As part of the blog "Conscious People" by Venitz, we interview the actors of the green transition to find out more about the behind their commitments. Today, here is the story of Mathieu Desaphie.
Hello everyone, I am Mathieu Desaphie, the creator of the surf clothing and wetsuit brand SEN NO SEN.
Today, I dedicate a large part of my daily life to being happy by developing a business that is both profitable and meaningful.
I owe my eco-responsible commitment to a trigger, an awareness: As a surfer, I grew up on the beaches and always took care of my playground; the ocean. As a result, at each stage of my personal and professional life, I have always been keen to preserve as much as possible this place which is so dear to me. What's cool is that the approach has been there for more than 20 years but today customers take it into consideration, which explains our progress in recent seasons.
In this sense, I am engaged in my daily life, I apply good common sense practices, I educate my children so that they themselves naturally adopt these good practices. I love supporting local brands and merchants.
In my work, I think about how to have the best impact on the world we live in. All our products at Sen No Sen last thanks to their quality, are made with materials such as organic cotton, recycled polyester, our natural rubber suits and we also try to have a local impact by providing a pleasant working environment for our employees, fair remuneration, supporting the initiatives of our community etc…
The way I perceive the world around me and the way I interact with others has been strongly influenced by traveling around the world to surf beautiful waves and it has also allowed me to meet different people and cultures. Each trip has been a learning experience and I try to pass it on through the brand. But often behind the postcard images hides the sad reality such as real open-air wild dumps, waterways polluted by industry, beaches that look like landfills or even the diseases that we can catch. in water…
I like to think that the desire to support noble causes is contagious. So if I had to give advice to those who haven't yet taken the plunge: Every gesture counts, you shouldn't feel guilty if you don't do everything perfectly, the simple desire to want to improve has a positive impact. And it's a virtuous circle, the more we progress in our understanding of how to improve our good practices, the more it makes us want to continue, so start with simple actions like choosing seasonal fruits and vegetables that have not crossed the earth to end up on your plate or even look at where your clothes come from!
However, adopting a more ethical and responsible lifestyle is not a linear process; I find it difficult to do without my car to get around and I still take it too often for short distances. I know this and I'm trying to give up some bad habits, but not all at once.
©Yannick Letoquin
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