The EIT Community witnessed an exhilarating surge of innovation as the EIT Circular Economy Prize call drew 125 applications from dynamic SMEs and sustainability startups spanning 23 countries.
Ethikis Ad Civis clinched the Circular Economy Assessment Methodologies category prize with their product LONGTIME, a revolutionary methodology designed to champion sustainable products and encourage consumers to make informed purchasing decisions.
What do we mean when we talk about innovation? This is a question Elsa Lomont often asks.
In the realm of sustainability, where green claims sometimes seem to multiply like rabbits, one trailblazing social enterprise has emerged with a pragmatic approach to consumer empowerment for a greener future.
The future vision of Ethikis Ad Civis
Ethikis Ad Civis, co-founded by Elsa and Florent Preguesuelo in 2018, is on a mission to reshape our interactions with companies. It aims to shift the narrative around sustainable products from disposability to durability.
Delving into Ethikis’s vision, approach, and future ambitions, Elsa talks passionately and with great insight about their collaboration with the EIT Community on Circular Economy and her consumer-first vision of Europe.
Discussing Ethikis’ aspirations for Europe-wide expansion, Elsa explained: “Soon, we want to have consultants or employees in each part of the continent making an impact for consumers across Europe.”
This ambitious vision is at the heart of Ethikis, whose goal is to make a tangible impact on Europe’s maturing sustainability landscape. In addition to deploying experts across the continent, the organisation is fostering connections with businesses and collaborating with similarly-minded organisations to fine-tune its methodology.
While the organisation tends to work B2B, giving them direct access to the needs of SMEs and businesses, Elsa is acutely aware of the importance of navigating the political landscape.
“The solutions are not always about revolutionising the field. They can also involve working closely alongside businesses and regulators on the political side of things,” Elsa noted.
Helping consumers choose sustainable products
With the idea of a ‘right to repair’ gaining political traction within the EU, she added: “Political decisions must have representation from all of society and producers; not just the big companies, but also the SMEs that are very ambitious and have the agility to transform and innovate at the scale needed.”
Ethikis’ founding traces back to a long-standing and fundamental problem: the lack of information available to consumers when choosing sustainable products.
Elsa elaborated: “As consumers, we often lack vital information. For example, when buying a coffee machine, we typically base our decisions on brand reputation, marketing claims, and price. But we don’t know if the machine will be reliable or repairable.”
This information gap inevitably leads to premature waste, with countless products being discarded when they could be repaired or otherwise kept in use.
Moreover, producing these goods consumes substantial resources, compounding their environmental impact.
Products designed to last
In response to this challenge, Elsa and Florent created a certification for products designed to last. Their vision was to empower consumers with information beyond brand marketing and price tags.
Therefore, set out on a mission to ensure product longevity becomes the manufacturers’ guiding principle.
In a consumer landscape inundated with sustainability certifications, Ethikis stands out through its no-frills approach.
“While there are many sustainability certifications, our approach is pragmatic,” Elsa said.
“We’ve developed a comprehensive set of criteria that cover product design, repairability, after-sales services, and the label’s mechanisms.”
By choosing a B2B approach from the outset and partnering directly with manufacturers looking to enhance their sustainable product practices, the organisation is able to embed sustainable principles into the heart of the production process, making a tangible impact on product durability.
What sets Ethikis apart from other sustainable products initiatives?
Now, you might wonder, what truly sets Ethikis apart in the consumer-focused sustainability field? Elsa’s response centres on their methodology and approach.
“We combine scientific and pragmatic approaches, focusing on the consumer’s perspective to address product longevity across various categories,” she said.
“It’s a social innovation that empowers citizens to make sustainable choices.”
This emphasis on the consumer’s perspective is a key differentiator. While many sustainability initiatives focus on industry practices, Ethikis keeps the end-user, the citizen-consumer, at the forefront of its efforts.
It aims to facilitate informed choices that resonate with people’s desires for durable, reliable, and sustainable products.
“I believe connection with the EIT Community improved our way of working,” Elsa explained.
“Our research collaboration on how we can connect with the community to improve our impact has been vital to us.”
Leveraging support from the EIT Community
The partnership with the EIT Community offers Ethikis a valuable opportunity to leverage resources and expertise, which is critical for their European expansion plan.
“In the next few years, we aim to expand our presence across Europe,” Elsa said.
“We want to deepen our collaboration with the EIT Community to conduct research and accelerate our impact. We also hope to engage more with regulators to influence policies favouring durability and sustainability.”
The accurate measure of any initiative lies in its impact. Elsa explained that they are conducting an impact study on the manufacturer’s side.
“For example, in France, extending the lifespan of televisions by one year can have substantial environmental and economic benefits.”
While exact statistics are pending, the early signs look to be promising.
Elsa and Florent have come a long way from their initial idea. ‘Ethikis Ad Civis’ was coined by merging Latin and Greek words, meaning ethics for citizens.
“It reflects our mission to create practical tools by citizens for citizens, promoting ecological and social transition,” Elsa recalled.
Next steps: University partnerships
Before founding Ethikis Ad Civis, Elsa and Florent had diverse backgrounds. Florent worked as a nurse while Elsa was closing her previous company.
However, their shared vision of durable and sustainable products brought them together in 2017 to embark on this transformative journey.
While university partnerships haven’t been a primary focus, Elsa notes their collaboration with design and engineering schools in France.
They are also exploring potential collaborations with research institutions like the Fraunhofer Institute, recognising that university partnerships could be invaluable for their future growth.
In the world of sustainability, where lofty ideals often meet complex realities, Ethikis Ad Civis shines as a beacon of practicality and consumer empowerment.
Elsa, Florent, and their team are on a mission to transform the way consumers engage with products and how manufacturers embrace sustainable products.
Their European expansion, in collaboration with the EIT Community, promises to significantly impact product longevity and, consequently, the environment.
With a methodology grounded in pragmatism and a vision rooted in citizen empowerment, Ethikis Ad Civis is poised to lead us toward a more sustainable and durable future.
