Sustain: A New Condom Brand That's Earth-Friendly & Empowering
Eco-friendly condoms dedicated to changing the discourse about sex. (Photo: Sustain)
Call it check-out dread. If you’re like most women, you’d rather be spotted buying a jumbo box of tampons than picking up condoms at the drugstore. It can feel embarrassing and most of the products are marketed towards men, thanks to masculine packaging and overuse of words like “magnum” and “maxx”- despite the fact that an estimated 40% of condom buyers are women.
Two people are trying to change that. Jeffrey Hollender is the former co-founder and CEO of the eco-friendly Seventh Generation, which revolutionized the way people clean their homes. He spent 22 years there and grew annual sales to $150 million. He recently joined forces with his 27 year old daughter Meika to launch Sustain, the first sustainable, Fair Trade Certified brand of condoms which are marketed primarily to women.
The company’s eco and social credentials go even further. Sustain donates 10% of profits to provide reproductive healthcare to low income women in the US. The products are also vegan certified, and free of dyes, fragrances, and spermicides. The packaging is made from recycled products, and the box is actually pretty and feminine.
But the Hollenders want to do more than just sell condoms in a cute box. They want to shake up how the industry operates, as well as shatter taboos surrounding sex. They’re also committed to having women take control of their sexual health. As the Hollenders point out, only 19% of sexually active single women ages 20 to 44 are using condoms regularly. However, according to the Center for Disease Control, there are about 20 million new cases of STDs every year in the U.S., with 10 million of those cases occurring in people younger than 25.
In honor of Earth Day, the Hollenders spoke to Yahoo Beauty about Sustain, which is available on their website, as well as retailers such as Whole Foods Market, Target, Fresh Direct, Harris Teeter and Amazon.com.
Yahoo Beauty: What was the inspiration for starting Sustain?
Jeffrey Hollender: I came up with the idea while I was working at Seventh Generation. This was in the midst of both the AIDS crisis and the rainforest crisis. I thought about launching a company called Rainforest Rubbers which would be made from rubber harvested in the Amazon, but we never got around to doing it. When I left Seventh Generation, it was what I wanted to focus on.
Meika Hollender: While Jeffrey had the seed of the idea, my interest had always been in non-toxic products. I’ve always been concerned with products for women as well, as I supported the launch of Seventh Generation’s feminine care products with my mom. I wanted to work on a product which would empower women and be socially conscious.
How are the condoms are sustainable?
Jeffrey: The rubber that we use from a planation in India is fair trade certified. Sustain is the only certified fair trade condom in the US. Sustain’s plantation is the only producer of latex that meets the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) guidelines for environmental sustainability. In the rubber industry, there is a significant problem with child labor, which we ban. Our workers are paid a living wage, and the plantation provides education and healthcare to the entire community. We also limit the use of pesticides, and there is no detectable trace of nitrosamine, a carcinogenic that occurs in rubber in the manufacturing process.
How are you working to make Sustain female friendly?
Meika: It really started with the packaging. It looks beautiful. We wanted to create something different, something that would stand out from the Trojans and Durexes on the shelves.
Why is it important to target women?
Meika: We wanted to inspire women to take control of their sexual health. Only 19% of single, sexually active women use condoms. It’s great if they’re on the Pill but it doesn’t prevent STDs. Why put such a critical aspect of your sexual health in the hands of someone you may not know very well?
Jeffrey: A huge part of work is addressing our fears and awkwardness about sex. We should be able to have open and honest discussions about it.
Speaking of awkwardness, is it weird working with your father on a condom company?
Meika: Obviously there are a lot of awkward moments, but we’re doing something bigger than just making condoms. We are trying to start a movement here, to have women take control of their sexual health. Sex is only a part of it.
Jeffrey: What Meika and I are doing with Sustain is evocative of what we’re trying to convey, and it speaks to our commitment to changing the culture around discussing sex.
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