The name Globe Hope is certainly familiar to many. The company, which makes functional design products from recycled materials, is one of the pioneers of circular economy business.
"Globe Hope has been perceived as strange, and we have been a target of attention, but on the other hand this has also been one of our success factors. It's been hard to be a trailblazer as this has also meant being the first to make mistakes, but it has strengthened the brand and raised consumer awareness," says Seija Lukkala, CEO.
Lukkala says that Globe Hope is trying to do everything it can to make the circular economy the new normal.
"All of us who live on Earth have little choice. We have to start using more and more materials that have already been used once, otherwise the planet will not last. The circular economy opens up an infinite number of opportunities and business areas. It is still almost 'virgin soil,' which makes it interesting and inspiring," says Lukkala.
Visit Vihti product series in cooperation with the municipality
Seija Lukkala, who has lived in Vihti since 1990, says it was natural to set up a business in her home town. Previously, Lukkala had run a company that made jackets, but at the turn of the millennium she had the idea of reusing discarded materials. Globe Hope was initially an auxiliary business name. Lukkala ran the business from home so that she could be close to her children. There was a separate 180 square metre office space attached to her home, but eventually running the business from home started feeling a bit small scale. A limited company was set up in 2003 and the business moved to the premises of a business incubator, where it operated for two years. Globe Hope then moved to a property in Harjutie, Nummela, owned by the municipality of Vihti. According to Seija Lukkala, the municipality listened the company's wishes carefully when renovating the warehouse into commercial premises.
Globe Hope has also worked together with Vihti municipality in another way.
"We have been able to make business gifts and anniversary products for the municipality, as well as aprons and other textiles for trade fairs. I believe that the municipality has been pleased to receive products from local companies that have been manufactured in accordance with the principles of sustainable development," Lukkala says with a smile.
In 2022, Globe Hope's cooperation with the municipality became even more intense when the municipality decided to launch its own product range. The result of long planning and refinement was the ecological Visit Vihti hiking product range: a hat made of surplus cotton and a string backpack and seat cover made of surplus fabric. The profits from the sale of the products will be used to develop the camping sites managed by the municipality.
Lukkala says that Vihti has been a good place to work. He sees Vihti's advantage as the fact that, although it is close to the metropolitan area, it is also completely rural. There are plenty of visitors behind the Ring III motorway, and Lukkala says it's been pretty easy to get the flu virus all the way here.
"Vihti is also a great place to live! It has great nature, beautiful landscapes, lots of recreational opportunities and high-quality schools. That's important, because life is about so much more than just work.
