Sustainability is the key. Our way of contributing to social and environmental development. A commitment. “A little better, never perfect!”
Camper began a study of waste management at their head office in Inca – Mallorca – in 1998. This was within the context of an Environmental Management System that was being implemented within the company.
Sustainable development also includes social commitment, and this has given rise to the Edible Gardens project. School gardens were the focus of a social and environmental project where Camper sought to educate children whose main ecosystems were cities. The project intended to teach these children how to preserve and respect nature through the production and maintenance of an edible garden. Camper manufactures a “rural” product for “urban” use; the edible gardens concept fits perfectly with Camper’s philosophy and spirit, uniting an agricultural tradition with an innovative project (environmental education) within a totally urban setting.
This project is a collaboration with Diseños Sostenibles. Camper selects public schools in urban areas which preferably have some type of integration project. Once the school is selected the programme - aimed at children between the ages of 3 and 7 – brings together the creation of a school garden and an environmental education program. During the school year, the children learn different types of planting, how to transplant small plants, care for them, and harvest them. They then use the fruits yielded for dyes, jams, teas and infusions for medical purposes. The program also includes the correct use of water and the correct management of household waste, as well as workshops on botany and renewable energy. Once the school year is over, the school then commits itself to maintaining the garden project with the support of Camper.
Camper began this project of edible gardens initially in Madrid at Colegio La Jara in the spring of 1999 followed by Colegio Publico La Paloma again in Madrid, Colegio Publico Ponent in Inca and then outside Spain in Bethnal Green Primary school in the East End of London, and Casa Dei Bimbi in Rome. The latest edible garden project was set up in Barcelona at Colegio Publico El Bosc in 2002.
