Environmental & Social Responsibility

At ÅBEN we advocate for slow-craftmanship and conscious consumerism. ÅBEN provides a direct route to the work of emerging Nordic designers, creating a hassle-free way of discovering and receiving fantastic pieces.

Slow it down

The speed with which we can satisfy our consumer needs has become bewildering and unsustainable. At ÅBEN we advocate for slow-craftmanship and conscious consumerism. We’re taking the time to introduce you to each of our designers because we think that’s important. We want you to know who made the piece you love and why they made it – we suspect it might make you love the work even more.

Pare it back

ÅBEN provides a direct route to the work of emerging Nordic designers, creating a hassle-free way of discovering and receiving fantastic pieces. Not everyone has the resources to track down the most exciting new talent out there, we have, and we’ve streamlined the whole process to make it as environmentally aware as possible.

Knowledge

Transparency at all points means our customers know exactly where their products are coming from, how they are made and who is making them. This basic knowledge has been a black hole in consumer culture for too long.

Designed for life

One of the things you will notice about ÅBEN’s stories of design, is how much thought our designers put into the shelf-life of their work. They think about what the product will look like in 10 or 20 years because they know it will last that long and have designed it to be with you for life. Functionality is key to ÅBEN, we’re not interested in things that serve no purpose – we present the most beautiful functionality.

Framework for change

From launch our designers will use only FSC certified wood in their work. Local, sustainable wood has long been a defining feature of Nordic design; it’s one of our favourite aspects of its design culture. For every product sold on ÅBEN we will be planting at least one tree in partnership with One Tree Planted. We have a clear vision of how we want ÅBEN to grow. One of our key missions is to be 100% carbon neutral by 2022. This is something we have been working towards since the inception of ÅBEN and we will continue to fight until it is achieved.

Partnership

There has been a lot of conversation about how effective making changes in our consumer habits can be. We think every small change has an impact, it can be a stepping-stone to bigger action. At ÅBEN we believe the combination of how we choose to operate and how we encourage our customers to think about their purchasing - might prove to be a powerful partnership.