It is 2021, the earth is warming up steadily, climate conferences seem to be happening a few times every season, everyone is talking, turning vegan, or desperately trying to reduce their carbon footprint with kombucha and avocados. “Everyone is talking, but we need radical action”, said Kim and Lena, the founders of aware_. Aware_ is a German platform, the first one of its kind, having set the connection of sustainability and aesthetics and their unique selling point. Former generations left us dancing on the fallen fruit in the words of singer Lorde, and now, platforms like aware_, which encourage mantras like actions speak louder than words are needed more than ever. SLEEK had the pleasure to sit down with aware_ to discuss their platform, the climate crisis and the exploration of aesthetics and sustainability.
Founders Lena Schrum and Kim Fischer. Image courtesy of aware_
SLEEK: What is aware_?
Lena: We are Germany’s first-ever sustainability platform. We see ourselves as a guide for companies as well as customers to help them reach their sustainability goals.
S: How did you invent this concept Lena?
Lena: I and the co-founder Kim come from very different backgrounds, and it was actually her, who conceived the idea. To me, the “why”, the reason behind the idea is way more important. Behind the idea stands the climate crisis, which is currently the biggest challenge we are facing as a society. It’s the most important issue we have to work on. Before aware_, I used to be a professional athlete, but I grew up on an organic farm and my father was working in the field of renewable energy. Due to my passion and devotion for sports, I joined Nike after my career as a professional footballer. When Kim came to me with the idea for aware_, everything just fell into place, it just made so much sense. I felt like I was able to connect my own story with passion and a new idea.
Kim: Contrary to Lena, I come from a less sustainable background – my family has a history of being racing drivers and running a gas station. The only link to sustainability one could detect would be that my mother was known to use solar energy to run her gas station, which was very forward-facing back then. Professionally, I used to work a lot for companies that organise big fairs, for example, Cologne Messe or Messe Berlin. Working in this field granted me a really great overview in terms of existing platforms, but I quickly realised that there was no platform that portrayed the topic of sustainability with an aesthetic approach. The ones that existed were either very government-driven or very conservative. Essentially, the idea is based on the thought of communicating sustainability in an aesthetic way and therefore melting industries together. This is how the idea behind the platform was born.
L: We want to figure out how we can find solutions to the climate crisis as a whole, as a collective, as a community. We don’t need to portray the state of things or how much the world is suffering, because we all know that, we are all aware of it. What we need to do, is to find a way to bring this awareness into the already given structures. We need to transfer words into actions.
K: The community aspect is very important to us. Collaboration is key – we need to push this mission together as a whole, it is the only way.
Image courtesy of aware_
S: “Sustainability” is a massive buzzword these days. Everyone seems to be using it, but what does sustainability mean for you? How do you ensure that your partners want to be sustainable and not only performatively?
L: In our team, we work with Dr Carla Woydt, who is our sustainability expert. Due to her expertise, she has a very strict eye on this. Besides that, we develop a feeling about a potential client’s seriousness in the consultations we have with them. In the past, we have already turned down some applicants, since we noticed that they would hinder other partners with their strategy. Additionally, their mindset wasn’t quite there yet. We are very selective when we decide who to work with.
S: Why should one become a member of aware_?
K: We are a network that allows our members to communicate independently of their industry. With aware_, companies, as well as individuals, can face the challenge of sustainability together. We accompany them on their journey into a more sustainable future. For this, we developed different pathways. For example, one that focussed on building a strategy for corporate companies, based on building a network and the opportunity to educate their employees on sustainability. Education is very important to us since we want to give everyone who wants to change something, the educational resources to do so.
L: Additionally, we put a great emphasis on transparency. The customer deserves to know what sustainable goals the company is currently working on. For example, what is SLEEK currently changing?
S: We are currently working on reducing our carbon footprint by planting trees for the paper we are using to print our magazine.
L: If you’d be one of our members, your employees would attend our masterclasses, which would push the educational aspect.
Image courtesy of aware_
S: How can I imagine being a member of aware? Do you meet up, are there events, is there a virtual club, how do you connect the partners?
L: We have three important pillars: first up, there is education, where we arrange masterclasses. We provide knowledge about sustainability, which you can access online. The second part of the membership is events and gatherings. We are having our own conference, online as well as offline. We are hosting a networking dinner. Besides those big events, we also do small micro-events, which are taking place internationally. They are connected to big events, for example, the World Expo in Dubai or the SXSW in Austin. This opens the opportunity to meet new people our members wouldn’t have the chance to meet otherwise. The third pillar is consulting, which is also very important to us. We are consulting the companies, mapping out their current biggest challenges and how we will help them reach their goals quicker. Those three pillars are underlined by our communication, e.g. our podcast and our online magazine.
S: Why is the aesthetic so important to you? It has never been directly connotated with sustainability.
K: To be honest, I keep asking myself the question, and unfortunately, I do not have an answer to it. In most cases, the association of “aesthetic” is directly connotated with people working in fashion, architecture or art. To me, it seemed like no one has wondered about the connection between aesthetics and sustainability. Being sustainable is a lifestyle, and therefore it should be a positive topic, not an alternative inaccessible niche.
L: When we started two years ago, we wanted to communicate sustainability as a lifestyle, there is simply no way out of it. Back then, there was just a very alternative eco-organic minded niche, where the mainstream didn’t see themselves being represented. Sustainability wasn’t as big of a trend as it is now and leading a sustainable lifestyle was significantly harder than today. What motivated us was the desire to create something we couldn’t find before.
S: What would we have to change?
L: You have to act faster and more radical. The mindset of the people in power has to change.
K: People have to start doing instead of just talking.
L: The consequence of this is our brand, aware, that is the point. So many people talk and rarely do they take action. And some people still ignore it. It’s the same as with the internet back in the day, no one took it seriously until it got bigger than ourselves.
Image courtesy of aware_
S: I completely understand that. I mean you can sell this topic even better when it is packaged aesthetically. Maybe it was just not authentic enough in the past when it came to aesthetics. Who are the members of aware_? Are you allowed to talk about this?
K: For example BMW, Porsche, Fujitsu, Goodpatch…
S: Also different industries?
K: Yes, of course. This is a very important aspect of us to have a diverse group of members who can exchange their thoughts and feelings on the topic of sustainability. This lively exchange creates a great synergy between them since they are all so different from one another.
L: You also have different company sizes. For example, there are big corporate companies, startups as well as design agencies. They all come from different points of view when they bring their ideas and changes into the movement.
S: The last question, when I walked around the Alexanderplatz during my lunch break today, I saw a big wagon having largely printed 1.5% on it. Do you think we have a chance to save the environment?
K: If we continue the way it currently is, then no. This is my honest answer. That is my gut feeling.
Image courtesy of aware_
S: That is very true. Even though I do think that for Gen Z as well as some millennials, nothing works without sustainability.
L: They are incredibly woke and aware, it’s insane.
K: That is exactly the point. They know that if we continue this way, the earth won’t exist for a lot longer the way it does now. The market needs to pay more attention to them since this generation won’t buy products that are not sustainable in the future.
L: Of course, becoming sustainable is not an overnight thing, but one has to start somewhere.