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LastObject

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LastObject is a Danish manufacturing company, based in Copenhagen that sells sustainable products online and in retail globally. Having been launched in 2016, it launches new products through crowdfunding campaigns on Kickstarter and Indiegogo. The company is best known for producing LastSwab, a reusable cotton swab.

LastObject ApS
Company typePrivate
IndustryPersonal care, health and beauty
FoundedAugust 1, 2016; 8 years ago (2016-08-01) in Copenhagen, Denmark[1]
FoundersIsabel Aagaard, Nicolas Aagaard, Kåre Frandsen[2]
Headquarters
Copenhagen
,
Denmark
Area served
World
Key people
Kristian Pitzner-Jørgensen (CEO)[3]
ProductsReusable alternatives to cotton swabs, tissue paper, protective masks[4]
Increase 1,619,895 kr.[1] (2019)
Total assetsIncrease 2,793,064 kr.[1] (2019)
Websitelastobject.com

History

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LastObject was established in 2016 in Copenhagen by Isabel Aagaard, her brother Nicolas Aagaard, and Kåre Frandsen.[2][5] Aagaards come from the family that owns Danish jewelry company Troldekugler [da], known for Trollbeads collection.[6]

Isabel Aagaard and her partners researched ocean pollutants and realised that cotton swabs were one of the most significant.[2][7] In 2018, they came up with a reusable cotton swab named LastSwab.[2] It was launched in April 2019,[8] and in May the company started a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter.[9][10] LastObject raised over $700,000 from more than 19,000 backers.[11][12] It then raised more than 1 million euro from over 30,000 backers on Indiegogo.[13]

In January 2020, the firm started crowdfunding campaigns for LastTissue, a reusable handkerchiefs.[14][15] In September 2020, the company launched LastRound, recyclable cotton pads, on Kickstarter.[16] In February 2020, Isabel Aagaard pitched this project to investors on the Danish TV show Løvens Hule ("Lions' Den"), but rejected the offer.[17][18][3]

In October 2020, the firm introduced LastMask kit to help fight COVID-19 waste.[19][2] Also in October the firm’s LastSwab product was selected for the Beazley Designs of the Year exhibition at Design Museum (London).[20][21] In November, the brand partnered with the Plastic Bank, a Canadian for-profit social enterprise that builds recycling ecosystems in under-developed communities, taking part in Green November initiative.[2] In April 2021, the company received 6 million krones ($980,000) in seed funding from the Danish Green Investment Fund (Danmarks Grønne Investeringsfond).[22]

Products

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As of January 2021, the company had 4 products: LastSwab (reusable cotton swab), LastTissue (reusable tissue),[15] LastRound (facial pads),[23] and LastMask (face mask & spray kit).[2] It is best known for producing LastSwab,[24][25] which gained increased media attention in October 2020, when the British Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs banned single-use plastic straws, cotton buds and stirrers.[26]

