R E L O V E D x Stefanie Grätz
The reason for living more sustainable
I was raised this way, my grandma had her own vegetable and fruit garden, she also canned all the vegetables. My father was a huntsman, he made his own sausages and roast. Once a year my parents, together with friends, bought a whole pig. I think this upbringing is where my desire to live sustainably comes from. During my studies this wasn’t really at the forefront. When my daughter Otis was born I watched “The True Cost”, a documentary by Stella McCartney about fast fashion and clothing production in India. This impressed me so profoundly that I decided to live sustainably, both in clothing and, for example, food consumption. For Otis I bought a lot of second-hand clothing, as well as passing lots of clothes down.
How do you create a sustainable wardrobe?
Buy consciously and not too much. You have to wonder with everything, ‘do I really need this?’. We maintain the rule that whatever we buy, it has to be mainly biological and preferably also second-hand.
What is the biggest misconception about pursuing a sustainable lifestyle?
That it’s very expensive. It surely doesn't have to be expensive, it is also about being resourcefulness. There’s a difference between an item being expensive, and not being able to afford it. It’s more a matter of: are you willing to invest?
Who or what is an inspiration to you in the field of sustainability?
My grandmother is a great inspiration, she lived a sustainable life in every way. I also really appreciate the way in which In-Yeo has embraced sustainability and dived into it. The Triodos Bank, because they’re the first ‘transparent’ bank and are trying to create a sustainable world through cashflow. They interpret and use the motive for profit in a different way. Claudy Jongstra, she is an artist who uses felt for everything. She creates in a fully sustainable way, from the production process to the materials and equipment she uses. Then there’s Fairphone, another amazing initiative which I’m a huge fan of.
