Sustainability Plan

Definitions of Our Practices, Influences, Inspirations, and Goals

Kámen Road is committed to sustainability in how we produce through small scale manufacturing and how we source from ethical producers who are equally committed to upcycle, reuse and recycling strategies.

Photo by Jill O’Brien

Artisan And Small Scale Manufacturing

Inspired by the work of Recast City, Kámen Road is committed to building a business model that creates jobs and partnerships with artisans and artists in a variety of industries from metal working for hardware to weavers of textiles to leather tanners for our bag materials. We want to create products that use the talents and skills of individuals and other small businesses in our process of creating, prototyping, sampling, and manufacturing on a scale that ensures quality at all levels.

Photo by Daniel Ribar

Biomimicry

Biomimicry is a practice that looks at the way nature works as a roadmap to solve our most challenging problems. It is one way of implementing sustainable and bio-aligned practices in product design by observing and “mimicking” nature in different elements of how we are inspired to design, source, and manufacture. Kámen Road is deeply influenced and inspired by the practice of biomimicry.

Photo by Paige Green

Carbon Farm Fund

There are many carbon farming practices that restore fertility and nutrients to farmed land and effectively sequester greenhouse gases to mitigate climate change. USDA’s Carbon Farming Ranking Tool allows producers accessibility to the most effective practices in creating climate beneficial textiles. Our goal at Kámen Road is to support these farming practices by establishing a carbon offset program where a portion of Kámen Road purchases will support Fibershed’s Carbon Farm Fund (Goal: 2021)

Photo by Sophie Bergquist

Circular Economy

The Circular Economy is a system that reimagines the way we make, use, and reuse our materials and products so our use of natural resources can circulate sustainably. As a bag and accessories collection, we are studying the practices of the circular economy in order to establish programs that take our production waste and make it an asset for another business in the same or different industry and to establish a buy-back program for customers (Goal: 2022).

Photo by Circular Flanders

Dual Use Design

Inspired by the sustainable design practice of maximizing function in a single design with materials that last, Kámen Road is most interested in developing products that eliminate the need to buy more stuff. We work on improving our products constantly so Kámen Road designs can serve dual functions: your laptop bag for work can be your carry-on bag for travel with accessories that are specialty items for gifts and also reusable as market and everyday bags.

Tablet Sleeve

Photo by Genét Jean-Pierre

Fibershed

A Fibershed community is by definition a network of independent farms located within a 300-mile radius of each other in a particular region of the United States. Fibershed producers are actively developing regenerative fiber systems and implementing carbon-sequestering farming methods. Ultimately, the Fibershed provides a viable domestic supply chain that will help designers to create products that are considered beneficial to the climate. Kámen Road is a proud member of the Fibershed, working to source our materials through producers of the Fibershed across the United States.

Photo by Fibershed.org

Mission-Driven

To be mission-driven means to honor company commitments and values as the guiding principles behind the central business strategy and every decision that follows. For us at Kámen Road, this means that our mission statement is a binding commitment to our employees, our customers, and our partners who work with us as artisans, artists, suppliers, and makers.

Laptop Bag

Photo by Genét Jean-Pierre

Natural Textiles

Natural textiles come from the natural fibers found in nature from plants like hemp and flax and from natural fibers like wool that come from sheep and goat. Vegetable tanned leather is produced using tannins derived from plant material. Vegetable tanned leather is also defined as natural leather.

Photo by Mark Olesko

Regenerative Farming

Regenerative Farming is an agricultural practice that focuses on restoring soil biodiversity and other land use practices that work to reverse the effects of climate change and sequester CO2 emissions. Kámen Road is working to source our leather and other materials through farms using regenerative practices.

Photo by Savory Global

One-Bag Travel

One Bag Travel is what we strive for with every design at Kámen Road inspired by the term defined by Doug Dyment. Our mission is to fit everything you want and need from a weekend getaway to a month-long trip comfortably in one bag. By reducing extra baggage, we work to make less of a carbon footprint and make the traveling experience more personally connected to the items that we love and the people who make them.

Laptop Bag

Photo by Genét Jean-Pierre

Slow Travel

Slow Travel is to follow guided practices which are mindful and empowering local residents, local businesses, and the local environment. By supporting sustainable tourism, we seek to create a more positive impact on every person that we meet and every place that we visit.

Photo by Mountain Lodges of Peru

Slow Fashion

Slow Fashion uses manufacturing practices that support and value the individuals who make our products and define excellence in fashion as high quality and long lasting over quantity and disposable.