Freitag Bags in Zurich

One of the most interesting business visits we've made came on Thursday, June 24, in Zurich. We went to Freitag, a company founded in 1993 by design students in Zurich who wanted to make sturdy, waterproof bags for carrying art and school supplies. They came up with the idea of making bags out of discarded tarps that are widely used in Europe of cover truck loads. After a long period of making bags for friends and friends-of-friends the demand for the product began to grow and the company now has an international sales presence. To fit with it's image of recycling otherwise outlived materials the company constructed its headquarters building in a rundown section of Zurich using old shipping containers. It was a fascinating example of design and business synergy.

-Dave Clark