Have you every struggled what to search online when looking for an eco-friendly coffee shop? Or been wanting to turn to a more sustainable lifestyle but do not know where to look?
Well, with his app Ganddee, Antoine Rondelet, has developed the answer to your problem. This app describes itself to be “the easiest way to discover second-hand, rental and refill shops”.
About the CEO: Antoine Rondelet
Antoine studied Computer Science during University, over time he developed a strong interest in climate change and understanding how the world ended up in the crisis it is in today. Therefore, he decided to use his tech skills for good and take action in favour of the planet.
“I started talking to people, who were telling me that consuming in a sustainable way was too expensive, that they don’t have time, or they didn’t know where to go. So I decided to tackle these problems through an app with a simple interface where people can go and find the closest sustainable shop in their local area”.
Building a platform to support people to shop in a sustainable manner
Ganddee is a platform that connects shoppers to sustainable shops in London & the UK. Their mission is to support their users to make the most sustainable choice in their daily lives and support local businesses in their area.
Through the app, Antoine, creates a bridge between businesses who aim to be more sustainable in their actions and services, with consumers who are looking for sustainable brands.
They help people to be the change they want to see in the world, which is a famous quote by Mahatma Gandhi, thus, explaining the name of the app: Ganddee.
The app is community driven, meaning that their users can suggest new shops to be listed. This approach helps Ganddee to scale across different cities in the UK and engage more deeply with their audience.
On the app people can find local second-hand shops, car boot sales, charity shops, and rental places. Which is becoming a popular trend in the UK at the moment.
Challenges that consumers face at the moment
Prices
When it comes to sustainable consumption, consumers often face challenges, one being the belief that this type of consumption is more expensive. A study by Deloitte highlighted that 52% of consumers have not embraced a more sustainable lifestyle due to the costs of eco-friendly alternative. Antoine, explains that “this is a misconception and has been proven wrong by various studies”, indeed shopping in Charity shops is cheaper than shopping in the High Street.
“People might think that being more sustainable means buying groceries at Whole Foods, while in fact there are some amazing not-for-profit co-ops that are selling food straight from farms. The thing is that they are hidden from people because they are not on the main streets.”
Information
Another, core pillar of pain for consumers is the lack of information, he adds, “this fuels the inconvenience of sustainable consumption as we know today.” People do not know what to search on internet platforms if they are looking for a specific sustainable coffee brand.
“People are often lost in online greenwashing claims by major brands. With Ganddee we facilitate this search, by aggregating all the sustainability credentials of a shop to figure out if a shop is really certified". They look at the incorporation status of the company and their business model. "Through this we create our own listing criteria’s which are transparent and visible by our users on the app.”
The more sustainable the shop is, the higher their ranking is on the app and therefore the higher visibility they receive.
Behavioural change towards sustainable consumption
In his view, behavioural change is happening because thrifting is becoming trendy again. “The more people visiting these sustainable consumption places will allow local businesses to thrive and scale their action even further.”
The main problem that he highlights, is the issue that for so many decades, mainly in the West, there has been a continuous encouragement to consume more and more. “You need to have a house, a car, clothes, and we were sold that having more was something positive without thinking about the drawbacks of that”.
Breaking traditional consuming patterns
He adds that people need to realise that having more does not necessarily mean that you are happier. This feeds into the minimalist movement that grew in popularity a few years ago, which encourages people to own only what adds value and meaning to your life, and to move away from materialism.
People need to question where things come from, and think whether these products will this make me happier?”
Circular economy
Antoine, highlights that the current system we live in which people consume linearly has many flaws. “The linear economy it is full of inefficiencies and everything we consume ends up in the bin, which ends up in landfills in developing countries, or in the oceans. All of these items that are thrown away are still very valuable, and needs to be put back into the economy.”
Changing consuming habits to be more circular is the solution, add Antoine. “The aim of Ganddee is to filter the signal from the noise. Living in a city like London, you have so many options available to you. In this wave of information, all sustainable and family run shops gets lost.”
Future goals of Ganddee
Once they have successfully managed to build an app that supports both consumers and shops, then they will think about expanded to different markets.
“We want to be the global platform the sustainable economy”
Vision for the future
“The real way of growing your brand in the future is to embrace new ways to operate your businesses in a sustainable manner”.
When it comes to the future, Antoine is aware there are a lot of challenges ahead of the world. “Overall, I am an optimist, otherwise I would not have started a company. You need to know that actions can bring meaningful change, the more action you take the more optimist you become”.
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Antoine Rondelet interviewed by Natalia Vasnier for The Conference Corner. Feature cover image provided by Antoine Rondelet.
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