Our road to sustainability

Since 1986, POLSPOTTEN has been designing, developing, and selling interior products while putting respect for people and the environment first. We wouldn’t be able to do this without the many people and partners we trust around the world. Through our experience and intuition, we’ve created a special circle of people around us that we’ve worked with for a long time.

Along with personal contact with our extraordinary craftsmen, we prioritize their working conditions and quality of our products. We take ownership over our products and place an emphasis on thinking about new possibilities when it comes to material use and production techniques.

Everyday, we take strides towards a more sustainable future.

Our values

Conscious design and sustainable production

POLSPOTTEN designs collections with unparalleled attention to detail. This requires being extra selective with materials, production processes, and the people involved. Everyday, our Design Studio aims to create timeless products of high quality and long duration.

As often as possible, POLSPOTTEN uses raw materials you can find in abundance. For instance, our ceramic and porcelain vases and objects are made out of clay: a self-renewing material you can find on a constant basis next to rivers.

Next, we try to work with certified partners as much as we can. Even our own head office is FSC® certified because we use FCS®-certified wood in our furniture.

Craftsmanship and respect for local culture

POLSPOTTEN cherishes speciality craftsmanship. Along with our respect for local cultures, we’re always amazed by various techniques and possibilities out there. We mix age old traditions and customs with a modern twist. This way, our products combine style and design you can enjoy for decades.
Furthermore, this helps us preserve traditional craftsmanship, which can’t be done under mass production. In this regard, we create job opportunities for different people from around the world.
We make many of our products with clay. They’re handmade on a turntable, an ancient and timeless practice. In China, they pass this skill from generation to generation.
We also ask all our suppliers to meet the right working conditions. Not just by using certificates for proof, but also by meeting in person and ensuring they meet the standards. At the moment, ¼ of our suppliers have a certificate, such as BSCI, and they’ve all accepted our Code of Conduct. This forms an essential part of our working agreement.

Craftsmanship and respect for local culture

POLSPOTTEN cherishes speciality craftsmanship. Along with our respect for local cultures, we’re always amazed by various techniques and possibilities out there. We mix age old traditions and customs with a modern twist. This way, our products combine style and design you can enjoy for decades.
Furthermore, this helps us preserve traditional craftsmanship, which can’t be done under mass production. In this regard, we create job opportunities for different people from around the world.
We make many of our products with clay. They’re handmade on a turntable, an ancient and timeless practice. In China, they pass this skill from generation to generation.
We also ask all our suppliers to meet the right working conditions. Not just by using certificates for proof, but also by meeting in person and ensuring they meet the standards. At the moment, ¼ of our suppliers have a certificate, such as BSCI, and they’ve all accepted our our Code of Conduct. This forms an essential part of our working agreement.

Our journey together

POLSPOTTEN stands as close to the creator as possible. Some of them we've known for years. For example, the Coral vase has been made by a workshop we’ve been working with for already 30 years.

Through strong relationships and our close interest in craftsmanship, we’ve built personal contact with the people in our factories and workshops. We’ve even been to their homes and sat at their kitchen tables. We’ve held interesting conversions, shared inspiring insights, and grew our knowledge of their living and working conditions. More and more, sustainability has become a central subject in these conversations. Together with our creators, we make concrete steps towards a better world, in the production process as well as the use of energy and transportation.

Our products are made to last

Next to our products (or art works as some like to call them) we enjoy exploring new possibilities when it comes to material use and production techniques.

Get inspired by the following examples:

Wondering what you’re looking at? Recycled fishing nets from the ocean. Or as we like to call it, the Oval Optical Rug. This rug combines elegance and sustainability in one. Why just make your home more beautiful when you could make the world more beautiful?

Designed by the famous Dutch ceramist Norman Trappman, the Coral Vase has been crafted with great attention. With timeless design and high quality, this vase is often considered a work of art. Not to mention, it can be passed down from one generation to the next. Its beauty and long longevity give us great pride.

Some products can be made close to home by local craftsmen. Like the Puff Chair! It's designed in our own studio and made in the Netherlands with materials from Europe. By minimizing the transport of large objects, we've made it one of our most sustainable items.

Wondering what you’re looking at? Recycled fishing nets from the ocean. Or as we like to call it, the Oval Optical Rug. This rug combines elegance and sustainability in one. Why just make your home more beautiful when you could make the world more beautiful?

Designed by the famous Dutch ceramist Norman Trappman, the Coral Vase has been crafted with great attention. With timeless design and high quality, this vase is often considered a work of art. Not to mention, it can be passed down from one generation to the next. Its beauty and longevity give us great pride.

Some products can be made close to home by local craftsmen. Like the Puff Chair! It's designed in our own studio and made in the Netherlands with materials from Europe. By minimizing the transport of large objects, we've made it one of our most sustainable items.

The longevity of a product creates the foundation of sustainability.

That’s something we’ll always strive for with our designs.

Our sustainable ambitions

We would like to keep designing, developing, and taking on new challenges. We can only do that if we contribute to a better future. That’s why we never stop thinking about how to make our products more sustainable.

Consciously designing

Our design process becomes more sustainable by the day. That’s become more and more apparent in our latest collections. From the materials we use, the production methods we follow, and the collaborations we create.
In addition, the total number of products with a sustainable characteristic (such as recycled, recyclable, and renewable materials) will only increase. Finally, we want to provide more information about our products to give you the power to make an informed decision.

Production

Going forward, we’d like to keep working with companies that meet the right sustainability qualifications. We’d also like to keep delivering products that will last for years to come. Therefore, we will ask our partners to comply with these requests and help us reach our goals.
Even when it comes to new collaborations, sustainability will remain central. We consciously select our factories and craftspeople who have the right certifications and sustainability strategies.
At the same time, we will keep investigating new innovative techniques and finding new sustainable materials we can use.

Operational

We place the utmost importance on seeing our current impact on the environment, on animals, and on people. Once we reach a firm understanding of this, we can formulate and make strides to meet realistic and achievable goals.

To do so, we’ve gotten the help of a consultant from MJ Hudson, a firm with tons of experience in measuring impact. Together with the consultant, we’ve created an ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) scan. This scan scores us on diverse ESG criteria that lets us know where we’re succeeding and where we can improve.

Want to learn more about our sustainability policy and ambitions? Keep an eye out for our website and social media channels. Otherwise, please reach out to Liselotte via sustainability@polspotten.nl.