We at Think! are aware of sustainability at all times, and always act accordingly – from start to finish, as we have done for over 30 years. Think!’s focus on sustainability therefore goes beyond our footwear; we go one step further, and have supported local bee conservation projects since 2018. Granted, this is sometimes challenging but always worthwhile.
Think! started to collaborate with the Upper Austrian beekeeper Florian Peterstorfer in 2023. Peterstorfer looks after a Think! beehive with around 50,000 bees in the direct vicinity of the company's head office.
Bees are more than just humming insects; they are essential contributors to our ecosystem. Their role as plant pollinators makes them a cornerstone of biodiversity conservation, and safeguards our food supply. Unfortunately, bees are facing a variety of threats these days, including habitat loss, the use of pesticides and climate change. These factors have led to a dramatic bee population decline, which could have drastic consequences for our environment.
One threat for insects is the laying of lawns, or land use. These "tidy" landscapes mean the loss of habitats for bees, bumble bees and butterflies, as they can no longer find enough food.
An important measure to counteract this is the creation of wilder green spaces that encourage biodiversity. Spaces designed specifically with this in mind consist of wild flower meadows and hedges that offer a range of habitats and food sources for bees and other insects. They contribute to biodiversity conservation, and promote the health of the entire environment.
"What we plant is what we harvest."
Carl von Clausewitz
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We are mindful of our social responsibility. That is why we support many social projects. For example, we produce our shoehorns and shoe polishes in collaboration with Lebenshilfe Upper Austria. The result is handcrafted, natural products of which the Lebenshilfe team is justifiably proud.
The charity "Lebenshilfe" has supported people with mental and multiple disabilities since 1969. At various sites throughout the country, it gives them the chance to apply their own particular, individual strengths to sensible employment.
he manufacture of the Think! products has been entrusted to two Lebenshilfe workshops. The workshop in Eggerding, which was set up fifteen years ago, employs 24 people with disabilities who sew, sort and glue in several small groups for companies like Think!. For the past almost ten years, the workshop's textile group has been responsible for the filling and packaging of the Think! shoe cream, which is specially made for Think!.
The Lebenshilfe workshop in Wels, where the Think! shoehorns are manufactured, has even already existed since 1974, making it one of the charity's oldest facilities. Again, people work together in small groups there: the wood group sands and oils the shoehorns; afterwards, the textile group ties the shoelaces onto them. During this manual production process, attention is of course not only paid to the quality of the finished product but also to ensuring that the raw materials are not harmful: the ISO certified hard wax oil that is used to oil the beech or wild cherry wood shoehorns comes from Wörgl and is so natural that it is even approved for baby toys.
In this way, the Lebenshilfe team produces handmade and natural products they can genuinely be proud of. All of the workers therefore sign each product made by them to give it the last perfect finishing touch. When you purchase them, you receive an individual and carefully made product with a very personal touch – and you are also supporting an important and worthwhile project.
