or petroleum product could be made from Hemp so… In creating demand for this raw material we’re hoping to play a role in its overall adoption & legalization.
Reason 2: The Manufacturing
We’re buying bulk Hemp fabric by the yard, cutting the fabric to size, and sewing the 12” x 12” handkerchiefs using 100% solar power! That’s right – we’re running our little sewing machine off solar! #SolarStitch for the Win!
What about the logomark in the corner? We had a choice – the most economically viable options is to screen-print the logos. That said, embroidery requires less of a chemical footprint and will ultimately survive many more wash cycles. Although the SEEKJOY logo mark is a simple design, we don’t have an embroidery machine so we’re working with local shops to run bulk orders of the logos on Hemp Fabric which we then solar-stitch to the Hanky.
Reason 3: The Proceeds
We’re hoping that sales of the HempHanky 3-Pack from our online store can provide a small, stable revenue stream which can provide a means of continuing to advocate for the goals behind this initiative and the others we’ve launched and/or are working to launch. You can be sure we’re using any and all revenue from our work to catalyze efforts towards the sustainable and harmonious coexistence amongst nations!
Supporting local business, manufacturing in the US, creating sustainable jobs, using alternative energy… It’s all part of this community initiative!
Sold on the concept? Great!
#BringBackTheHanky has been added to the active “Community Initiatives” section of our website and you can check it out by clicking here.
3-packs of the HempHanky are currently available on “pre-order” via the online store through February 4th, 2018. We’ll be ordering materials for our pilot batch based on what’s possible with the quantity of pre-orders we receive and be going from there – hopefully scaling up to “full solar production” by early March!
We’re looking forward to getting this initiative off the ground and collaborating with all of you to make the world a better place. Let’s #BringBackTheHanky!
*Source: North Carolina Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling via http://www.id2.ca/downloads/eco-design-paper-facts.pdf