Yeah, that's fantastic. Because it shows that „our“ idea (we had it 20 years ago, others 5000 years ago) is finally ripe - after all, it stands for the many, initially small things that each individual can do to make the world a little bit better.
Movements such as Fridays for Future, zero waste campaigns and the increasing popularity of unpackaged food shops - everything indicates that the rethink has reached the centre of society. We feel encouraged in our work and hope that, as pioneers of plastic alternatives made from renewable raw materials, we can continue to point the way towards a resource-conserving lifestyle.
Be part of it: Simplify!
Sometimes our own desire to orientate our lives towards sustainability can feel incredibly exhausting ... And yet this is an opportunity. The chance to find our way back to a simplicity that often makes the good life possible in the first place.
Our aim is to keep the design of the food containers so classic that they fit into modern life and yet contribute to a pleasant living atmosphere thanks to the properties inherent in the natural material alone.
What has really come into its own recently (even in small towns, unpackaged shops are flourishing and bakery and market vendors are no longer surprised by takeaway containers) is the 3-in-1 effect of our lightweight and robust tins, namely that they can be used so wonderfully for packaging-free shopping. And for serving. And for storage.
But they don't just make our lives easier as everyday helpers. What is fascinating about the cans is not only the material but also the very simple production process. Many a sustainable product - developed by experts in the laboratory and later manufactured in industrial plants - leaves many questions unanswered. In contrast, the sagaan tins are also available as a DIY set: the manufacturing process can be easily reproduced here. In this way, we want to counteract the alienation from qualitative material values associated with virtualisation and enable a moment of positive materiality.
Holds after ... and holds ... and holds
From the very beginning, the sagaan idea has fascinated people because it utilises a resource that is up to 100 % renewable and 100 % returnable to nature, which also has a very long lifespan over generations. The important resource 'food' is protected in the same way. The contrast to the plastic that threatens our planet could not be greater.
At the same time, a relationship characterised by fair give-and-take developed with the producing artisan families through close personal cooperation from the outset.
And not to forget: The sustainable effect that the containers have on the lives of the people who use them in their everyday lives is also enormous: some of them are made of 100 % antibacterial natural substances and are processed to protect food and therefore health.
Full doses of life
One of sagaan's main contributions is to provide an impetus, to show that it is possible to live the good life sustainably and in a simple way. And to consider not only the resources of the environment and our fellow human beings, but also our own. After all, living sustainably also means making sure that you don't run out of steam yourself because you lack simple, tangible solutions.
Despite their simplicity, it is important to us that our products are well thought out from the ground up. The manufacture and use of high-quality natural products still means an intervention in the ecosystem, despite all sensitivity. Thanks to the economical use of materials, circular economy with nature and the almost infinite lifespan of our products, they have been fulfilling the demands placed on modern products and production processes for centuries.
But perhaps there is more to it than that. Just as the birch symbolises new beginnings, for us it also stands for fresh ideas. We ourselves were able to familiarise ourselves with the protective properties of the bark on the tree and for the food and in this way try to have a preserving effect for the old Siberian craftsmanship and for our environment, but also to offer impulses for rethinking and to develop something new from an old material.
You can find an overview of all nominees here.