Forebel: Yes, Real Heroes Wear Seaweed Socks!
2025-04-10
Forebel is a progressive textile company that seamlessly weaves sustainability into every aspect of its products. Led by Managing Director Leon Timmermans and founder Eric Roosen, Forebel develops innovative, sustainable products such as socks and scarves enriched with recycled fishing nets or seaweed. Working with partners such as Healthy Seas, the World Wildlife Fund, Sock by Sock and North Sea Farmers, the company proves that fashion and sustainability can indeed go hand in hand. We dive into Eric's entrepreneurial journey and discover how he combines entrepreneurship, sustainability and a rebellious spirit.
Down-to-Earth Thinking for a Sustainable Future
Eric's roots are on his father's farm in North Brabant. This background instilled in him a deep appreciation for nature. Although his original motivation for starting a business 30 years ago was simply to generate an income, a period of financial startup perils forced him to live frugally.
‘At that time, I had no money, so I had to be frugal. I visited all clients by train, borrowed phones to call them and used paper three times.’
This resourcefulness born out of necessity later grew into a conscious, sustainable lifestyle. ‘You used to be frugal if you went by train, today you are sustainable if you go by train. Practical necessity and environmental awareness often go hand in hand,’ Eric adds.
Sustainable to the Core
Over the years, Forebel grew into more than a product provider; it became a platform for storytelling. Sustainability is woven into the core of the company, and this is reflected in everything, including the office building in Oisterwijk. This unique, sustainable building was built with recycled materials, uses geothermal heat for temperature regulation and minimises energy consumption through strategic placement of green roofing doors and windows.
Focus on innovation
A key pillar within Forebel is innovation. Recognising its importance, Eric appointed an employee whose sole task was to constantly develop new ideas and collaborations. This led to a connection with a diving organisation that removed fishing nets from the North Sea.
‘They had a pile of fishing nets lying on the beach and wondered what to do with them. So, the idea of making socks from recycled fishing nets was born, which eventually led to the creation of Healthy Seas.’
To this day, Healthy Seas commits to cleaning up litter in seas, among other things. Eric was at the helm for 10 years and managed to raise as much as 1.7 million euros for the foundation through the sale of its socks. ‘This showed me the synergy that a company and a non-profit organisation can achieve by working together. Profit and social impact can really go hand in hand.’
Getting down to business with North Sea Farmers
After the success of Healthy Seas, Eric felt the urge to continue looking for new ways to make a difference with a focus on the ocean. This eventually led him to our doorstep. The collaboration began in a characteristically spontaneous way.
'I walked in without an appointment and said, 'Do you guys want money?'
This direct approach, combined with the success of the fishnet socks, led to a new idea: socks made from seaweed. These socks are now available from Forebel's webshop, with a proportion of the proceeds going to support North Sea Farmers.
Honesty Is the foundation of Trust
Honesty and transparency are the cornerstones of Forebel. ‘When you are only a little bit honest or a little bit transparent, you quickly fall through,’ Eric says.
‘I think honesty is the basis of trust, both with customers and with partners. Take our socks with seaweed. It would be easy to say they are 100% seaweed, but that is simply not true. We use about 20% seaweed powder mixed with cellulose (lyocell). And we communicate that clearly too. Why? Because we believe in transparency.’
That honesty also extends to a critical view of circularity. ‘The word ‘circularity’ sounds nice, but in practice you always see ‘leakage’ in the process. It is rarely a perfect circle. Take a sock with holes: it makes no sense to send it back in the hope of reuse, because the environmental impact of that transport is often higher than the potential gain. We need to be realistic about what is sustainable and what is not, even if that sometimes goes against intuition.’
Scalability as key to success: seaweed in textiles
One of the biggest challenges in applying sustainable materials, such as seaweed in textiles, is scalability. Forebel is one of the few companies managing to achieve this on a large scale.
According to Eric, the key lies in strong partnerships. A good example is the partnership with Amazon, a member of North Sea Farmers. Amazon included Forebel's seaweed socks in their employee Christmas hampers, which not only increased awareness of this innovation, but also supported North Sea Farmers. This illustrates how collaboration can contribute to the growth and impact of sustainable initiatives.
Connecting with the public is key
Eric acknowledges that the growth of sustainable initiatives is not only about innovative products, but also about storytelling. ‘People need to understand and embrace the story behind sustainability. It has to be attractive, not just to experts, but to the general public.’ He sees a big future for seaweed in ‘first layer textiles’ such as T-shirts and underwear. ‘Maybe the combination of ‘first layer textiles’ and a sexy story is the key to wide acceptance of seaweed in fashion,’ he jokes.
Eric Roosen's journey with Forebel shows how values can evolve and how companies can be a force for good. What began as a need to be frugal grew into a deep-seated commitment to sustainability. His openness, drive for innovation and awareness of the power of storytelling make Forebel a unique and inspiring example within sustainable entrepreneurship. ‘Sustainability is all about movement. Think of your company as an organism: always evolving, always learning. It is precisely in this constant dynamism that the best opportunities lie.’
Eric's story is far from over. With a rebellious spirit and a deep respect for the planet, he keeps looking for new ways to make an impact.
Interested in socks made from seaweed? Take a look at the website of Forebel.
