At the Future Walk Impact Event back in 2018, our employees addressed future scenarios in the context of the “Simply Safe – Season 1” strategy. “Messe Basel was completely full of huge tarpaulins that gave us an insight into tomorrow’s world”, recalls Tobi Gees, Senior Employer Branding Specialist. “After the event was over, I wondered what had happened to the tarpaulins.” Fortunately, the 500m2 of material had not been discarded, but rather was being stored in the basement. Tobi just knew: “We have to do something with this material.” And so the foundation stone for “Bags to the Future” had been laid.
«The recycled bags allow us to take a key symbolic step in our quest to achieve greater sustainability. By recycling the tarpaulins used at our Future Walk Impact Event, everyone can carry part of the strategy with them and help us to move closer to achieving our goal: creating sustainable value for all of our Stakeholders.»
What is the best way to use so much tarpaulin material? Tobi Gees sat down with the street fashion label Tarzan to think about how the material could be put to optimal use. The result was 800 products: a mixture of backpacks, laptop sleeves and tote bags produced by Tarzan in Poland using our material.
We created the “Bags to the Future” for our employees, who can purchase them at all of our locations. “The bags have been a roaring success so far. Our employees love them!”, says Tobi. Employees who buy a bag not only get a piece of the “Simply Safe – Season 1” strategy to carry with them, but also donate to a good cause: CHF 4 are donated for every product sold. Baloise then doubles the amount, meaning that CHF 8 go to the development organisation Enfants du Monde for every “Bag to the Future” sold. The project allows us to support schooling and healthcare for children and young people across the globe in order to give them a better future.