Repairing instead of throwing away, reusing instead of producing anew - that can be the only way for all of us into the future: I think it's great what we do at allsafe. It simply makes sense. Together with you, we want to slow down climate change and enter into a circular economy, sustainable business. That is our vision. But can you afford it, can we afford it?
Sustainability versus economic reality?
The customers see: I pay 60 euros for a new security bar. For a used one from allsafe, it's still 50 euros. Sustainability or not, that is not significantly cheaper. And our minds are stuck in the idea that new must always be better and used must be cheaper.
What customers often don't see or realise: our service. We provide customers with a box for defective parts, pick them up, repair them, have them UVV-tested, and bring them back to the customer. But unlike in America, for example, Germans don't like to pay for service because we think we could do it ourselves. Cleaning the flat, for example. So I like to do the maths: What income could you generate in this time, at your hourly rate?
After me, the scarcity of resources?
But of course: if you as an entrepreneur have to turn over every penny - and I know that the logistics industry has blatantly narrow margins - then sustainability is not the first thing you want to or can spend your turned over penny on.
But think, for example, about your supply chains: many suppliers who produce in China, for example, experienced great difficulties during the pandemic. But sustainable production in Germany and Europe also makes for more reliable supply chains. And who says that Corona is the last pandemic we have to live with?
We need to rethink now.
Or think of our raw materials: the resources of our planet are finite. That means we have to rethink now. You could say: "There's still enough for me. After me, the scarcity of resources!" But will this calculation work out? Maybe for the next 50 years. But maybe only the next five to ten years. The breakdown of many supply chains in the last two years has shown how quickly it can happen. The resulting shortage of raw materials has led, for example, to a 25 percent increase in the price of new load securing bars.
It is often the family-run companies that think differently here. They want their children and grandchildren to be able to continue running the company successfully. So for them, sustainability is a very real concern. So the question is not whether we as entrepreneurs can afford sustainability. The question is: Can we afford not to do business sustainably?
Beyond that, sustainability for me also has something to do with appreciation and a sense of responsibility. Appreciation for the things we produce and use, for our planet and a sense of responsibility for the generations after us.
