I love having the chance to talk about Portuguese projects I identify with, and By The Book gave me the chance to talk about their first product: the sustainable Airback backpacks!
They really are spectacular backpacks, and I am going to tell you everything.
There are 3 reasons that stand out and that make me like this backpack a great deal, and I think they will convince you too.
If you are feeling lazy today and do not much fancy reading, scroll to the bottom of the page and watch the video. You will learn everything about these Airback backpacks from the Portuguese brand By The Book.
The first is the simplicity. The design speaks for itself: very simple and minimal, ultralight, waterproof and padded, which comes in handy in all sorts of situations, when you drop your backpack, say, or when you are on the bus and need a little cushion to rest your head against 😀
The second reason is sustainability, which for me is this backpack’s value proposition. The polyester used is made from PET bottles (NEWlifeTM, developed by an Italian company called Sinterama), and the straps are made from seat belts, the idea being to reuse seat belt offcuts to produce the straps. The brand is also testing a recycled padding.
One detail I find rather interesting is that each backpack reuses 12 plastic bottles. Can you see the impact a single purchase can have?
They are without any doubt on a good path where sustainability is concerned.
The third reason is that it is a 100% Portuguese project, not only conceived but produced in Portugal. In fact the factory that makes the Airback backpacks is the same one that makes material for Montecampo, a camping equipment brand some of you may know (which is to say, a factory with years of experience behind it). As well as supporting the Portuguese market, it is a way for the brand to keep tighter quality control over the product.
It is not always obvious how much fits inside this backpack, but the truth is that a great deal does. It is an excellent backpack for people who use public transport a lot (metro, bus and so on). In the video below I show you a specific context, travelling, which means getting onto a plane, and so a number of things I do not carry day to day. In total I managed to fit 12 items into the backpack, from notebooks to a camera, and it is still comfortable to wear!
There is a campaign running on Kickstarter, the biggest crowdfunding platform in the world. The brand is currently looking for funding and anyone can back the project, the process is very simple and transparent.
Here is a short, step-by-step explanation:
- Go to this page
- Choose the option you want under “Back this Project”
- If the brand reaches its full funding target, your payment goes through and you receive the backpacks in March.
There is no risk and nothing complicated about it. If the brand does not reach its full funding target your payment does not go through, and you can then check directly with the brand whether they will go ahead with the project regardless of the Kickstarter result.
I am sharing it with you because it is a project I believe in and because it is, without doubt, a backpack that has a positive impact on the planet and on our lives.
