7 Questions for KOALA HUG co-founder Robert Chan

Hi Robert! Earlier we asked your sister and co-founder Sandie a few personal questions. Now it’s your turn. Together with Sandie, you are at the helm of KOALA HUG bedding and bath textiles. We are curious about your background, what your passions or dreams are, how you came to start KOALA HUG, and much more. Let’s get started!

Q: What is the reason that you and your sister started KOALA HUG bedding?
Robert: ‘Actually, it was my sister Sandie who came up with the idea to get into sustainable bedding together. Let’s go back to the beginning: she was looking for anti-allergic bedding for herself. She has a house dust mite allergy, so she was looking for an antibacterial duvet. And because she sometimes feels cold and sometimes very warm while sleeping, she was specifically looking for temperature-regulating bedding that could keep her at the right temperature. I have been working in the textile industry for many years now. So I advised her to buy a TENCEL™ duvet and bedding. Once she started using it, she was very enthusiastic. So that’s how it started, purely because Sandie herself was looking for the best quality duvet and bedding.

I myself, I always dreamed of starting a sustainable family business and growing it into an international player with innovative textile products. This all came together very nicely in our company KOALA HUG.’

Q: Where does your passion for sustainable textiles come from?
Robert: ‘I have been working for many years to make my life as sustainable as possible and to make my home as sustainable as possible. Everyone is familiar with the images of enormous textile surpluses, of bins full of cheap clothing and polyester bedding. Just like there is fast fashion in the clothing industry, there are also bedding discounters. I think that is terrible, it is so much better to buy good quality bedding that lasts a long time or is recyclable. There really needs to be a change in behavior, people need to be well informed.

Because I have been working in the textile sector for many years, I have built up a large network over the years. I therefore feel that I can make a positive difference in this area, even if only on a small scale. The extent to which the textile sector is innovating and becoming more sustainable fascinates me immensely. I follow developments closely by visiting (inter)national textile fairs and brainstorming with colleagues and textile experts. In addition to my personal life, I also want to make a positive impact in my work. I believe it is our duty to pass on a more beautiful and cleaner world to the next generations.’

Q: KOALA HUG has an extensive bedding and bath textile collection. What is your favourite item?
Robert: ‘Wow, that’s a difficult question because all our textile products are very pleasant to use! I now travel a lot and always take my KOALA HUG towel and pillowcases with me. Our towels are permanently antibacterial and I attach great importance to hygiene. Sometimes I roll up our towels to use them as a pillow. Furthermore, I think we have the best TENCEL™ fitted sheets, top quality. They are really wonderful to sleep in: they are wonderfully soft, feel very pleasant on the skin and you perspire less because of them.’

Q: What makes your KOALA HUG bedding and bath towels so unique?
Robert: ‘There are no more sustainable bedding or towels than KOALA HUG products. Yes, I am very resolute about that. Beside al other positive qualities of TENCEL™, I want to highlight this aspect. I have known our suppliers for years and have a good relationship with them. Unfortunately, there are many bedding suppliers who offer their products for sale as if they were 100% TENCEL™ bedding and truly sustainable. But that turns out not to be the case at all. It is often a mixture of, for example, organic cotton with lyocell or even with polyester. That is a lot less environmentally friendly. Hopefully people do not fall for these kinds of unfair, greenwashing practices.’

Q: You are also involved in product development for KOALA HUG. How does that work?
Robert: ‘We have an ever-growing community that actively thinks along with us about new products and colours. We also work a lot with consumer test panels. Everything is extensively tested, evaluated and tested again. Sometimes it takes years before we have the perfect product. In addition, we work closely with the R&D specialists of our suppliers and I regularly visit the people in the workplace in the Netherlands and factories in Austria. Everyone we work with has a passion for the business, which makes my work so wonderful to do.’

Q: What do you dream of?
Robert: ‘My dream? Our 100% TENCEL™ duvets are fantastic. They deserve to be awarded as Best Buy by the Consumers’ Association. Many more people should hear about it because it offers so much comfort and really delivers health benefits. In addition, our duvets are completely plant-based, plastic-free and biodegradable. That is so much better for our planet.

Furthermore, I wish everyone bed, bath, bread. In a prosperous western european country like the Netherlands, we cannot and should not look away and pretend that there are no people without a roof over their heads. Everyone deserves a good place to sleep.’

Q: Finally, what do you do in your free time? What are your hobbies?
Robert: ‘I am a real sports fanatic. In the past I was active on the tennis court and the rugby and football field. Nowadays I do this recreationally and am mainly an enthusiastic supporter. Last summer we were of course spoiled with the European Football Championship, the Olympic Games in Paris, Formula 1. My secret wish is to have an Dutch orange bedding collection made. But I still have to convince my sister Sandie for this, haha!’

Click here to read the interview with co-founder Sandie Chan