SEKEM Insight 09.11 EN

Nr. 109 - September 2011

Insight

SEKEM‘s Journal for Culture, Economy, Society and Ecology in Egypt

Editorial Dear Readers, to many supporters of SEKEM in the industrialised countries it may seem as if the initiative was primarily an organization of aid for disadvantaged individuals in Egypt. While this is certainly correct, SEKEM is also a global actor in the movement for sustainable development and provides many opportunities for its supporters to contribute to this vision.

By generating their commercial profits through products they sell worldwide, the SEKEM companies partially fund the SEKEM Development Foundation (SDF) and its projects. The fact that these products can be purchased in so many countries is also to the credit of the team of the SEKEM Europe Ltd. From Bochum its 6 employees ensure that the SEKEM brand is becoming increasingly popular in many countries all over Europe.

Because many of our readers do not know what SEKEM products are actually available in their countries and where, SEKEM Insight in this issue features a portrait of the team of SEKEM Europe.

It wishes all its readers enjoyment reading it and helping SEKEM in its commitment to greater sustainability in life and business.

Your Team of Editors Find SEKEM also on the Internet at:

SEKEM Europe

Alnatura

Design

How SEKEM Works in Europe

A Partnership for Healthier Clothes

Learning to Build Sustainable Villages

Transforming the Uniqueness of SEKEM Into Unique Products It is only through the commitment of the team of SEKEM Europe that Europe’s ecologically conscious consumers may enjoy SEKEM products in their countries. SEKEM Insight has visited the Bochum-based team.

The SEKEM Europe team: (f.l.t.r) Verena Stork (raw materials), Christoph Kampschulte (sales management), Christina Boecker with daughter (raw materials, public relations), Ralf Lottmann (signatory), Tatjana Denisova (bookkeeping), Antje Nast-Burak (sales assistance and administration)

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any supporters and friends of the SEKEM initiative do not know that the Egyptian organisation maintains an energetic team based in Germany that distributes the products of selected SEKEM companies all over Europe. This way, they make the SEKEM name better known and build awareness of and interest in also the charitable projects of the initiative. The team of SEKEM Europe has its offices in Bochum in the immediate vicinity to the headquarters of the

GLS Bank - a very fitting and cordial relationship.

Bijan Kafi met with Christoph Kampschulte and his team of five colleagues in September to talk about their motivation to work for the popularity of SEKEM products in Europe.

The beginnings of SEKEM Europe GmbH do not date back very far.

CK: That‘s right. We started in 2006 with the first imports of fruit and SEKEM Insight | September 2011 | Page 1

Economy vegetables and ISIS-dried products for the SEKEM Online Store. We imported the first seasonal vegetables in the winter of 2006/07 for the German organic food market. We started with bell peppers, beans, and cucumbers.

Many people may not know that most of our products do not actually bear the label „SEKEM“ but are still sold in European organic food stores. In many cases they named after the brand of one of our trading partners. However, since spring 2008 we have also begun to develop and market products jointly with SEKEM in Cairo and under the SEKEM brand, for example the popular sesame bars or dates. In summer 2009 we added fruit spreads and in February 2011 a selection of mixtures of spices created in cooperation with our partner Lebensbaum. With these new products we directly address amateur cooks in Europe wishing to try their hands at an oriental cuisine.

This has unfolded very well leading us consider bringing more such products to market.

Where may interested consumers buy SEKEM products in Europe?

CK: In Germany SEKEM products are available in health food stores and organic supermarkets, for example Alnatura, Denn’s, Basic, BioCompany and EBL. The „demeter active partner shops“ are particularly important to us. These are natural food markets that aim to increase the visibility of specifically demeter products within the range of their regular assortment of products by drawing attention to their special features, organising

taste trials, competitions, or promotions.

There is also the range of „SEKEM Delicacies“ products that are now available in Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, France, Luxembourg, Slovenia, Slovakia, and will soon be on sale in the Netherlands, Belgium and Scandinavia.

