Stephan Meyer, CPO, tells Anita Joseph why the DICOTA model is so standard and the way the corporate focuses on sustainability on the coronary heart of its operations.
What’s the secret behind the success and recognition of DICOTA merchandise?
Now we have been out there for over 30 years, so we include a number of expertise. That is true not just for DICOTA as a model, but in addition for its folks – our employees have been with us for 20 years or extra, so this actually has a huge effect and all of it exhibits within the product and within the model. Our merchandise are 100% dependable due to our strict high quality commitments. DICOTA merchandise are properly thought out intimately, from begin to end. Skilled, dependable companions with their certified specialists make sure the constant implementation of the best DICOTA necessities in manufacturing processes confirmed by inner and exterior high quality audit measures. We do product improvement, design and high quality management in-house and so there’s a excessive stage of general operation and that is mirrored in what we provide our clients.
Sustainability is the buzzword right now – everyone seems to be getting on board with sustainability. So what makes DICOTA totally different on this regard?
Sustainability is in every single place now. In our case, we positively have a look at sustainability from totally different angles. On the one hand, there’s social sustainability – we’ve got been members of Amfori BSCI since 2015, to make sure that DICOTA is very dedicated to making sure exemplary working situations in international provide chains.
Then there’s eco-sustainability, which we have been engaged on for some time, and I believe our first vary was in 2009 once we launched our first eco-friendly merchandise. The designs themselves broke new floor. To this point, over 95% of our IT luggage are produced from recycled materials. The truth is, I do not assume there’s every other accent model on the market that’s made with a lot recyclable materials and focuses on sustainability.
Inform us extra about your recycling course of
DICOTA clients want dependable, sturdy work gear that may show itself every single day for years with out issues or hassles. The muse for that is the corporate’s strict high quality philosophy. DICOTA focuses on sustainable alternate options when deciding on supplies. The primary materials for Eco BASE, Eco SCALE, Eco SELECT, Eco PRO in addition to for the Eco MOTION assortment is made from 100% mechanically recycled PET. This materials reduces the burden on the atmosphere with out compromising high quality, appear and feel. Every of our merchandise provides new life to 6-45 used PET bottles.
For the reason that launch of our ECO merchandise, DICOTA has produced greater than 1 million transport options from recycled PET. By doing this, we have been capable of give new life to greater than 9.9 million PET bottles. PET could be recycled both chemically or by way of a mechanical course of. DICOTA depends on mechanical recycling, due to this fact used ingesting bottles are collected, sorted by colour and washed. After eradicating their labels and caps, the bottles are crushed and lower into PET flakes. These flakes are heated to take away the final impurities, then melted and changed into dense pellets. The pellets are re-melted and extruded into tough polyester fiber which is then brushed, stretched and spun into yarn. Yarns could be processed into several types of materials. They will both be made completely from recycled materials or combined with virgin polyester – tailored to the precise necessities of the ultimate product. Within the ultimate step, the materials are dyed to succeed in the colour wanted to design fashionable and eco-friendly DICOTA luggage.
Freight charges have been excessive of late – risky, up and down. How have you ever saved up and what are the teachings discovered?
Occasions have been laborious. Fortuitously, we weren’t the one ones hit by the scenario – rivals have been additionally going through the identical scenario. I believe we have been fairly artistic. Now we have tried to reduce our logistics prices. We have been sensible about how we put the merchandise logistically, we packed them properly and we favored to rearrange them in probably the most optimized method. Fortuitously, the scenario has eased and issues are getting higher, however on the top of the pandemic, it was fairly troublesome.
What new product choices can we count on from DICOTA sooner or later?
Now we have three totally different manufacturers and we’re positively what we will carry for subsequent 12 months. The basics stay the identical: nice worth, stable reliability, sturdiness and environmental friendliness.
For DICOTA, we’ve got fairly a large supply – new options within the instructional section or increasing our vary of charging connectivity. There will even be a brand new informal collection. In fact, all of this can fall underneath the identical umbrella of sustainability, as in the end we need to transfer from 95% to 100% recycled supplies throughout all of our product classes.
We not too long ago launched a brand new collection of merchandise referred to as hello dream collection that could be a area of interest providing but in addition has a excessive demand. All merchandise meet essential buy standards, together with ergonomics, sturdiness and sturdiness. Using fluorescent materials and 3M reflective tapes in accordance with EN ISO 20471:2013 means the rucksacks present wonderful visibility, enhancing office security in out of doors areas comparable to building websites and forests and for rescue operations in addition to on the highway to work.
So yeah, we’re trying ahead to an important 12 months with some nice merchandise!