Well, we didn't have that either, so we had a chat with the company's COO, Carl Nesset. It turns out that summarizing what this gang does can't be done in three sentences. So take this as a warning, this is going to be a bit long, and a bit nerdy.
But we think it's too cool that zealots with innovative ideas around the circular economy and sustainability sit in the Evolve offices. We simply couldn't help but fully understand what Empower does.
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Hi Carl! First, we would like to ask you which books or podcasts have inspired you in your work with the company?
I mostly follow podcasts such as Circular Economy Podcast,Tech, Innovation & Society - The Creative Process and “The circular economy show”.
So, who is Empower - and what do you do?
Empower started in 2018, and at the beginning, it was about matching those who wanted to collect plastic from where the problems with plastic waste were big and matching them with actors who wanted to contribute.
Our goal is to build a world without garbage, where more of what is collected can be given value and recycled, instead of ending up on the way. It is such an intricate problem that no one can solve everything alone, the key lies in the fact that all issues must be worked out in close cooperation with other actors. We learn that anew constantly.
The proportion of plastic produced each year continues to increase sharply, while the proportion recycled is stable at between 5-9%. It goes without saying that if we do not collect more of the plastic that is produced, there will be great value lost and major problems associated with all the waste. That is what we are working to solve.
For example, new legislation is emerging which dictates that when new products are to be made they must consist of a certain proportion of recycled material, then you need data and technology to do so in a way that satisfies the new requirements. The same applies if the products are to have their product passports, where the finished product consists of and the entire journey to the materials must be documented.
From digitizing only the first link (collecting plastic waste), we have grown to become a platform that provides all links in the production chain with incentives and easy ways to verify that they are working with recycled materials. We hope the platform can be a well-functioning and seamless digital infrastructure that facilitates a circular economy. A platform that makes it easier to digitize waste streams and at the same time create added value through sharing and creating value from the data. But yes, that was the short version, we have had a journey.
🤯 Sounds both challenging and exciting! How did you do it?
We used the Norwegian pledge model as a starting point, and we also created a global and digital pledge tag for plastic waste. The digital deposit slip will, in the same way as the Norwegian deposit model, act as an incentive for more collection of plastic. The process has also naturally grown further, to also focus on what happens next with the plastic after it has been collected.
The overall goal is to incentivize the collection of plastic and waste. If we also separate the materials in the product from each other as early as possible, we also create more valuable material from waste. When it comes to recycling, recycled materials are worth more the "cleaner" the materials are, because they are easier to use in new products.
If you succeed in separating clean fractions of material as early as possible, you can achieve simpler and cleaner fractions of the waste collected. Then the waste (now the material) increases in value and then demand becomes higher at the same time.
It became important to document and digitize what happens to the plastic in a way that gives the actors confidence and finds value in the data - and that's how we started creating tracking systems.
🕵️ Tracking systems, tell me more…
We believe that tracking and good data can lay the foundation for achieving a circular economy. A transition we must work together to achieve if we are to have a chance of solving the climate problems and the problems in today's economy.
When the materials (the former waste) move between actors, you get a digital asset. You receive and possibly process this asset, before passing it on to the next party. This figures as a digital handshake on the physical process. Each party acknowledges that it has sent and received materials. This gives us tracking between each actor up to the final producer. This is roughly what takes place inside the platform. In parallel, we use the blockchain to store these handshakes that prove that the handovers happened. As an actor, you can then trust that the registered handovers have taken place and have not been changed afterward.
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🙋 Who is this relevant to?
All actors in the value chain can use Empower platforms n. There, everyone gets a digital identity and can confirm when they receive materials - and when they pass them on to the next actor.
These are both all types of organizations that work with the collection and waste and material handling of plastic, and right up to the end manufacturers who develop products and need tracking of their materials to, for example, create product passports.
It was to create such product passports that the Norwegian furniture manufacturer NCP made contact. Their chairs are made from a recycled rope from the farming industry and wanted a product passport that tells about the journey of the chair's material. Today, they have finished product passports where each chair has a QR code that you can scan with your mobile phone and record the journey the materials have had. From breeding facilities, via recycling in Rørvik, and to a new chair produced at Hemnesberget.
It has been a journey from when we started in 2018 to today. Our systems have digitized over 200,000 tonnes of waste from over 40 different countries! Soon we will also come up with a separate app to be able to engage individuals to deliver plastic or other types of waste.
There are a lot of exciting things that will happen in the future!
💼 How long have you been with Evolve?
We joined Evolve in May, and we are based in the offices in Storgata. There it is very nice to be able to go out on the office terrace to enjoy the sun, even if there is not always that much sun there, it is very nice to be able to go out and get some air.
We are mostly on flex now, it has been a good start for us. In the long term, we want to have a combination of permanent office and flex, in one way or another - but we haven't figured that out yet.
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🥇 Why does renting an office at Evolve suit you so well?
It is constantly the big topic, discussing what is the right or perfect office solution, but the most important thing in the meantime is that we have the flexibility for those who can and need to be in the office.
Evolve is practical and close to communication in the city. For us, it has suited us very well due to easy access by both train and subway, and the fact that we have a large proportion of the team who work remotely and come in occasionally. Having simple and flexible access to these has been important to us. Not least, we are a growing team and we constantly have new people coming in, and then we need, again - simple and flexible arrangements between a home office and being able to be present together, meet each other and have a place with available meeting rooms. It has been important and good for us when we have been at Evolve.
🏙 What do you value most in the immediate area around the Evolve office?
From the local area around Evolve Storgata, it is always nice to be able to both go out and eat something together after work if you need to, or to sit in a pub nearby. The office has easy and central access to it.
📍 What are you looking forward to happening at EMPOWER this autumn?
A lot happens in a startup. It's always about taking the next steps with the team, and hopefully growing even more. That we manage to solve all the "startup problems" - to achieve both good growths and to find good rhythms in the new everyday life after corona. For our part, it's about continuing with everything that happens within the circular economy and working towards our goals of getting more and more materials into the value chain. to reduce waste going astray.
