One father-daughter team have managed to build an entire sustainable brand within the sexual wellness market; selling everything from vegan condoms to organic lubricant, all while empowering women to take control of their sexual health.
“The purpose of Sustain is not only to provide a product that is better for the planet but also better for people using them. Besides creating the most sustainable product of its kind, I’m really on a mission to inspire and educate women to take control of their sexual health,” co-founder of Sustain, Meika Hollender said.
Meika Hollender has just been announced as a keynote speaker for 2016 Net Impact Conference in Philadelphia November 3-5.
Hollender grew up in a very entrepreneurial family, especially in a natural product space. Seventh Generation, her dad's former company, was the first brand of eco-friendly cleaning and personal care products. Today Hollender continues that legacy; she co-founded Sustain with her parents, Jeffrey Hollender and Sheila Hollender, and is a co-author of the book “Naturally Clean.”
Register today to see keynote speaker Meika Hollender at the 2016 Net Impact Conference and check out these top 4 reasons why Sustain is making an impact:
Sustain is sustainable and socially responsible
Sustain gets its latex from sustainable-certified forests and manufactures in factories where workers are treated well, including a unionized factory where the workers are making three times the average wage in India. The natural rubber used for the condoms is from the sap of a rubber tree and is therefore a natural, renewable product. Harvesting the sap does not harm the tree, which can produce latex for 35 years.
Their products are vegan and better for you
Approved by the Vegan Awareness Foundation, Sustain condoms are vegan, they are not tested on animals, and they are not genetically modified. In September 2014, the Reproductive Health Technologies Project (RHTP) released independent test results of latex condoms sold in the United States and found that only two major brands were free of detectable nitrosamines, a class of carcinogenic chemicals. Sustain was one of those two brands.
Their lubricants are free of petrochemicals, which the World Health Organization says are damaging when they enter your body. They also contain no traces of Parabens and Glycerin and are recommended by medical professionals. Like their condoms, these lubricants are 100% vegan and gluten-free, not tested on animals, and are even made with 95% organic ingredients.
Sustain is empowering women
It's delightful (yet discreet) packaging and messaging helps to remind women that protection should never be something to feel ashamed of. Hollender created the #GetOnTop movement, in which women pledge to have safe sex. Also 50% of the Sustain company is owned by women.
Sustain is giving back
As a part of the #GetOnTop movement, women pledge to have safe sex and for every pledge a condom is donated to a young woman in partnership with Bedsider and The National Campaign to Prevent Teen & Unplanned Pregnancy. To amplify the message, Hollender got 10 well-known women to start in a video:
With the lofty goal of making all condoms sustainable in five years, Sustain may have a long way to go, but the organization is already making a big impact while leading a movement of women taking charge of their sexual health.
To learn more about how Meika Hollender went from NYU student to co-founder of a natural sexual wellness empire, join us at the 2016 Net Impact Conference.
