At Ambiente Fair, I discovered JustFans, a brand that creates, as the name says, just fans. They also received the Ethical Style 2023 label at Ambiente. For 7.95 euros and shipping fee for each product, Just Fans is creating an ethical and sustainable brand. I talked with Charlotte Popp, the idea generator of Just Fans to learn more about the brand, their business plans and sustainable products.
1. Can you please tell us who is the creator for JustFans?
The fans were developed as a team effort, by Harald Brörken as a trained product designer and me, Charlotte Popp, as the idea generator.
2. What inspired you to create the brand? And how did you choose fans, just fans to create?
Hand fans are currently experiencing a renaissance. They’re the easiest and most practical way to cool down when things get hot. No power consumption, always ready to use, easy to store away. However, almost all hand fans on the market come from Asia (and a few from Spain). The problem: not only do they have long transport routes, they usually don’t last long either. And you can’t fix them. Sustainable is something else.
If you like using fans like me (I am a heavy user), you may also have been surprised that the same models have been available for years. Almost all of today’s fan models are designs from the 18th and 19th centuries, after that not much has happened. So as so often the case, the idea arose from personal dissatisfaction with the existing range, especially with regard to design and sustainability. We wanted to develop a completely new type of fan that not only looks unusual and cool, but also meets the needs of our time: modern, extremely durable and resilient, yet light as a feather and – particularly practical – with integrated self-closing. So we set to work.
3. We discovered your brand at the Ambiente international fair. How did you find the fair experience? How do you prepare for an international fair?
The fair was a great opportunity for us to present our product and to become better known, also beyond national borders. We were very fortunate to have been selected by the German Federal Ministry of Economics to be presented at the joint stand of new, innovative German companies. For us, the reactions from customers and dealers from all over the world were important, as we still had no idea whether our product would also be of interest to other countries. For example, we received a lot of interest from Japan, which surprised us, since Japan itself has a long tradition of fans and the range on offer there is huge.
Before the trade fair, we put a lot of effort into presenting our products as well as possible, i.e. trade fair construction, displays, advertising material in German and English, bilingual order forms, etc. It was important for us to present ourselves as professionally as possible.
4. JustFans was included in the category Ethical Style at Ambiente 2023, (congratulations!) how was it for you to receive that status?
Sustainability was an important topic at justfans right from the start. But the sustainability of our fans is made up of various factors that are not immediately apparent, since at first glance we are a product made of plastic. So receiving the Ethical Style Award of Ambiente helped us a lot (!) to get our message across. We were really happy to receive some „official” confirmation that we offer very sustainable fans. Because if you look at all the product advantages together, i.e. recycled and recyclable materials, a self-closing mechanism that makes additional cases or covers unnecessary, short production routes and, above all, extreme longevity, our fans are probably among the most sustainable on the market. Maybe even the most sustainable.
5. How was the process to get to 100% recyclable materials?
When developing the product, we spent a long time looking for a material that is hard-wearing, durable and yet environmentally friendly. We tried different materials, including certain coated papers and coated fabrics, but always ended up with the material that we are now using. It just meets all of our requirements best, contains no plasticizers and is 100% recyclable. Our black and white 3D fans (launching this summer) are made from the same material but already made from 100% recycled leftovers. We hope that colored material will also be available in recycled quality soon so that all fans can be produced from it.
6. What are the values of JustFans?
We want to offer products that are appealing, genuinely useful, that make life easier for our customers and that don’t harm the environment. Fair conditions for everyone involved are important to us, for our customers as well as for our manufacturers and dealers. In fact, we want everyone to have fun, the customers with the products, our partners with our collaboration and we with our daily business.
7. What was the biggest challenge you had to deal with?
In fact, we are constantly faced with major challenges. At first we didn’t know whether we would actually develop a fan that would convince us and others. Then it was not clear for a long time whether and how we could produce it and whether the production and thus the price would not be too expensive. Material procurement and logistics are constant challenges. And in general it is quite challenging to be a seasonal product, because – at least in Germany – fans are mainly used in summer and bought accordingly.
8. What advice can you give to someone wanting to start a creative business?
You need time. A lot of time. You probably underestimate how much time you have to invest in building a business. Not only in development, but also to become known, to find dealers and customers and to fight through the many legal requirements that arise in each new stage.
You need patience. There may be businesses that are successful overnight, but it usually takes at least two to three years before you even know whether it’s going to work or not.
You need money. In the beginning there are mainly costs, the obvious ones such as materials, business equipment, etc., but also costs that you have never thought about. Approvals, patents, public packaging taxes, click costs in social media, etc. If you calculate too tightly and have no reserves, you will quickly be out of business.
You need a really good idea, you have to believe in your product and you have to enjoy the creative business. Otherwise it doesn’t make any sense.
9. What does the future hold for JustFans?
We have lots of ideas for more and other fans. If everything goes well, we will be able to offer a whole range of unusual and sustainable fans over the next few years. Maybe even worldwide.
10. How do you see a creative world where products are more sustainable and ethical?
There is no other way. In the future nobody wants to buy products anymore that are not sustainable. And it takes creative ideas to develop and manufacture these products. We should question every single item to see if it can’t be made even better and more sustainable. Even products that have been on the market for years. Fans are a very good example of this.
Photo credit: All images are JustFans’s property and free of rights, unlimited in time and location. They can be used for Revista Atelierul’s purposes without restriction.
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