The story of Pretty ECO

 

Pretty ECO wants to inspire with empathy! Our products are the perfect gift for anyone that is into sustainability and ethical products, for yourself or a loved one.

Our products made from elephant poo paper bring this all together. The products are Fairtrade certified, eco-friendly and we donate 10% of our profits to the elephants that helped us to create this product, to help them improve their lives. We’re also able to help the local communities in Sri Lanka by producing the product in an ethical way there. Curious about our back-story or more on Fairtrade, “our” elephants and how eco-friendly our products really are? Keep on scrolling and watch the videos to learn all about us.

We hope you’ll join us in our vision to inspire with empathy!

 

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    All our products are Fairtrade
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    10% of our profits go to elephants in need
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    All the procedures within our brand are done as eco-friendly as possible
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    Inspired with empathy

Fairtrade production

Our products are Fairtrade certified by the World Fairtrade Organization (WFTO). Here are some of the main rules to be able to get this certification as a supplier:

  • You don’t discriminate
  • There is no child labor
  • You pay a fair wage
  • You work with respect for the environment
  • You provide a safe workplace
  • You are transparant

It is very important for us that the way our products are produced meet these requirements. That’s why we’ve also visited the Fairtrade workplace multiple times and will continue to do so. Our personal connection with them makes us appreciate every product even more, since we know whose hands created them. It’s awesome to see how we are able to empower the local communities through every sale we make.

Fairtrade production

Our products are Fairtrade certified by the World Fairtrade Organization (WFTO). Here are some of the main rules to be able to get this certification as a supplier:

  • You don’t discriminate
  • There is no child labor
  • You pay a fair wage
  • You work with respect for the environment
  • You provide a safe workplace
  • You are transparant

It is very important for us that the way our products are produced meet these requirements. That’s why we’ve also visited the Fairtrade workplace multiple times and will continue to do so. Our personal connection with them makes us appreciate every product even more, since we know whose hands created them. It’s awesome to see how we are able to empower the local communities through every sale we make.

Eco-friendliness and sustainability

For the paper industry approximately 15 billion trees are being cut down every year to keep up with the demand. That demand is only growing and is impossible to maintain. Since paper is the ultimate material that can be  reused and recycled over and over again, we think there is still a lot of wins to make. With elephant poo paper we want to give an alternative and more sustainable solution to this demand. 

We think that empathy should not only be applied to the way we treat people and animals, but also the environment. That’s why not only sell a sustainable product but we try to handle all the processes within our brand as eco-friendly as possible. 

The elephants

So let’s address the elephant in the room, why do we have access to these elephants anyway? We volunteered multiple times with these elephants and gained quite some knowledge on the subject, though it is very complicated. 

In Sri Lanka elephants are still being held captive for mostly religious reasons. The Millennium Elephant Foundation tries to improve the lives of captive elephants by giving them better care than their owners can often give them and by giving education to the locals about ethical treatment of these elephants. 

We happily donate 10% of our profits to this organization since we have seen with our own eyes what kind of improvements they have been able to make.

Eco-friendliness and sustainability

For the paper industry approximately 15 billion trees are being cut down every year to keep up with the demand. That demand is only growing and is impossible to maintain. Since paper is the ultimate material that can be  reused and recycled over and over again, we think there is still a lot of wins to make. With elephant poo paper we want to give an alternative and more sustainable solution to this demand. 

We think that empathy should not only be applied to the way we treat people and animals, but also the environment. That’s why not only sell a sustainable product but we try to handle all the processes within our brand as eco-friendly as possible. 

The elephants

So let’s address the elephant in the room, why do we have access to these elephants anyway? We volunteered multiple times with these elephants and gained quite some knowledge on the subject, though it is very complicated. 

In Sri Lanka elephants are still being held captive for mostly religious reasons. The Millennium Elephant Foundation tries to improve the lives of captive elephants by giving them better care than their owners can often give them and by giving education to the locals about ethical treatment of these elephants. 

We happily donate 10% of our profits to this organization since we have seen with our own eyes what kind of improvements they have been able to make.

Team

Esmay Natella-Verschuren

CEO

After a pretty long time of hardship, soul searching and believing empathy was nothing but a hurdle that needed to be overcome, I decided it was time to change. 

Early 2018 I traveled to Sri Lanka to make my life long dream of working with Elephants come true. While scooping poo and bathing the Elephants, everything strangely seemed to come together. Coming back to the Netherlands plans were quickly made for “Pretty ECO”. 

I now know that empathy is actually my strength which does make me the little control freak that I am, because I always want to do the right thing for everyone involved. I am so excited to share with you these products that we have put so much love into! I hope you will enjoy it just as much as we did creating it!

Favorite product: Pen set

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Mario Natella-Verschuren

CFO

I’ve seen Pretty ECO go from a simple idea to a real brand! From when Esmay and I were volunteering with elephants in Sri Lanka, to selling the first products to our clients :).

I’m basically the guy ‘behind the scenes’, mainly overlooking the financial aspects to make sure Pretty ECO can be a successful company.

I’m also passionate about photography (No correlation found..!?), I love spending hours in the jungle in Sri Lanka trying to capture as much as possible of the world there and share it with you through Pretty ECO!

Favorite product: Plain Notebook Black

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Team Fairtrade

The paper makers

Without the beautiful people back in Sri Lanka working at the Fairtrade workplace, our products wouldn’t exist. And because we have such a personal connection with our supplier, we want to acknowledge all the hard work that they put into making this happen too.

From the boss, to the designers, the paper makers and the crafting women putting every single product together. We see all of them as a true part of our team.

Basilicum (Basil) van den Bosch

Chief Happiness

I joined the team in January of 2020. My most important task is to keep the team sane by offering support through regular walks outside and throwing toys in the hope they will take a break. Other tasks consist of offering cuddles on inconvenient times and barking when the mail arrives. Very important work, I cannot be missed.

Favorite product: Honestly I’ll eat anything.

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Let’s talk about the elephant in the room…

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