Social Impact Heroes Helping Our Planet: Why & How Douglas Horne Of Evanesce Is Helping To Change Our World
An Interview With Martita Mestey
Surround yourself with good people.
As part of my series about “individuals and organizations making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Douglas Horne.
Douglas Horne is the Founder and CEO of Evanesce, a sustainable technology company headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia. As a serial entrepreneur, a politician, and a passionate advocate of sustainability, he has founded Evanesce with a mission to challenge the crisis of plastics. Mr. Horne is taking initiative to create a new eco-friendly future by delivering environmentally friendly foodware and packaging solutions that are 100% plant-based, fully compostable, and affordable.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?
Thank you for having me. I’ve lived in Vancouver, British Columbia my whole life and have been very involved in politics since a young age. I had the great experience of working as a political assistant for Canadian Parliament member John Fraser, who represented Vancouver South from 1972–1993. Working with him is one of the first things that sparked my passion for sustainability. Fraser helped North America immensely by tying his environmental passion into his work with sustainable and greenhouse gas projects. Overall, my early career in this field was just the start of my journey into entrepreneurial endeavors to drive social impact with sustainable initiatives.
In addition to my political background, I also worked in finance with a fund management company — which prepared me to understand the fundamentals of business.
You are currently leading a social impact organization that is making a difference for our planet. Can you tell us a bit about what you and your organization are trying to change in our world today?
The circular economy and creating business ventures geared towards sustainability has always been a passion of mine. It’s sadly to no surprise that the global packaging industry and in particular, the food service industry, is facing an environmental crisis stemming from alarming rates of single-use plastics. While these single-use products are cost-effective and convenient, they are a major threat to our environment, oceans, and the wildlife that inhabit them.
Most of the world’s population is unaware of the realities of the recycling industry considering less than five percent of plastics are recycled, leaving over eight million metric tons to seep into our oceans every year. I knew I wanted to be part of solving this problem. At Evanesce we believe packaging materials should start from the Earth and return to the Earth. By taking this true circular economy approach, we have designed and manufactured our patented sustainable packaging and foodware products that are not only 100% plant based and fully decompose in less than 90 days, but also are just as durable as traditional plastics.
We have a mission to revolutionize this industry and are passionate about inspiring change that contributes to a healthier planet for generations to come. Mass change cannot be achieved by just us, which is why I see other companies that are also making sustainable packaging and foodware as partners instead of competitors because we need to change the world together. This movement needs to be on a global scale.
Can you tell us the backstory about what inspired you to originally feel passionate about this cause?
As I mentioned previously, a big part of my background is in politics as I was also elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for the Canadian Province of British Columbia. I contributed to numerous roles including the involvement of projects that promoted long-term sustainability initiatives. A favorite project of mine was helping to complete the Evergreen rapid transit line which connects regional centers in British Columbia with rapid transit to achieve sustainable growth.
Along with my background in politics and entrepreneurship, I have always been an environmental advocate. Climate change is on the forefront of consumer’s minds and businesses are finally taking strides to participate in more eco-friendly initiatives. Others still are not doing enough. So, I thought, what is one of the biggest problems harming our planet? Plastics. With only a small percent of plastics recycled, it leaves the rest to sit in our landfills, oceans, and harming our planet for centuries, which is why I started Evanesce. We not only create sustainable solutions with our plant based and fully compostable food packaging but it’s also as affordable and durable as traditional plastic which really stands out against other packaging companies that deem themselves “sustainable”.
Many of us have ideas, dreams, and passions, but never manifest them. They don’t get up and just do it. But you did. Was there an “Aha Moment” that made you decide that you were actually going to step up and do it? What was that final trigger?
As I mentioned, I’ve always been a passionate advocate towards sustainable initiatives on a large scale. That “aha moment” came from the accumulation of overwhelming statistics of all the harm single-use plastics are contributing to the one planet we have to call home. Between Americans alone using 500 million straws a day, to recycling infrastructure making false claims, there needs to be widespread change. Composting offers a superior solution to replacing these single-use products that everyone is so familiar with. In a perfect world, nothing should have to end up in a landfill, but sadly many areas are not taking these composting initiatives yet. Until then, we can do our part by utilizing agricultural waste to create high-quality foodware and packaging that can fully decompose. This alternative has never been available before.
