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News > From Fashion Waste to Milestone: Ucon Acrobatics<br>

From Fashion Waste to Milestone: Ucon Acrobatics

August 19, 2025

Ucon Acrobatics brings textile waste back into the cycle — with bags and backpacks that counter the throwaway society.

For the company, it has always been clear: social and environmental responsibility cannot be optional add-ons – they must be a central part of how a business operates.

Since 25 years, Ucon Acrobatics has been developing minimalist backpacks and bags from Berlin – functional in design, reduced in aesthetics, and consistently sustainable in production. The company intentionally chooses not to work with investors, instead focusing on long-term partnerships, independence, and values-driven growth.

At the heart is a vision for future-proof product design: bags and backpacks that not only perform in everyday life but also convince through material choice, production methods, and circularity. The goal is to create functional products with the smallest possible ecological footprint. and in doing so, contribute actively to solving global challenges.

Anfang August hat das Unternehmen ihre Rezertifizierung abgeschlossen. Eine Gelegenheit zur Reflexion, aber auch ein Zeichen der langfristigen Verankerung von Nachhaltigkeit im Unternehmen. Mit stolzen 119.8 Punkte (einem Anstieg von 26 Punkte!) beweist Ucon Acrobatics, dass kontinuierliche Verbesserung Teil ihrer DNA ist.

„Together, we are taking a stand against the fast fashion waste problem with minimalist bags crafted from recycled textiles. Join the movement.“

Martin Fussenegger & Jochen Smuda,

Gründer von Ucon Acrobatics

The way to B Corp- certification

The decision to become part of the B Corp community was made at Ucon Acrobatics around five years ago — the result of an extended internal reflection on the company’s own impact.

The first B Corp certification marked an important milestone — and was understood not as an award but as a starting point for continuous development. The deep belief that companies hold significant responsibility to minimize potential negative impacts on their stakeholders has always been embedded in the company’s DNA. The structured framework of the B Impact Assessment (BIA) enabled the team to systematically analyze strengths and weaknesses, improve processes, and establish new standards. Beyond that, the certification provides access to a community of businesses that share common values and strive for positive change.

Looking ahead: ambitions for the coming years

Beyond the current recertification, Ucon Acrobatics is pursuing clear goals. The principles of “people and planet over profit” will continue to guide strategic decision-making. Planned initiatives include expanding transparent supply chains, further innovations in sustainable materials, and deepening collaboration with partner companies that share similar values.

A central area of impact remains circularity in the textile sector. Today, Ucon Acrobatics works directly with more than 30 suppliers and has built, over several years, a supply chain that transforms textile waste into high-quality materials — without relying on external agencies or off-the-shelf solutions. Currently, the company mainly collects discarded employee uniforms from hospitals and prepares them for depolymerization. The goal is to further expand the use of recycling yarn made entirely from textile waste.

The transition has come with challenges: just as with the switch to PET bottle recycling around ten years ago, Ucon Acrobatics initially encountered skepticism in production — partly due to higher costs. Nevertheless, the company succeeded in building a stable textile circularity structure within three years. Particularly noteworthy: the brand is evolving a complex product like a backpack — made from many individual components — in a way that brings it as close as possible to a monomaterial concept. This shows that textile circularity is achievable even for technically demanding products.

    Learning processes and key insights

    The experiences from the first B Corp certification and the past years have also led to internal transformation at Ucon Acrobatics. The company shares three key insights that may be relevant for other businesses — both within and beyond the B Corp community:

     

    #1 — Continuous self-reflection is essential. Sustainability is not a state but a process. Regular review of goals, actions, and outcomes is crucial.

    #2 — Change requires determination. Postponing problems rarely leads to better results. Fast, pragmatic solutions have proven effective for Ucon Acrobatics — even with limited resources.

    #3 — Company culture makes the difference. A respectful work environment, where people feel safe and heard, not only supports well-being but also strengthens the team’s overall capacity for innovation.

Ucon Acrobatics

Ucon Acrobatics unites a passion for creative design with sustainable mindset. We stand for durable products that go beyond seasons. Instead of following fleeting trends, we focus on timeless silhouettes. We feel responsible, not only for what we do but also for what we don’t do. That is why we always stay true to our motto: “minimal design, minimal emission”. This approach is driven by the belief that less can actually be more, and that nothing should suffer for a quality product – not humans, not animals and not the environment.

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