SEKEM products are indeed „demeter Products“ meaning they form part of a large family of very high quality organic produce ...

CK: Yes, the role of SEKEM in the biodynamic movement is very important to us. Since 2009 I have personally worked on the board of the trademark group within the demeter Association. The trademark group is a forum in which demeter brand manufacturers like Holle, Beutelsbacher, or Bauck Hof meet to exchange their visions for the future orientation of the brand.

Through the association‘s work we aim to ensure that the international context of demeter production is well perceived within the industry.

SEKEM’s participation also allows to increase its own visibility in an important industry organ.

What makes you enthusiastic about your work?

CK: There is a very strong interest in authentic products from fairtrade and otherwise ethically responsible production in the organic food market. The name of SEKEM is well known to many. Most would actually like to see more SEKEM products on the European markets. It is a great joy to work towards meeting this demand, to transform the

uniqueness of the „SEKEM vision“ into truly unique products in demeter quality. This mission is both my desire and my drive.

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To transform the uniqueness of the SEKEM idea into truly unique products - that is my desire and my drive.

My personal goal is also to make SEKEM much better known as a brand on the European organic market. I would like to build a range of great, typically Middle Eastern products of the highest quality.

That requires much perseverance, but it is a great satisfaction when one sees one’s own products on the shelves and knows to have helped build a „bridge“ between the East and the West in such a way.

How do you collaborate with your SEKEM colleagues based in Cairo?

CK: Sometimes it is not easy to communicate the high expectations of Western European customers to our Egyptian colleagues. For instance, in case of our fresh products the refrigerated retail chain must be flawless in order to ensure compliance with our high quality standards. SEKEM offers premium products, eventually. These two worlds do not always meet easily, but over the years many close friendships have developed.

VS: Indeed, the reconciliation of the demands of European consumers with the realities of life and work in Egypt is not always easy. This is why I am particularly pleased to visit Egypt for the first time in late October. I hope that through our work we contribute to strengthening the bridge between the European and Middle Eastern worlds.

It is great that SEKEM has successfully built long-term relationships with vendors of natural foods in Europe. There is a lot of mutual SEKEM Insight | September 2011 | Page 2

Economy

trust here and desire to build fair trade relations. This is quite different from conventional trade exchanges, which tend to operate only on the basis of price. Here we do not intend to compete.

ANB: I believe local products like those of SEKEM have good chances on the European market. More and more people would like to know where the products they buy come from and how they were produced.

Plus, it is important that we do not lose sight of the „ecological footprint“ of each product and that we make production and transportation as resource-efficient as possible. It is a big challenge to communicate these complex inter-relations in such a way that it convinces the ecologically conscious consumer.

What channels do you use to properly communicate your message?

CK: We are in personal contact with all our key customers and partners.

This is the only way to authentically convey our values. We also use fairs to ensure this. BioFach is the annual highlight for us. The organization of the event, where we have expanded our presence in the past six years from a small info booth at the stand of the Ulrich Walter GmbH to our own large stand, keeps us occupied already months in advance.

We are also represented at BioSüd and BioNord to be responsive to the owners of the many small organic food stores and their employees.

We occasionally also go abroad, for example to trade fairs in Warsaw (OMF), London (OPE), or in Luxembourg (OekoFoire). We would like to expand our visits to France and Italy in the same way.

What brought you to SEKEM in the first place?

CK: My ideal has always been to live consciously in everything I do.

Consequently, I went into the natural food industry early. In 1994 I cofounded a consumer cooperative and later I worked in organic retailing. What fascinates me at SEKEM is its proximity to practical development and its holistic approach to its mission. Plus, I can contribute to building a truly unique brand.

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I would like to be able to stand for what I do. At SEKEM, this is possible for me.

VS: I always wanted to engage in a „meaningful“ activity. It started with an internship on a demeter farm, then followed the study of ecological agriculture. Afterwards I also worked in organic retailing. I had known about SEKEM for a long time, so the opportunity to participate easily met with my enthusiasm.

