Innovation

People probably do not think there is a right way and a wrong way to manufacture condoms, but the Hollender family would disagree. They source the latex for their condoms from the only sustainable rubber plant in the world. This plant in India, in contrast to most around the world, treats their employees well and gives them fair wages. The plant itself also happens to be more environmentally friendly. All of this has helped Sustain become the only Fair Trade certified condom company. In addition to doing what others don't in terms of responsible sourcing, Sustain has also found a way to make condoms better for your body. Through a revolutionary manufacturing process, Sustain condoms are free of harmful carcinogens called nitrosamines. There is only one other condom company that produces condoms without this harmful chemical. What's more is that Sustain does not seek to hide the magic behind their manufacturing through patents, but rather hope more companies in the condom industry will jump on the bandwagon and start to care about the chemicals they put in consumers' bodies. They have set a goal that all condoms will be free of toxic chemicals by 2024.

As if these two weren't innovation enough, Sustain, and really Meika, have begun to turn the condom industry inside out by targeting their products specifically toward women. We are lucky someone finally connected the dots between sexual wellness and gender equality. By focusing on women, Sustain hopes to empower them to be proud of their sexual choices and own their sexual health and wellness.

Inspiration

Back in the 1980s, Meika's father, Jeffrey Hollender was on the precipice of starting Seventh Generation, a leading all-natural, cleaning product line in the United States. He has always been an environmentally conscious consumer and businessman, and one of the big crises of that decade was the deforestation of Brazil's rainforests. One of the groups of trees affected was the rubber tree, the sap from which produces latex. As it turns out, one of the greatest uses of rubber tree sap (latex) is condom production. Jeffrey knew there had to be a way to use this information to disrupt and improve the condom industry, but it was not until his daughter Meika finished business school that the family decided to invest in this idea. Jeff, his wife Sheila and their daughter Meika thus became co-founders of what is now Sustain Natural, the disruptive, innovative, sexual wellness products company.

The Hollender family's values revolve around social and environmental benefit. They put a premium on promoting women's health and by selling a product geared towards women they are allowing women to have a voice and are bringing increased awareness to the disparities across gender, race and socioeconomic status in the United States and how those disparities are sometimes perpetuated by the sexual products industry. They are changing the dialogue around women's sexual health. They also are doing so while not compromising product efficacy OR the environment. They use natural ingredients, environmentally advanced facilities, recycled materials for packaging and they are constantly evaluating new ways to make their practices even more sustainable. They make the connection between sexual health education and population control and the effects that has on climate change, income disparity, women's rights and more. They take a very holistic view of their operations and mission.

Overall impact

This company has already had an impact on its latex supplier, which unfortunately only sells around 10% of its capacity for rubber/latex production. By making the rubber plant's environmental focus and fair treatment of workers a priority, they show the rest of the industry that condoms can be made the right way. They also have an impact on health awareness, highlighting the not-so-awesome things that we never knew about that can be found in most condoms today. Bringing attention to this is just one in a string of great ways to highlight the importance of what goes in your body, not only for personal health but for global health. Where I think the greatest impact will be is in the movement they are trying to create around women's sexual health and wellness. They are able to tie so many facets of their industry to improving the world, and they've barely been around for three years. As the awareness of their products and their commitments grow, the effect they have on women's rights, gender equality, sexual equality will grow as well.

Business benefit

Where there were none before, there is a business opportunity. Meika Hollender admitted that Sustain is not the first company to come out with an all-natural personal lubricant, but told me that they are the first company to come out with a vegan, fair trade, all natural condom, AND one that doesn't risk production of carcinogens. They have created a niche for themselves here that is very timely as the natural products, sustainability, women's health and women's equality movements expand. Also, by targeting women they essentially enter into a wide open consumer space. Trojan and Durex, the big condom giants, do not rely on a simple, female message. Sustain enters a market with few competitors with a clear and compelling message, giving them a great advantage. They have also partnered with other consumer products and women's focused organizations to proliferate their message and brand. These partnerships bring immense business benefit and will help Sustain thrive. Sustain is already in over 3,000 stores and growing each day. Their first sales channels were their own website (offering single use and subscription packages) and Amazon, and they still maintain these channels today. While the subscription package was their entry into the industry, in line with many of the other on-trend consumer products (Warby Parker, Casper mattresses, Away luggage), Meika said they are very focused on building out the retail presence. Their growth was fostered even further with a groundbreaking partnership with Whole Foods. Sustain is now the first sexual health brand sold at Whole Foods nationwide.

Social and environmental benefit

Sustain Natural's innovations and business model fall into four of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDG): 3) Good Health & Well-Being; 5) Gender Equality; 12) Responsible Consumption & Production; 13) Climate Action.

Let's start with lucky number 13. The largest contributor to climate change is overpopulation. Sustain Natural's focus on family planning, promoting safe sex, and reproductive awareness provides direct avenues for helping with the problem of overpopulation. Thurs, promoting safe and responsible reproduction through condom use helps curb climate change. According to Meika and Sustain, only 19% of single women in the United States use condoms during sex and the U.S. has the highest unplanned pregnancy rates in developed countries. Specifically target 13.3, education and awareness around climate change issues, is addressed as Sustain is also passionate about debunking myths and disseminating information about round family planning and its personal and global benefits.

Sustain helps tackle many of the targets for SDG 12, but most notably 12.2 (sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources by 2030). As mentioned before, one of Sustain's biggest priorities is sourcing their materials sustainably. So they use latex made from rubber trees that are sustainably tapped, helping these trees last longer and suffer less damage. Their rubber plant is Forest Stewardship Certified, which evaluates production plants on strict environment use measures. Their products are also 100% vegan, reducing unnecessary use of animal products. Sustain is trying to quantify the amount of trees and energy saved through their processes, but have not yet been able to get all the necessary data.

No less important to the company is SDG 5, Gender Equality. Meika told us that over 40% of condom buyers are women, but, and she is right, most condom companies target men as their primary customer. She also mentioned the stigma around women talking openly and honestly about their sexual lives. Meika and the company want to eliminate this stigma and empower women to "get on top," which is the name of their women's sexual health and awareness campaign. In addition, the company has made a commitment to hiring and employing women. Over 50% of their management team is female.

Last, but certain not least, is SDG 3, Good Health and Well-Being. Sustain values and promotes condom use as a way to help prevent sexually transmitted infections and diseases, and sees their role as educating women on prevention and risk. They reference and aim to help SDG 3.3, eliminating AIDS by 2030, through product use, awareness and education. Additionally, they make their condoms the way they do, free of harmful nitrosamines because they believe people should only use the safest and healthiest products for their bodies.

Interview

Meika Hollender, Co-Founder & Marketing Director