Oxious consciously chooses sustainable paper and paperboard from PaperWise for packaging and brochures. This strengthens Oxious’s sustainable ecological and social mission. The beautiful and sustainable packaging for the hammam towels is manufactured using PaperWise agricultural waste. Oxious deliberately selects sustainable products and materials with a story. Thanks to the collaboration with PaperWise, an additional chapter has been added to this story.

Eco-friendly

Like Oxious, PaperWise is a trendsetter and a pioneer when it comes to environmentally responsible business practices. Using agricultural waste as a raw material for high-quality paper is logical in itself, but also innovative. So innovative, in fact, that renowned (environmental) labels such as FSC and the EU Ecolabel, as well as the WWF, do not yet recognize this raw material for paper and paperboard as a possibility in their policies! PaperWise is therefore at the forefront, just like Oxious, and is engaging—and wishes to continue engaging—with all parties to ensure that agricultural waste becomes the new standard for high-quality paper and (folding) paperboard.

Socially responsible

Another parallel between PaperWise and Oxious is socially responsible entrepreneurship. Oxious works with women in a small village near Denizli, Turkey. They hand-knot the hammam towels and pack them in a workshop in their own village. Previously, the women performed this manual labor from home and received a small amount per towel. Thanks to Oxious, these women now work together under good working conditions. They earn more than the minimum wage, build up a pension, and are insured against illness and disability. The women have more social contacts and are more independent.

With a similar approach, PaperWise collaborates with paper mills in India and South America that care for the agricultural workers there. Founded as a social enterprise, PaperWise maintains a balance between people, planet, and profit in all its decisions. This means, for example, that local farmers also benefit from the success. A shift in mindset is necessary. Our planet is under far too much pressure. The ecosystem is disrupted, raw materials are being depleted, and worldwide, more than three billion people live below the poverty line. PaperWise finds this unacceptable.

Too beautiful to waste?

At Oxious, textile remnants are used in recycled products. Towels with weaving errors are donated to charities or sent to partners who turn them into new products such as surf ponchos. These efforts lead to nearly 0% textile waste. At PaperWise, the focus on preventing the waste of valuable raw materials is equally important. The food portion of agricultural crops accounts for only 20% of the plant on average. 80% of the plant consists of stems and leaves. In developing countries, most agricultural waste is burned by farmers in the fields, resulting in environmental and air pollution. However, PaperWise sees value and beauty in this “waste” and turns it into high-quality paper and paperboard for Oxious packaging and printed materials. Together, we prove that it is possible to handle “waste” more wisely, achieving a significant victory for both people and the environment.

Without compromising on quality or incurring exorbitant costs

Oxious and PaperWise demonstrate that sustainability, eco-friendliness, and socially responsible actions do not come at the expense of the quality of the final product, nor do they lead to unacceptably higher costs compared to conventional, less sustainable solutions.

Custom projects for all companies and institutions

We lovingly package our hammam towels, towels made from reused materials, and organic cotton towels in PaperWise. Through customization, Oxious offers a representative corporate gift or unique promotional item for every company with a sustainability goal. In fact, all companies today can transition to a more sustainable, eco-friendly, and socially responsible way of operating. Together with our clients, we look at the most suitable offer and design for each project or campaign. From healthcare institutions, banks, lotteries, and webshops to campaigns for brands such as Suit Suit, Therme and Bio-Oil, Oxious supplies hammam towels for a wide range of clients and projects.

PaperWise supplies paper and paperboard for sustainable printing, eco-office supplies, and environmentally friendly packaging for various organizations, from SMEs to large corporations, as well as government and non-profit sectors. From large organizations such as Rabobank, Jumbo, and Heineken, to cosmetics manufacturers like Weleda, to festivals such as Tomorrowland, and smaller clothing webshops. Large or small, business or consumer market, Oxious and PaperWise have shown for years that operating with CSR is feasible in all conceivable areas.

Circularity

Like Oxious, PaperWise believes in a circular economy where waste materials become raw materials again. This is taken into account during the design phase. PaperWise packaging complies with the EN 13432 standard and is biodegradable within a few months. Both PaperWise and Oxious products are circular in their DNA, to the very core.

In short, the common thread is the story of sustainable living. The story of preventing waste. The story of caring for one another and equal opportunities for all. Because together, we can change the world. After all, you cannot improve the world alone. First and foremost, it is important to lead by example. Additionally, it is crucial to join forces with like-minded and kindred partners. At first glance, Oxious and PaperWise have little in common—paper and paperboard versus textiles; printed materials, packaging, and office supplies versus hammam towels. However, they share the same intrinsic values. We hope that in this way, more cross-industry symbiotic collaborations will flourish in the coming years.