Interview CEO Marc Dokter at Change.inc

Owner and Managing Director of ENKEV Group, Marc Dokter has been interviewed by Change.inc. Here are the main take outs from the interview. Find the full article (in Dutch) following the link bellow.

 

• “The funny thing is that until recently we didn't realize at all that we have always been sustainable.” Enkev uses materials from trees, plants and animals and make their products locally, in small factories.The company has been around since 1932.
  
  
• “In the end, I don't believe in the society as it was developing, where winners take it all, where consolidation is the holy grail, where investments are made in start-ups because they need to scale up worldwide as quickly as possible. I don't believe it is good for the Netherlands. I don't think it is right for a company like Amazon to rule the world wide web and get a share of every euro spent. We have gone too far in globalization and I don't believe in the good intentions of those companies either.
  
  
• They take money out of the game, left or right. I believe in local businesses. In natural raw materials. In local employers.
  
  
• That plastic therefore has a much higher price for society than a customer paid for it. These cheap raw materials cause waste problems, pollution and plastic that cannot be processed sustainably. I think companies have gone too far in manufacturing as cheaply as possible, and we are now paying the price for that. The governments can take measures against this, but have limited influence, run into interests and lobbyists. I much more believe that consumers see and understand the logic of certain products.
  
  
• What Enkev can offer to the world is the PU replacement with natural fibers, such as coir, natural horse hair, wool, etc.
  Natural materials not only assure a great level of micro-climate, but also absorbtion of noise and a perfect comfort.
  
  
• I want to be the company where people need to be. I take responsibility for all products I sell. Customers can always return the materials. It's about taking care of products that we send out into the world. We do that. We use a lot of vegetable materials, are actually a large CO2 storage company. We do not withdraw anything from the earth. ”
  
  
• Growth is not the goal, but I do want to make more good materials available to more good industries. I want to replace dirty products. And so I want to do business locally. The local economy is the future. I want the money from the companies that make a profit to reach the people who are on the floor. And not with people on the other side of the ocean.
  
  
• When possible, Enkev skips the middleman when purchasing natural materials. “We maintain a direct relationship with 800 sheep farmers in New Zealand. This way we can access the best wools; and because the trade is over, the farmer can earn a little more. ”
  
  
• In addition to working with natural materials, in the recent years Enkev has invested in a new circular product called Labyrinth. “That is an extruded material made from certain polymers. Like most of our natural materials, it is an alternative to PU foam, which is often used in mattresses.” “We are already ready to receive the Labyrinth material back. After receipt, we shred it and can process it again, ”says Dokter. “It is therefore not a circular story but a circular product. Countless start-ups in the world are busy thinking up these kinds of things. We just do it. ”

Read full article (in Dutch) at: https://www.change.inc/changemakers/marc-dokter