ANB: After having done much theoretical work as a geographer, I began agricultural training and discovered organic trade. There and especially at SEKEM I feel I can actually stand for what I do and use my theoretical and practical knowledge.

A lot has happened since 2006. How do you look back on the recent years?

It was a great feeling to see the first „SEKEM“-branded products on shelves. At the beginning the SEKEM Europe GmbH was no more than one PC and a phone. Today there are more and more products on the market and there is more to come. It pleases us all immensely.

Questions posed by Bijan Kafi.

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SEKEM Encouraging Solar Energy Use in Egypt

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he future belongs to sustainable solutions for power generation.

The path away from nuclear and fossil fuels to an energy economy fully based on renewable energy sources is the goal. SEKEM’s commitment to this sector is demonstrated by the multipronged approach of the initiative to the idea of sustainable development.

With strong support from an Austrian firm, the initiative is now poised to become a pioneer in technological development of renewable energy sources such as biomass or solar energy. Together with “Sekem Energy”, a company based in Austria, SEKEM is now well on the way to becoming more sustainable itself by switching to renewable sources also in its own energy supply. Sekem Energy has as its vision the idea to take advantage of existing regional resources to boost local use of sustainable energy production.

SEKEM and Sekem Energy have joined forces in a project to harness the enormous potential of solar power in Egypt and to begin promotion of largescale solar thermal systems for hot water production in apartment buildings, hotels, and industrial plants.

They aim to eventually offer affordable technological components to Egyptian buyers. A first demonstration plant will be constructed to serve SEKEM’s firm ISIS. It will make use of Austrian and Egyptian components and will help to save enormous amounts of natural gas. It will be the first solar installation in the country to produce process heat for industrial use. It will also represent the first station along the international “Energieschaustrasse” (energy demonstration route), a road show that aims to showcase pioneering technologies in the field on a global level.

More information:

Nicole Olsacher

http://www.sekemshop.de

You can visit SEKEM yourself: www.SEKEM-reisen.de www.aventerra.de

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More information: http://www.sekemenergy.com http://www.energieschaustrasse.at

SEKEM Insight | September 2011 | Page 3

Economy

Joyful and Healthy Clothing Made in Egypt For many years Alnatura und SEKEM’s firm Naturetex have been closely collaborating to bring healthy and affordable natural textiles to Europe.

for shoppers in Alnatura’s drugstores and grocery stores. Alana, the brand of the joint partner dm-drogerie markt GmbH, is also created as a cooperative project between dm, Alnatura and SEKEM. It provides a particularly affordable range of baby and toddler clothes and accessories such as blankets, sleeping bags, or dolls.

People Wear Organic

Many products from Alnatura’s portfolio of organic textiles are made from SEKEM’s organic cotton.

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close and cordial partnership has been the basis of the collaboration of the German trading company Alnatura and SEKEM for many years.

Since the early 1990s the cooperation has encompassed the joint development and production of textiles made from organic cotton and, since 2010, from organic linen. Starting with the organic textile label “Cotton People Organic”, over the years additional brands have been added to the portfolio that is today sold by many different trading partners around the world.

Partnership, trust and long-term trade agreements are the columns on which the cooperation of SEKEM and Alnatura rests. It is a simple but still modern and unusual form of trade.

The common concern of both organic pioneers is to re-think global economic relationships and realise them collaboratively as partners in ways that „make sense for man and earth“.

This includes both the organic and fair production within SEKEM, conceptualisation of the later product, its development, and its distribution through Alnatura, as well as the task of making the joint mission visible through activities of the many partners along the supply chain.

Textiles from SEKEM: a Fixture in the German-Speaking Market Under the label of “Cotton People Organic” Alnatura today offers products made from SEKEM’s organic cotton on European specialist markets.

