In this episode, we sit down with Nicholas Hänny, co-founder and CEO of NIKIN, a Swiss fashion brand that’s redefining sustainability in the clothing industry. NIKIN stands out by planting one tree for every product sold, and to date, they’ve planted over 1 million trees. Founded in 2017, the company originally started with a different vision, but as customer feedback poured in, Nicholas and his team adapted their business model to not only focus on tree planting but to enhance sustainability across the entire value chain.

NIKIN's approach is built on affordable sustainable fashion, and in this episode, Nicholas shares the journey behind the brand’s growth and the lessons learned along the way. He explains how they made sustainability a core part of every step in their process, from production to packaging and recycling. We discuss how the brand works with ECOS, a sustainability agency, to continually improve their environmental impact.

Nicholas also sheds light on how they handle returns—a major challenge for fashion brands—and how they ensure timeless, high-quality designs so customers are less likely to discard clothes after a short period. He emphasizes that while NIKIN is not yet the most sustainable fashion brand in Switzerland, they are constantly striving to be 90% better in every area, and they aim to be transparent about where they can improve.

Packaging is another area where NIKIN stands out—they use recycled cardboard, no plastic bags, and sugar cane paper for their tree certificates, showing how a small change can make a big difference.

Nicholas dives into the complex issue of greenwashing, particularly around tree planting as a CO2 offsetting strategy. He stresses that while tree planting can be an effective tool in fighting climate change, it's important to avoid practices that hurt biodiversity, promote monocultures, or cut trees prematurely. Through their partnership with ONETREEPLANTED, NIKIN has worked to ensure that their trees contribute to local communities, river restoration, and biodiversity.

We also explore his top three necessary changes for creating a more sustainable world:

1. Research and development in clean energy.
2. Innovation in sustainable practices across industries.
3. Consumer behavior change, particularly eating and traveling more locally.

Nicholas shares his entrepreneurial journey and how he bootstrapped NIKIN from a CHF 5,000 investment to a CHF 20 million business primarily driven by social media marketing.

Join us as we dive deep into how one fashion brand is reshaping sustainability in the industry—and how you can take action in your own life to support a more sustainable future.