We believe that gone are the days of cutthroat capitalism. It's time for a new way to do business-not just for-profit but for-profit and people. Customers, suppliers, partners, vendors, neighbors and friends. We are all interconnected in how we live, purchase, be, and connect. We think we can DO GOOD and STRENGTHEN that entire network and hopefully make the world a little bit brighter through LUFT.
This is how we plan to do that:
DO GOOD
It feels good to do good. Like really, really good. So much so that we are going through the insanely time intensive and rigorous process to become, drumroll, B corp certified. What does this mean? It means that we are building the entire infrastructure of LUFT to live, breathe, and BE (see what we did there?) good. We are literally wrapping methods, responsibilities, and goals into our business DNA so that we have a clear, methodical focus to do good. It also keeps us extremely accountable so we don’t just talk, we walk the talk.
STRENGTHEN
You can’t be in business alone. It takes a village of suppliers, vendors, and partners. The way to strengthen that local community is to ensure 75% of our customers are local. And let's be honest; it's like 99%. We also commit 50% of our core expenses to local and independently-owned businesses.Â
Everyone is using the the phrase do good which is great! but we want you to know exactly how we are executing it at LUFT:
GIVING BACK
We believe that giving back strengthens your business while releasing endorphins producing a happier, healthier work climate and a more dedicated, committed LUFTER. We do this through dedicated give-back missions responding to the needs of the now. For example, we showered hospitals with 3,000 balloons to bring frontline workers a smile. We balloon bombed over 40 local businesses to celebrate surviving the pandemic. We developed a relationship with Lawrence Hall and are dedicated to bringing joy to the young boys there! Essentially, Luft has a commitment to give 5% of our employee time to do pro bono work (290+ hours per year) in give-back missions. This means we have LOTS of time to connect with our community and strengthen through doing good.Â
ART ACTIVISM
We feel that it is incumbent upon us to use our voice and platform to speak up about social issues. By printing activist sayings on balloons, we are using the balloon as a visual connector and a conversation starter. We’ve printed saying like BLACK LIVES MATTERS, VOTE, INCREASE THE PEACE and MENTAL HEALTH FOR ALL. And then we give them to you for free to hopefully spark a conversation.Â
About the creator & owner
Founded in 2017, Luft Balloons was conceived by Elaine Frei, a designer obsessed with using objects to create three-dimensional experiences.
Enamored at the age of eight by the image of a party-scape she found in the pages of magazine, she has been bringing people together in celebration ever since. She believes that the points of where we intersect with the bigger world around us means very little without taking the time to share it with one another. It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive, but these moments should be special, elevated from the everyday go go go.
Out of this perspective, her time at the Rhode Island School of Design and through the work in her design career as a landscape architect, graphic designer and entrepreneur, Luft Balloons was conceived. Balloons are a simple decoration. Balloons make people happy. And the world needs a little more of the simple and a lot more of the happy.
LUFT is 100% female-owned and operated. Â