The Vision of Bloooms:
Sustainable Design & Production
Paul Bloemers: "With each design I try to prove that it's possible to make very beautiful products in a sustainable fashion, with respect for people and the environment."
The man behind Bloooms.nl is Paul Bloemers, designer, furniture maker, and entrepreneur.
He started a complete line of furniture from a clear vision on the world.
"It all starts with sustainability", Paul says. "You don't need to be an environment activist to realize that we need to make different choices in the manufacture and use of many products.
Sustainable production, the adoption of cradle-to-cradle, energy efficient building, driving electrically powered vehicles, in all areas we are working to realize the same comfort with less pressure on people and environment."
"We at Bloooms want to contribute as well. With each design I am trying to show that it's possible to make very beautiful products in a sustainable fashion."
Sustainable material: bamboo
"The first thing you consider as a furniture maker, is naturally the material you're using: wood.
It takes about 20 years before a tree has grown to such a size that you can cut usable wood from it.
To do so, we have to cut down that tree, and we have to plant new small trees again."
"There is a different way. With bamboo. Botanically speaking it's a grass. It grows to a height of 35 meters in 5 years' time. A bamboo plantation produces much more "wood" per year than a forest. And it transforms correspondingly more CO2 into oxygen. Bamboo is just a very sustainable material."
"For that reason, my first step was making furniture of massive bamboo. Bamboo is much tougher and stronger than sheet materials of ordinary wood. And this opens up new construction possibilities. An open furniture line, such as Spriet, is only possible in bamboo. Other materials just aren't strong enough."
"So I didn't make a design, and then started thinking: why don't I execute it in sustainable bamboo? It was the other way around. The starting point was bamboo, and it turned out I had much more possibilities with it than with wood."
Sustainable additives
"Massive bamboo is made by gluing and pressing bamboo strips together. Glue is used in this process, and we closely monitor its composition. Our suppliers almost exclusively use water-based sustainable glue."
"In our workshop we have the same policy. Most of our furniture is not screwed, but glued. In this process we also use water-based glues. Only if there's no alternative, we switch to resin-composite."
"The final step is finishing the surface. For this purpose ecological oil is used. There are a number of different types of oil, and we monitor the developments in this area closely. We guarantee a strong, maintenance-free finish, that is optimal both for private use and for major projects."
Sustainable brand: Bloooms
"When we were introducing the Bloooms brand, we naturally gave thought to our starting-points. When you consider sustainability to be such an important aspect of your furniture, you have to make it clear to your customers. You have to be accountable to your consumers, in a manner of speaking."
"We started doing this by giving a 10-year-guarantee. This made people say: "Ten years? How can you promise that?" "At that point a discussion will start about the materials you use. Where does the bamboo come from? How is it grown? How is it manufactured? Which types of glue does it contain? Which type of oil is used to finish the furniture?"
"We are able to answer and substantiate all those questions. This will make people realize that with us, sustainability is not just a word. It truly adds value to the Bloooms products. It might very well be the core of the Bloooms brand."
Solid working conditions
"Another point that's very important to me is social justice. Our bamboo comes from Anji, one of the most affluent provinces of China. The workers who produce our massive bamboo, are ensured of decent wages. This is overseen by the Chinese government."
"We entered a partnership with the foundation Penduka. This is a non-profit development project, that works with women's groups in the rural areas of Namibia. They supply us with leather and fabrics, often beautifully tooled."