Reusable isn’t realistic and frankly recycling doesn’t work. Our company even uses the hashtag “#DirtToDirt” because we believe that packaging and single-use items should start from the Earth and return to the Earth creating a true circular economy approach.
Many people don’t know the steps to take to start a new organization. But you did. What are some of the things or steps you took to get your project started?
I have been in finance for a long time, which has made me realize that most people don’t do well setting their business up for the future. What’s important to investors, especially if you’re starting out, is to make sure you’re not trying to play catch-up. You must be transparent with every aspect of your business — asking questions, taking advice, and always making sure that you are not doing more than you can handle. Take initiative to share crucial points such as the structure that you chose for your company and where you incorporate ideas. All these little things are the most important aspects in a successful long-term business. Additionally, the smaller aspects of transparency matter just as much if not more than the larger issues. The things that may seem obvious, commonly become overlooked — for example, things such as your tax ID, your marketing tactics, and being fully committed and passionate about what you’re doing all the time.
I set up Evanesce to acquire new technology and gained a team of new investors to take part in this journey to help me get started on a company with a real mission for social and environmental impact. Over time, with the development of Evanesce, having a strong foundation, and raising almost 30$M to date, I realized that the real key to success is the people you bring in around you. Being able to attract these great people that share your passion is what makes the company strong. In order to replicate success, it requires a combination of great people and a passion to make the world a better place. A lot of people will give advice, but few people take the steps to start that big business. Overall, it takes a lot of wishful thinking with a combination of a positive vision to reach that end goal.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company or organization?
Every successful business has a series of mishaps. However, the true test for leading a company is that you’re measured by how you handle and resolve these inevitable setbacks. A few interesting stories to touch on that relate to handling these difficulties is a time when Evanesce had almost no funding at all, which all entrepreneurs face at one point in their venture. Thankfully to date we’ve raised almost $30M, and have a full team of partners, employees, and investors that I’m glad to have as a part of this journey. Another treacherous time was when a company tried to take our patented technology from us, but we moved forward and tackled that issue effectively. Finally, at the beginning stages of Evanesce I dealt with a health issue which required me to step away from work temporarily. During that time, friends and members of my management team really stepped up to help.
A takeaway of these interesting stories and setbacks is that regardless the size of the business there will always be issues you runs into. Going back to the previous question, a big way to pick yourself up and move forward is to surround yourself with good people who want to see you succeed.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson or take away you learned from that?
As Evanesce began growing, we needed to expand locations into the US. Our first new facility was in Las Vegas. When we were looking for this new building, we felt pretty sure we had enough power to make sure everything could run soundly — but it turned out we didn’t have nearly enough.
So, I had to have a conversation with the energy company who was working with us to ask for more power. You’d think they’d be excited about scoring more business, but their answer was, ‘We don’t have any more.’
I thought to myself, “how can an energy company run out of power?” After all we were in Vegas, famous for its bright lights! But it turned out it was a mistake on our part. We did eventually get everything up and running to fulfill the rest of the building’s power needs for all our technology and equipment. What I took away from this was that understanding the technical requirements of your business are just as important as the main fundamentals — and to not make assumptions that every aspect can run smoothly.
None of us can be successful without some help along the way. Did you have mentors or cheerleaders who helped you to succeed? Can you tell us a story about their influence?
I have several big supporters in my life that have helped me succeed along the way. Someone I consider an impactful mentor is one of my shareholders who has been enthusiastic about Evanesce from the beginning. I’m a strong believer that having genuine people and good advice around you constantly is what makes you truly successful. Another person in my life who was always supportive was one of my oldest friends who helped me get this journey started. There’s not any one individual who can make things happen for you. But it’s important to draw on the experience of others in your career and personal life. It will help you implement new perspectives along your own journey, and I believe that listening and giving advice is an amazing way to grow in both your personal and business lives.