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Over the years LastObject filed multiple cases of trademark infringement against third-party copies of their products. According to the Danish Patent and Trademark Office, as of December 2020, the firm was successful in having copies removed from more than 8,000 websites.[27]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "LastObject ApS". OpenCorporates. 2021-01-22. Archived from the original on 2021-01-23. Retrieved 2021-01-23.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Centrone, Ian (2021-01-07). "Good Company: How Copenhagen-Based LastObject Plans to Eliminate Single-Use Household Products". Barron’s. Archived from the original on 2021-01-09. Retrieved 2021-01-23.
  3. ^ a b Hinge Friis, Kathrine Skanse (2021-01-15). "Gik tomhændede fra DR-program: Nu omsætter de for 33 millioner kroner" [Went empty-handed from DR program: Now they have a turnover of 33 million krones]. B.T. (in Danish). Archived from the original on 2021-01-28. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  4. ^ "Company making reusable toiletries". WTKR. 2021-02-23. Archived from the original on 2021-02-23. Retrieved 2021-02-26.
  5. ^ Mohr Nielsen, Pernille (2020-10-11). "Isabel Aagaards forældre var succesfulde iværksættere: "Jeg er ikke bange for at fejle, for i min familie har vi altid snakket om det, når noget gik galt"" [Isabel Aagaard's parents were successful entrepreneurs: "I'm not afraid to fail, because in my family we've always talked about it when something went wrong"]. Dagbladet Børsen (in Danish). Retrieved 2021-02-06.(subscription required)
  6. ^ Kjær, Stephanie (2019-05-16). "Smykkearvinger satser på genanvendelig vatpind – har allerede hented millioner fra crowdfunding" [Jewelry heirs are betting on recyclable cotton swabs – have already raised millions from crowdfunding]. Dagbladet Børsen (in Danish). Archived from the original on 2021-01-23. Retrieved 2021-01-23.
  7. ^ van Wechem, Robin (2021-05-11). "Herbruikbare tissues, hoe duurzaam zijn die?" [Reusable tissues, how sustainable are they?]. Trouw (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 2021-05-24. Retrieved 2021-05-25.
  8. ^ Peck, Julie (2020-04-22). "3 women leading the zero-waste movement reveal how they're managing to change the world while making a profit". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 2020-05-03. Retrieved 2021-01-23.(subscription required)
  9. ^ Wright, Pam (2019-05-07). "Trio of Danish Entrepreneurs Designs Reusable Cotton Swabs". The Weather Channel. Archived from the original on 2019-05-27. Retrieved 2021-01-23.
  10. ^ Knuuttila, Maija (2019-05-15). "Tässäkö korvaaja kielletyille pumpulipuikoille? Tanskalaiskolmikko kehitti vanupuikon, jota voi käyttää yhä uudelleen" [Is this a substitute for prohibited cotton swabs? The Danish trio developed a cotton swab that can be used over and over again]. Iltalehti (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 2019-07-29. Retrieved 2021-01-23.
  11. ^ Thea, Felix (2020-04-14). "How LastObject Broke Their Crowdfunding Goal in 22 Minutes". Shopify. Archived from the original on 2020-09-27. Retrieved 2021-01-23.
  12. ^ Nally, Brooke (2019-05-15). "4 'green' products causing a buzz in the crowdfunding world". KSL-TV. Archived from the original on 2019-05-16. Retrieved 2021-01-27.
  13. ^ "LastSwab – The Reusable Cotton Swab". thecrowdfundingcenter.com. Archived from the original on 2021-01-29. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  14. ^ Noe, Rain (2020-02-24). "LastObject Tackles Unsexy but Important Single-Use Items, Like Reusable Tissues, Strikes Kickstarter Gold". Core77. Archived from the original on 2020-11-29. Retrieved 2021-01-27.
  15. ^ a b Heath, Ryan (2020-03-13). "Emissions are down thanks to coronavirus, but that's bad". Politico. Archived from the original on 2020-10-28. Retrieved 2021-01-27.
  16. ^ Yune, Tebany (2020-09-03). "Meet the designer creating a cleaner Earth by putting an end to single-use products". Mic.com. Archived from the original on 2020-10-27. Retrieved 2020-01-04.
  17. ^ "Hun blev afvist af 'Løverne' og har nu omsat for 16 millioner i første halvår" [She was rejected by the “Lions” and has now turned over 16 million in the first half]. Sjællandske (in Danish). 2021-01-10. Archived from the original on 2021-01-10. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
  18. ^ Persson, Sebastian (2019-11-08). "Tommy Ahlers: "Hvis jeg sad i Løvens Hule nu, ville jeg stort set kun fokusere på grøn omstilling"" [Tommy Ahlers: "If I were sitting in the “Lion’s Den” now, I would basically only focus on green conversion"]. Berlingske (in Danish). Archived from the original on 2019-11-08. Retrieved 2021-01-27.(subscription required)
  19. ^ "LastObject Launches New Kit to Fight Coronavirus Waste" (Press release). PR Newswire. 2020-10-21. Archived from the original on 2020-11-13. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
  20. ^ Burman, Sujata (2020-10-20). "Beazley Designs of the Year is a blueprint for our turbulent year". Wallpaper. Archived from the original on 2020-11-26. Retrieved 2021-01-27.
  21. ^ "Beazley Designs of the Year Product: LastSwab". Design Museum. 2020. Archived from the original on 2021-03-05. Retrieved 2021-03-05.
  22. ^ Als Mortensen, Cecilie (2021-04-25). "Lastobject vil gøre hverdagsprodukter mere bæredygtige: "Det udelukker ikke, at vi skal tjene penge"" [Lastobject wants to make everyday products more sustainable: "It does not preclude us from making money"]. da:Finans (in Danish). Archived from the original on 2021-04-25. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  23. ^ Gándara, Ana (2020-11-03). "Guía de uso de los discos desmaquillantes reutilizables" [Use guide for reusable make-up removal pads]. Vogue España (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2021-01-19. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
  24. ^ Roshitsh, Kaley (2020-03-11). "Not Buying It". Women's Wear Daily. Archived from the original on 2020-09-24. Retrieved 2021-01-27.
  25. ^ Vouloumanos, Victoria (2020-04-26). "23 Things To Replace In Your Bathroom To Make It More Sustainable". BuzzFeed. Archived from the original on 2020-11-04. Retrieved 2021-01-27.
  26. ^ Shaikh, Sameeha (2020-10-01). "As plastic-stemmed cotton buds are now banned, here are 3 sustainable alternatives". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 2020-10-29. Retrieved 2021-01-27.(subscription required)
  27. ^ ""Kopister er skruppelløse, så længe de kan"" [Copies are unscrupulous for as long as they can] (in Danish). Danish Patent and Trademark Office. 2020-12-15. Archived from the original on 2021-01-28. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
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