Anna Lappe once wrote that, “every time you spend money, you’re casting a vote for the kind of world you want.” At Drumi, we have always believed that products should have a purpose. We believe in laying the groundwork for rising consciousness and a greater appreciation for our global citizenship and responsibility.
As we take the time to reflect on the impact our lifestyle and behavior has had on the environment, we as consumers are looking to make more conscious choices. With harsh realities such as climate change and plastic pollution, consumers are looking to spend their money on greener and more eco-conscious products. We are spending more time doing research and want to buy environmentally sustainable, cruelty-free, fair trade, locally sourced, or organic products. This has resulted in a 10% year-over-year increase in spend toward these ethical products.
At Drumi, we believe you shouldn’t have to choose between luxurious comfort and protecting the environment. We’ve designed the Drumi mattress to offer superior support for you and our oceans.
Growing up on the island of Curacao, the ocean was our backyard—and as we saw the world’s ocean health deteriorate from plastic pollution, we committed ourselves to ensuring our company would be eco-conscious. That’s why we designed Drumi: its hybrid, cooling design creates the ultimate comfort with sustainable materials that you can feel good about.
Environmentally, oceans hold 97% of the planet’s water and produce more than half of the oxygen in our atmosphere (helping to control the climate). Economically, ocean-based businesses contribute to more than 38 million jobs globally. Nutritionally, one billion people rely on fish as their basic protein (that number will only continue to climb as the population increases). Ironically, with so much of the global population reliant on the ocean, humans are the ocean’s biggest ongoing threat.
The impact of the oceans is also significantly affecting coral reefs. Reefs die from localized threats, like overfishing, unsustainable tourism, water pollution and debris build-up, as well as global threats, including increased ocean temperature and acidity (due to global warming), which contribute to coral bleaching. Over 50 percent of the world’s coral reefs have died in the last 30 years. Though we can’t get back what we’ve lost, we can try to salvage what we still have and take preventive measures from such destruction over the next 30 years, including the planting of new corals.
At Drumi, we donate a part of the proceeds from every mattress sold to the Coral Restoration Foundation Curacao, a trusted organization that is reconstructing the coral reefs. With each mattress purchase, Drumi customers “adopt” a young piece of coral in the foundation’s nursery, and a portion of the proceeds from that mattress sale will support its growth until it reaches maturity and is planted on the island’s own reef. To date the foundation has planted almost 8,000 corals.
While consumers are trying to become more conscious about their purchasing habits and businesses are incorporating sustainability into their mission, we are still consuming too much. Product life cycle has decreased due to the lack of quality, which is resulting in a large amount of waste. Hence, as a consumer, it’s not only important to research the brand you want to support but also, it’s important to understand the quality of the product. Instead of disposing old goods, it is better to donate or re-sell so that it takes longer to end up in the landfill.
In an ideal world, we should all move towards a circular economy where the product doesn’t end up in the landfill. Right now, what a lot of companies are doing though is upcycling or recycling. While this is definitely a step forward, a lot must change to help consumers make better choices.
If businesses and individuals take their collective learnings seriously, the dawn of a new era of community and personal responsibility is upon us.