OriginAlternative

100% Naturals Consumables

OriginAlternative was born from the collaboration of two French people basedat Saigon au Vietnam.On the one hand, having become aware of the ecological emergency regarding the state of our soils, rivers and oceans linked to the ravages of plastic waste, and on the other, the desire to support small Vietnamese producers with the aim to export their know-how, from there was born OriginAlternative to valuesat both eco-responsible and charitable.

The city of Ben Tre in the Mekong Delta is also known as the capital of Coconut in Vietnam. It has been harvested there for millenniaat mainly food purposes but also decorativ.The province de Binh Dinh in central Vietnam is best known for its bamboo plantations. This has always been harvested, particularly in the context of construction but also for the manufacture of traditional furniture.These two types of natural and easily transformable materials offer a major opportunity for local farms by allowing them a new use of Coconut and Bamboo in the fight against plastic pollution.It then came to us the idea of meeting these farmers and proposing to them to design tailor-made and quality utensils in response to a growing demand in Europe and France for ecological alternatives.

However, significant issues have arisené of these meetings: the language barrier, respect for working conditions, ensuring qualityat both clean and consistent as well as finding common ground with local farmers to ensure that the strict expectations of the Western consumer are met.It\'s here that OriginAlternative plays its buffer role in order to ensure that the end customer receives his orders on time, without errors and of course in compliance with European Standards.

Being based in the country of production and therefore able to meet these farmsat at all times, we are able to provide quality control of production while ensuring clear and transparent communicationat towards our customers.In this logic of Commerce Equitable où the producer and the end customer are winners, our objective is above all to be able to bring our brickat the building in order to preserve the planet which is above all our home.The small actions of everyone are one more step towards saving our environment and making the choice to choose ecological alternatives is not only symbolic but above all a conscious and militant act.

Specialties

Our values

A crusade against plastic pollution

Plastic pollutes the whole planet. It is found everywhere: at the bottom of the ocean, on the paths of the most distant forests, in the ice of the Arctic and even on the beaches where the turtles make their nests. The plastic we see washing up on shore or floating on the surface of the water is only the visible part of the pile of garbage. More than two-thirds of the plastic thrown into the sea ends up on the ocean floor, most of which ends up breaking down into smaller and smaller pieces until it forms what is called microplastic which has a deleterious effect on ecosystems. On land, they fill landfills, clog waterways and generate pollution when burned in the open air or in incinerators.

Contrary to popular belief, only 9% of the world\'s plastic is recycled. Even in developed countries, the recycling rate of plastic collected by households is often well below 50%. Plus, most recycled packaging waste ends up in lower-value or non-recyclable products, meaning this process simply delays the inevitable journey to landfill.

Another notable point and not the least, the greenhouse gas emissions from the life cycle of plastics compromise the ability of the world community to contain the rise in the temperature of the Globe below 1.5° C. If the production and consumption of plastics does not decrease, 20% of the world\'s oil consumption will be attributable to plastics by the middle of the century.

Promoting Fair Trade

Since 2001, the common definition of fair trade has been:

“Fair trade is acommercial partnership based on dialogue, transparency and respect,whose objective is to achieve agreater equity in world trade.It contributes to sustainable development by offering better commercial conditions and guaranteeing the rights of producers and workersmarginalized, especially those in the South.

Fair trade organisations, supported by many consumers, are actively involved in supporting producers, raising public awareness and campaigning forpromote changes in the rules and practices of conventional international trade”.

In this sense, OriginAlternative does not seek to make a profit at all costs but to establish a "win-win" relationship between all the parties involved in the transaction. We support small producers by offering them the possibility of promoting their know-how towards new horizons while training them in the quality and service requirements necessary for the export of their crafts. Full transparency is offered to the end customer, particularly in terms of the working conditions of the producers and by providing a clear follow-up of the production stages. Part of the income from OriginAlternative is redistributed to charities and environmental protection associations because let\'s not forget that the big winners of these actions remain people and the planet.

In support of the circular economy

Its fundamental principles go towards a better preservation of resources, our environment, our health, allow the economic and industrial development of the territories, reduce waste and waste: the circular economy is an economic model which aims to meet these challenges. . It aims to move from a completely disposable society, based on a linear economy (extract, manufacture, consume, throw away) towards a more circular economic model. The circular economy is part of the field of the green economy. The challenges of the circular economy are simultaneously environmental, economic and social. In many countries, the transition to a circular economy is officially recognized as one of the objectives of the energy and ecological transition and as one of the commitments of sustainable development.

At the house of OriginAlternative, we only select natural materials for the design of our products that do not participate in deforestation, nor in the extension of production areas, nor in any form of soil pollution as much as possible.

Bamboo, from the herbaceous family, has the property of growing back in just a few months. By a system similar to fallowing, we reuse the same shoots by a rotating process. In addition to its natural qualities of both solid and flexible, Bamboo is one of the plants with the highest Co2 absorption capacity, rebalancing the carbon footprint linked to transport.

The use of coconut for our utensils is comparable to recycling at the very basis of the process. Indeed, the Coco shell is usually either thrown away or left on the ground without any particular use being offered to it. We choose to give it a second life by making utensils that are both useful and elegant. Its low weight also greatly limits carbon pollution related to transport.

Our products are mostly reusable and those that are not remain 100% biodegradable in record time. However, in order to avoid waste, we suggest that our customers either reuse their end-of-life products as decorative elements, or send them to a list of partners specializing in the recovery and transformation of these objects in order to give them back a new life in a different form.

Industry

100% Naturals Consumables

Country

Vietnam