Especially listening to younger people’s perspectives because they have such a fresh and unique view of the world that is so important to value.
Are there three things the community, society, or politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
- First, I believe that the change begins with each one of us. If every person chose to eliminate certain elements of single-use plastics or polystyrene (Styrofoam) in their everyday lives than it would eventually accumulate to create real change in our communities. A big plus about compostable foodware is that we don’t have to be stuck guessing anymore which items go into which bin when the decision can be made simple.
- As a society, this ties into my first example where these eco-friendly changes need to begin with each individual in this plant-based revolution of sustainable packaging. We can create real change. Not just with eliminating single-use plastics but also choosing to implement more eco-friendly practices into your life such as riding your bike to work, thrifting your clothes, or bringing reusable bags to the grocery store.
- Politically, by implementing legislation such as the Zero Food Waste Act and the Cultivating Organic Matter through the Promotion of Techniques (COMPOST) Act, these represent a start which is important. In the US alone, nearly half of our food is wasted, translating to about $408 billion spent on growing, processing, and disposing of food that is never consumed. If politicians can enact these bills effectively, it can lead to real change within communities everywhere to implement effective composting initiatives.
How would you articulate how a business can become more profitable by being more sustainable and more environmentally conscious? Can you share a story or example?
Transparency is everything, especially with these giant companies making constant greenwashing claims. Greenwashing is a common marketing tactic used to deceive consumers into believing that a company’s products or services are environmentally friendly. I’ve seen countless times how smaller companies who are truly sustainable are receiving this collateral damage from these greenwashing giants who say they are doing good but in reality, are making no real change. If a business wants to become truly sustainable to revolutionize both their environmental and economic goals, they need to be crystal clear with their customers on how their company is making environmental impact — and take real action to make those changes.
An example is the Allbirds greenwashing scandal where celebrity-endorsed, billion-dollar sneaker company exaggerated their “sustainable” marketing tactics just to appeal a younger demographic of eco-conscious consumers. Thanks to our digital age, that increased public attention led to increased public scrutiny. Scandals not only tarnish the image of companies that are trying to create real sustainable change but also hurt the trust of the consumer as well. I will always stand by the value of transparency, both internally with my team in addition to the consumer as well.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
- Surround yourself with good people.
- Set obtainable goals and finance the company around those goals.
- Many government programs out there can help your business but there are a lot of strings attached. So be weary and weigh your options to avoid any mishaps.
- Making sure you get advice from people who are successful both in your industry and in your life.
- When you raise money from other people, treat it like it’s your own and use it wisely.
If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?
Creating real change, begins with you. In today’s world it’s so easy to get stressed and caught up in the feeling that you’re not doing enough to make a positive impact on the environment. It’s so common that people often look for a one size fits all solution to helping the environment when that’s not the case, because incremental changes can make a big difference. In a perfect world it would be great to have everyone live a sustainable lifestyle, but it’s not possible. Change happens when everyone can make small changes in their lives that contribute to a healthier planet. Because if majority of people make minor changes such as cutting down on plastic use, using reusable bags at the grocery store, or carpooling with a friend, it can come together to make a huge difference.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
One of my favorite life lesson quotes is “when there’s a will there’s a way.” If you can envision it, you can make it happen.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
If I had to choose, I would say Leonardo DiCaprio since he has been a passionate environmental advocate for much of his career. For example, in 1990 he established a foundation with missions to protect biodiversity and endangered habitats, made efforts to conserve our oceans and forests, and overall working towards fighting climate change. His foundation supports over 30 innovative conservation projects around the world to protect these endangered ecosystems and species. Overall, I think it’s important when people such as celebrities use their fame to create real change.
How can our readers follow you online?
Readers can find Evanesce on our website, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter.
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
Social Impact Heroes Helping Our Planet: Why & How Douglas Horne Of Evanesce Is Helping To Change… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.