Mission & Vision

As described under ' About ', about the origins of New Weave, we see that the carpet industry has a significant negative impact on people and the environment in various areas. Exploitation, the use of hazardous substances, animal cruelty and a huge waste mountain of 1.6 million tonnes per year in the EU are the hard facts of the industry. These are aspects that a consumer often does not realize when making a purchase, but actually consciously does not see them. It is therefore urgent that companies throughout the chain change and also work more transparently.

It is incomprehensible that the industry has not yet made any further progress in reducing these problems. Yet we see that sustainability is also playing an increasingly prominent role in our industry. However, the term 'sustainable' is not protected, and it also lacks a clear definition. As a result, we see that many projects that are labeled 'sustainable' are in reality not or hardly effective. We explain what we understand by sustainable design, and how New Weave tries to translate this into products, in the articles under sustainability and specifically under Take-back and Ecodesign.

In addition, it is doubtful whether sustainability and commercial success can be reconciled at all. In the 'race to the bottom', the endless pursuit of cost savings to remain competitive, people and the environment often suffer.

New Weave aims to show that it is possible to produce sustainably, or at least much more sustainably, than what is customary in the market. And to do so in a way that competes on all fronts with current alternatives.

In short, it means that we see the application of a circular design philosophy as an absolute condition for sustainable design. What circularity exactly means is briefly explained under 'vision'. In addition, New Weave operates according to the principles of a Social Business, a construction described by Muhammad Yunus. Yunus is a Nobel Prize winner and social entrepreneur, microcredit advocate, among other things.

The pursuit of circular design is therefore anchored in our Mission & Vision.

New Weave views circularity as a prerequisite for sustainability. Applying circularity as a design requirement forces producers and designers to consider the impact of a product and the individual components it comprises.

In short, circularity eliminates the concept of waste, just as we see in nature. A leaf that falls from a tree isn't waste but a new nutrient in an ecosystem. Translated to a product, this means that a perfectly circular product can be reused infinitely and completely without creating waste and without compromising on quality. A closed loop ecosystem.

Of course this is easier said than done. But striving for circularity, without being perfect, already has an effect on the sustainability of a product. Only by applying circular principles can we reduce the enormous waste problem.

Circularity, especially for relatively simple products, is certainly not a technology of the future. By leading the way in the application of the latest circular techniques, New Weave wants to show that circularity is a technology of today. A technology that can compete with traditional manufacturing methods in all areas.

By applying affordable and scalable techniques, the aim is to make circularity accessible to the general public. This is the only way to promote circularity and thus achieve a significant effect.

Circularity is the way to combat waste, but without actually realizing an impact, it defeats the purpose. The impact resulting from circular design can only be realized if products are actually sold and thus the share of non-circular production decreases.

This presents opportunities to use market economy as a catalyst to achieve sustainable goals. In a market economy, the customer is central. Properly serving this customer is the key to commercial success. Offering the right value is important. To enforce a circular transition, circular design must also offer additional value to a customer. In other words, it must be genuinely competitive.

Sustainability as a selling point alone will not sufficiently convince a customer if other aspects of a product are subpar. The quality, lifespan, aesthetics, and affordability are at least, if not more important, aspects for a customer in making a choice. Additionally, it should also be possible to produce circular products in volume, so the technology needs to be scalable.

Sustainability and specifically circularity is a prerequisite for all products we launch. However, these principles are often not basic requirements for a consumer. Merging customer wishes with circularity is at the heart of our mission.