Sustainability with Maya the Bee

Studio 100’s Maya the Bee

Sustainable Dyeing within the textile sector

Maya the Bee is a perfect ambassador for nature & bee protection. Thus, she plays the perfect key role in Studio 100 Media’s environmental education initiative “Project Poppy Meadow”, encouraging children and families to protect insects and act sustainably. This initiative is in collaboration with NGOs NABU (Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union) in Germany and OTOP (Society for the Protection of Birds) in Poland. In 2022, Studio 100 Media joined forces with a new media partner in Germany: the publishing powerhouse Burda, with their #beebetter initiative. With this collaboration Studio 100 aims at achieving additional attention, to reach even more awareness for its issues. In October, “Maya” acted as testimonial at the #beebetter Award 2022, where exemplary (wild) bee conservation projects throughout Germany were rewarded, proofing that her project and the #beebetter campaign are a perfect match. Project Poppy Meadow will continue into 2023 aiming to establish Maya as a local hero to make the topics of bee protection and sustainability even more tangible. Kids and families will be addressed by a nationwide PR promotion campaign and various social media activities, informing people in an entertaining way about biodiversity while encouraging to take action themselves. In 2021 Studio 100 Media took the next step on its mission for environmental protection and sustainability with the Maya The Bee - Eco Trend Book. Aiming to inspire licensees to take the first steps towards more sustainable production and responsible use of the resources available today and for the future. Now Studio 100 Media continues to extend this Eco Trend Book for partners with already sustainable product concepts, with several inspirations and trend extensions for babies and toddlers. Here the topic of sustainability plays a very important role within the target group of (young) moms who are showing more awareness and are willing to invest more in such products. The color palette has a Scandinavian feel and brings in more of a childlike charm and personality. There will be proposals for text editorials and slogans as well as for pop material. Furthermore Studio 100 Media plans to go a step further by supporting its licensee License Factory with the implementation of sustainable goals in the production process for apparel. License Factory (led by Jutta Breyer) advanced the new challenges in the existing supply chain, which begins by giving a deeper and more clear insight to the meaning of “social responsibility” and “sustainability” within the textile sector. The pandemic, ongoing climate change, and more recently the impact of the Ukraine war on our geopolitical situation and global trade have led to a greater emotional awareness of the survival of life, future generations, and our planet itself. In consequence, more transparency is needed to measure the environmental footprint of any production process. This is a big challenge is the jungle of certificates and the interests of big industries, which basically mislead people and create confusion and lack of understanding among consumers. On the other hand, we may miss the opportunity to promote truly sustainable products that respect the environment. The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of annual global carbon emissions. Approx. 20% of wastewater worldwide comes from synthetic fabric dyeing and treatment only. And this negative impact affects not only the environment, but also the labour and employment situation in producing countries as well as whole societies. License Factory has no intention of blaming any individual industry or government. It just wants to offer a positive and constructive way out of the continuous process of contaminating soils and water resources avoiding hazardous dyes and chemicals. In terms of what “social responsibility” and “sustainability” mean, it is quite clear that we all need to be aware of what we consume and how we consume. Responsibility begins with each individual and their daily sustainable behavior and actions. We need to understand that people want to make environmentally friendly choices in their daily lives and need to have access to reliable, verifiable, and comparable information about the products they buy and consume. For that reason and while firmly believing in its own responsibility, License Factory has invested in switching from synthetic to natural dyeing processes and will present its first cotton collection in Spring/ Summer 2023 in collaboration with responsible and open-minded licensors such as Studio100.