They include simple models and seasonal fashion for children up to ten years. Especially the basic models are appreciated by many customers because they are available at any time since SEKEM maintains its own quickaccess storage. Based on this principle, the second brand from Alnatura, “biobaby”, offers clothes especially

Together with SEKEM Alnatura also realised a high-quality brand for baby and children‘s textiles exclusive to Alnatura’s organic supermarkets. Its products come in an attractive and practical cardboard packaging made from recycled paper. This type of packaging already corresponds to the requirements of the Global Organic Textile Standard (Worldwide Natural Textile Standard) in terms of sustainability, which will come into effect only by 2014.

Shaping the Future SEKEM and Alnatura learn together and from each other. Making good use of the better understanding of global trade it provides, such close collaboration allows to shape an economic future that makes sense for everyone. The requests by our customers and our own demands to quality still serve as the ultimate guidelines. In the future Alnatura and SEKEM will strive to further expand their product portfolios, translate the growing demand into healthy growth, and increase the quality of our common performance.

Alnatura is excited to develop these opportunities together with SEKEM, its customers, and partners.

Jan Miller Jan Miller is head of marketing and sales for natural textiles at Alnatura.

SEKEM Insight | September 2011 | Page 4

Economy

Learning Sustainable Design In August, SEKEM co-worker Sameh Abdel Hamid had the chance to spend time in an East German village to learn the art of sustainable village design. For SEKEM Insight he tells about his impressions.

which underscores the importance of the social dimension in projects.

I found the ecological aspect of design to be the most interesting as it dealt with directly applicable technologies. We were supposed to not only understand technologies of construction, but also to test them ourselves. I focused on the construction of solarpowered installations, which can be very helpful tools in sun-spoiled Egypt.

Participants of the EDE course in Sieben Linden practice their practical collaboration skills.

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n August 2011 I participated in a training course on ecological village design as an employee of SEKEM sustainability team. SEKEM intends to incorporate insights from the field of sustainable settlement design into its own future projects. It will get its first chance to do so by the end of November 2011 when it will host a conference dedicated to eco-village design entitled „Empowering Communities for Sustainable Development in North Africa.“ Eco-Village Design Education The very practice-oriented “Eco­ Village Design Education” (EDE) programme is held in the German model eco-village Sieben Linden in SaxonyAnhalt, a county in East Germany. It provides a comprehensive introduction to the principles of designing sustainable settlements. Participants actually learn everything necessary in

order to create them themselves. The EDE concept rests on four dimensions: it highlights the social, economic, ecological and ideological aspects in addition to the principles of actual design. These principles are taught also through community activities and practical artistic exercises.

Design, Ecology, Economy The “Sleeping Dragon” was a highly unusual experience for me. This innovative approach aims to foster a better understanding of the social component of the process of developing complex projects through direct, interpersonal experience. Within a practice group, participants carry out an exercise of “collaborative dreaming” and apply the results of their common experience to a chosen projects they lead through its stages of brainstorming, planning, and eventual implementation - a fascinating way of learning,

I had already been familiar with various construction techniques such as straw houses, compost toilets, the permaculture approach, or ecological sanitation systems. However, I had never examined them close-up. In the course I could now see how much SEKEM has already adapted successful concepts to the conditions of Egypt.

The course also influenced my thinking about the good and bad aspects of globalization. We learned about the economic impact of giving, for instance, and the idea of the ​​ “philanthropic economy” as economic models of the future that may one day even replace capitalism.

Next Steps The course was a great tool for me to not only acquire knowledge but also to expand my contacts with the 38 participants from 17 countries. These new linkages will be useful for future projects of SEKEM in Africa. SEKEM is now even considering to offer an EDE course in Egypt.

Sameh Abdel Hamid Sameh Abdel Hamid is an agronomist and director of production at SEKEM’s El Mizan firm as well as a member of the sustainability team.

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More information: http://www.gaiaeducation.org/

SEKEM Insight | September 2011 | Page 5

Impressions

Impressions from SEKEM

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he employees of the German SEKEM branch, which has its headquarters in Bochum, take care of the marketing and distribution of SEKEM products throughout Europe. They also represent the initiative and its firms at all major trade fairs in the organic sector in Germany and sometimes even abroad.

