Einhorn

Since its inception in 2015, Einhorn has been known as a company that does things a little differently. Its colorful and unique packaging of condoms and menstrual products stood out in the shelves of retailers. In recent times, the company made headlines for its horizontal approach to decision making and introducing employee benefits such as the 32-hour workweek.

Sustainable supply chain
Einhorn’s focus on developing fair and sustainable supply chains for its products and its dedication to overcoming socio-ecological issues were the main reasons for the brand’s appeal. The company’s most notable effort in this regard is the Regenerative Rubber Initiative (RRI), aimed at encouraging the adoption of sustainable approaches in rubber sourcing.

While trying to make Einhorn’s condoms more sustainable, Linda Preil, a longtime employee, spent months in Malaysia and Thailand to understand the biggest challenges facing rubber farmers and companies in creating an environmentally friendly and sustainable supply chain.

From monoculture to agroforestry plantations
Aiming to address untransparent trading, heavy usage of herbicides and pesticides, and economic insecurities tied to climate change, Einhorn then set out to create a system that would overcome these challenges. With the help of a Thai professor and its former student, Einhorn was able to locate a group of farmers in Southern Thailand who were already employing a cultivation method that greatly benefited biodiversity and climate resilience on the agroforestry plantations.

Through planting additional crops on the plantations, natural nutrient cycles can be restored, water retention and overall soil health can be improved, making excessive fertilizer use and the employment of other agrochemicals unnecessary.

Together with a local latex processing plant, Phattalung Paratex, Einhorn was able to establish a supply chain system that not only was traceable but also allowed a direct payout of premiums for the farmers.

Leading by example
Realizing the positive social and environmental potential of the supply chain thus created, the Regenerative Rubber Initiative – RRI was set up to encourage other companies and even direct competitors to also change their rubber sourcing from monoculture to agroforestry plantations.

As of today, seven other condom companies have joined, providing the now 131 farmers with an average income increase of 13%. In the upcoming months, the RRI will become an independent non-profit organization. By letting go of the project, Einhorn wants to enable it to grow further and become more attractive to other companies, raising the income of more rubber farmers to a sustainable level while never losing sight of the environmental implications.

For more information, visit: https://einhorn.my/