Julien Ehret, founder of the Alsatian suitcase brand Dot-Drops markets "the first eco-responsible suitcase in the world, made to last a lifetime".
Its environmental impact is 60% less than a standard suitcase, in life cycle, over a period of 20 years, assures the creator.
The weather is nice, the mind is elsewhere.
Your hat already screwed on your head, you are preparing for your summer vacation.
Wait !
Traveling is good.
Traveling while taking care of the planet is better.
Because it is not only the kerosene burned by planes that pollutes or even the sunscreen in the sea. The luggage industry also pollutes and not only a little.
There would be no less than 400 million suitcases sold each year in the world.
In particular so-called “round trip” suitcases which are intended for very limited use over time.
That is several million tons of plastic, very often little recycled.
It is from this observation that Julien Ehret, founder of the Alsatian suitcase brand Dot-Drops, created in 2008, imagined marketing "the first eco-responsible suitcase in the world, made to last a lifetime".
After a “very encouraging” call to launch its online crowdfunding campaign, the first suitcases are on the assembly track in France.
They should also be delivered within a fortnight.
When ecology rhymes with economy
“Nearly 84% of the people we surveyed do not repair their used suitcases and even more of them do not recycle them, reports Julien Ehret.
Sometimes just because of a wheel, a broken handle, a spare part that is nevertheless repairable.
The luggage market is based on volume.
You have to do a lot of promotion, new collections to be able to sell them, it's a crazy pace.
So we decided to act and create an eco-responsible and sustainable suitcase to consume less, but better.
»
First suitcase labeled Longtime, an independent label that distinguishes sustainable products, "Dot-Drops is officially the most durable suitcase in the world" emphasizes Julien Ehret.
Its environmental impact is 60% less than a standard suitcase, in life cycle, over a period of 20 years.
»
Recycling in the suitcase
“We have kept our unique design, the same since the creation in 2008, to remain sober visually and industrially and maintain a certain logic.
To minimize the environmental impact, spare parts are available and free and can be easily replaced by the consumer himself, with a single tool.
The suitcases are assembled in the Bas-Rhin.
Another particularity, and "it's a first", assures Julien Ehret, the suitcase is guaranteed for 20 years as well as the availability of spare parts.
On the design side, the durability data is analyzed by independent laboratories, as part of a system financed by Ademe.
“The goal is to have a precise idea of the life cycle, and to help us go even further in eco-design,” emphasizes Julien Ehret.
The choice for the shell?
Polypropylene.
A thermoplastic that has “very good durability, very stable.
It also allows better recovery in recycling, with a loss of property that is quite low compared to other plastics, specifies Julien Ehret.
We also chose it because we are on a circular project: we take care of the end of life of the product.
We are committed to recycling them.
The customer will be able to send it back to us, at our expense, in our workshops where it will be dismantled.
The various components will then be sent to the correct recycling channels.
»
Our holiday file
Materials side, no miracle however, they come from China.
“Spare parts in particular are produced there because at present we have no industrial alternatives.
It is very complicated to restart their production in France.
The next step is to find some, especially for the hull, on which we are actively working.
And ultimately, we are aiming for a suitcase that is 100% made in France.
»
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