Shravan Khare
Case Western Reserve University - Weatherhead School of Management
Chris Laszlo
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Karun was founded in 2012. It’s a company that manufactures high-quality sunglasses out of wood from fallen trees in Patagonia and from the recycled material from the fishing nets picked from the ocean. They raised investments and collaborated with partners who understood their purpose and vision.
There are mainly three categories of sunglasses. Two of them are currently being sold on the company's site - wooden and plastic (recycled from fishnets), and the third one is still in R&D phase, also manufactured from the recycled material. Each pair of sunglasses is sold for flat $129 on the companies website. As of now, the company sells the sunglasses in Chile and Europe. They are planning to launch them in the USA soon. The company currently only manufactures sunglasses - with a very strong message - These are not just sunglasses, they are different way of looking at the world.
“The product has huge added value in the world, and a fashion icon like sunglasses which is usually made of plastic and is usually all disposable, we can make it last and we can make it with a completely different perspective. So then we connected with the company called Bureo – A Californian company that makes skateboard from recycled fishing nets – so we collaborated with them to make the world's first sunglasses made with the recycled fishing nets. And fishing nets creates 10% of the world’s plastic pollution – which is a huge problem. And to turn these fishing nets into a source of income for the local communities, and we take that waste and then turn it into a high-quality sunglasses – thus the statement that we give is quite powerful.” – Thomas Kimber.
The inspiration for Karun came out of dissatisfaction from the current way the industries were operating. He realized that we, as human beings, could do more and thus Karun was born. Karun means nature (in local indigenous Chilean language).
Thomas was studying economics in a university in Chile. After two years into his academic life, he dropped out due a sense of disagreement with the economic model taught in the university. He was inspired to move away from the traditional approach and start something new. He decided to create a solution that addresses the way we (as human beings) interact with the nature. In 2010, he went on to start two new companies as well as an NGO. Karun was one of the companies he founded. In his words, Thomas said “I want you know I understood the connection that we as human beings have with nature. That we essentially we are part of nature.” He believes that human beings don’t need to see ourselves as different or one up above the value chain, but rather create a sense of connectedness with nature.
Since the fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world, Thomas realized to use this industry to give a strong message. Every consumer who wears the sunglasses is using a product of nature.
“So one thing is - let’s make a cool recycle product, but that is not going to change anything. That is not a solution, that is just a band aid over a wound. You want to prevent wound from happening at first place, the most important thing and the biggest impact we can make is the use an example or study case that we can use to inspire more people so that they can start reflecting and actively willing to change. “– Thomas Kimber, Karun.
Karun is collaborating with the people from Patagonia, Sweden, Santiago, Italy, the US, & France, and together with very low sources they have managed to grow the company. They are trying to make their presence felt in the international map and to keep developing and improving further. Media attention is high as Karun is invited to present memorabilia to the visiting presidents of Europe. Newspapers, magazines, Television, and Social Network attention has created the brand awareness enterprises like Karun need and deserve. They are in the process of creating a marketing strategy to do more business with Europe.
Karun is now an international brand that currently operates in Chile and Europe. Last year, the revenue of Karun in Chile was $250,000, and was $100,000 in the first six months in Europe. To date the company has sold more than 6,000 pairs of sunglasses. They have experienced a 50% growth in sales since their inception and they are projecting sales of 1 Million USD by the end of 2018. Currently the company is focusing their efforts on the Northern European market, with plans to expand into the USA once they have a strong market position in Europe. One of the lessons that Thomas learned from a previous failure was - "Opening yourself to collaborate and inviting people that share your vision and believe in your dream."
“Instead of competing, instead of having of the arrogance of pretending to be the best in the world and trying to do everything on our own I think its mush better to be honest and say look this is what we are good at, and for the rest let’s do it together with other people and let’s create an outcome that is bigger than our own efforts. Two minds think better than one. Instead of us getting the fishing nets out of the ocean ourselves, let’s do it with the guys who knows how to do it. So we have been partnering with Bureo.“ - Thomas Kimber, Karun.
Discarded fishnets account for the 10% of the plastic pollution in the ocean. The fishnets are picked from the ocean for recycling. The fishnets are converted into fishnet formula pallets and then the pallets are formulated into sunglasses. Till now, Karun and its affiliated partner, Bureo, have recycled over 80,000 KG (around 176,370 pounds) of discarded material.
In tune with the UN Goal 12, to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns, Thomas Kimber said "We have partnered with Balloon, they are working with local communities in Patagonia, and see how two B-corp and NGO can work together to preserve an area through the whole value/productive chain of a fashion accessory company like Karun, and use the leverage that Karun is gaining in Chile and Europe to help find solutions for this rural area in Patagonia. And if we want to make the best products in the world, let’s make a long term partnership with the best in the world so we have partnered with a high end Italian company that is working in dolomites inside literally a national park in the mountains which is beautiful. And we are helping them, inspiring them to change their own processes in their own company that exists since 25-30 years. And working together with their employees so that they can understand that we are building this purpose from the ground up together, it’s not something that Karun is doing, it is something that every single person that interacts with the project is being a part of the project, and if we are conscious about it, then the impact that we can start making spreads around communities in each one of these organizations. Currently we are working with 3 new collections with different materials which we will be launching next year which are very good which we combine the waste from the big industries like fashion with the crafts of indigenous and local communities that have ancient traditions with biological and organic materials to make high quality sunglasses. Something that hasn’t been done before.”
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Thomas Kimber, Founder