The team led by Christoph Kampschulte will present SEKEM’s products at fairs in October 2011 in Augsburg BioSüd (02.10.2011) and BioNord in Hanover (15./16.10.2011).

On both occasions the SEKEM Europe GmbH team will showcase SEKEM products at the demeter marketplace, a form of presentation that has proven itself on the BioFach trade fair for many years. A number of renowned international demeter producers come together at the demeter marketplace every year to exhibit their products and improve the visibility of the trademark „demeter“.

SEKEM Insight | September 2011 | Page 6

News in Brief

Swiss Parliament Debates Cow Horns

GLS Bank Launches Donor Portal

Decoupling Quality of Life From Growth

The Swiss parliament will soon have to deal with the question of whether cows should be allowed to wear horns or not. An initiative of Swiss citizens has now submitted to a legislative proposal that is supported by surprisingly many people. The group are committed to animal welfare and are voicing their unwillingness to accept the common practice of dehorning cows. They further propose that farmers whose animals are allowed to keep their horns should be compensated by the government with an amount of one Swiss francs per cow and day.

With its new donor portal the GLS Bank has begun to offer a platform to advertise to potential donors the philanthropic projects of non-profit organizations. The portal offers former a comprehensive overview and the ability to directly pledge their financial support.

The German organisation denkwerk zukunft, a think tank focusing on alternative economies and sustainable development based in Bonn, is calling on politicians and citizens to begin the process of moving away from capitalist consumer culture. „When denkwerk zukunft was launched in 2008, it was accepted opinion that economic growth inevitably leads to greater material prosperity and may also solve

On the portal potential donors can be easily matched with nonprofit organizations and their projects. To this end the platform provides an overview of charitable initiatives that, after prior registration, may present themselves with individual profiles. It furthermore supplies people intending to commit themselves financially to charitable causes with a transparent selection process and various options for direct donations.

The dehorning of cattle is not allowed by the demeter farming guidelines. In fact, cows are even required to be permitted to keep their horns throughout their lifetime. The milk produced by cows wearing horns is widely understood to be not only better in quality but also compatibility with the human body. This was also the result of a recent symposium of the Federation of demeter-farmers in Germany on milk production.

The portal is structured into nine different categories representing philanthropic causes open for donations from health to children and youth to environmental protection and nature conservation. Each project features multiple illustrations and is described in detail. A virtual map allows for easy geographical location of the initiatives.

In Switzerland the practice of dehorning cows began in the 1970s, at a time of general intensification of agriculture. The practice, however, is known to have been carried out before in Argentina where livestock breeding focuses primarily on meat production.

Requirements for participation include formal non-profit status, a GLS Bank membership, and a donation account at the bank. Users of the portal may also fall back on a special service by the GLS Treuhand. The bank’s own non-profit arm then takes care of the management of all donations.

Source: NNA

Source: GLS Bank

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More information: http://bit.ly/oS8NJM

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More information:

many social problems. Meanwhile, disillusionment has set in”, the organisation says in a press release. Denkwerk zukunft has now published a memorandum „For a Change of Consciousness.

From Consumer Culture to a Culture of Affluence”. It aims to serve as a guide as to how a reorientation of individual and collective visions and behaviours concerning growth and prosperity can be brought about. In short, the documents aims to be nothing less but a call to action for cultural renewal.

Source: denkwerk zukunft

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More information: http://www.denkwerkzukunft.de/index.php/presse/ index/PM-BW%2002_08_11

Masthead: The editors of SEKEM Insight wish to thank all contributors to this issue.

Editor: Bijan Kafi Contact: SEKEM-Insight c/o SEKEM Holding P.O.Box 2834, El Horreya, Heliopolis, Cairo, Egypt insight@SEKEM.com Pictures: Pages 1: SEKEM Europe GmbH; 2,3: SEKEM; 4: Alnatura; 5: Sameh Abdel Hamid; 6,7: Bijan Kafi No republication without written consent by the publisher.

www.gls-spendenportal.de

SEKEM Insight | September 2011 | Page 7