totem began in 2009 with a vision to design, manufacture and market unique, high quality, and functional products, primarily bags, made from locally sourced upcycled materials:
- Promotional banners: street pole banners, advertising billboards, and other displays made from non-biodegradable materials like vinyl and nylon that would otherwise end-up in landfill
- Truck tarpaulins: increasingly being used in the North American transport industry, vinyl truck tarps have a limited lifespan (typically 6-7 years) and once taken off the road cannot be used again in their original capacity
- Seatbelts: salvaged from auto wreckers, nylon seatbelt webbing that has served its original purpose (saving lives!)
- Bicycle inner tubes: collected from local bike shops, rubber inner tubes that would otherwise be put to the curb – from one green enterprise to another!
The beauty of it all is that components used in all totem products are the toughest and most durable (and therefore non-biodegradable) materials as their original purpose demanded these qualities. In addition, the nature of how totem products are produced make each item unique – a quality that appeals to the individualist – and cannot be mass produced. Every totem bag is truly one-of-a-kind.
The guiding principle for totem is quality – the totem business philosophy starts and ends here. All products are made to last and customer satisfaction – be it for individual bag owners, or corporate clients comes first.
