Social Impact Heroes Helping Our Planet: Why & How Evoléna de Wilde d’Estmael Of Faircado Is Helping To Change Our World
An Interview With Martita Mestey
Always dare to step out of your comfort zone and take a chance, even if succeeding seems hard and unlikely. Most people are raised with the belief that “if xy were that easy, everyone would do it”. But as the majority thinks this way, and another significant percentage is busy protecting their ego from potential failure, the pool of people who actually try to reach for the stars is pretty small.
As a part of my series about “individuals and organizations making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Evoléna de Wilde d’Estmael, co-founder & CEO of Faircado.
Evolena is a climate activist and purpose-driven entrepreneur. She co-founded the Berlin-based, AI-powered second-hand shopping assistant Faircado and women empowerment non-profit consultancy Solidartsy. Evolena aims to accelerate the shift of our linear economy to a circular economy by making second-hand the first choice of every consumer. She is a member of the Greentech Alliance and Leader for Climate Action as well as an EU Climate Pact Ambassador. In 2022, she was included in the list of Top 100 Women in Social Enterprises.
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 little about how you grew up?
I grew up in a very socially active and politically engaged family. My parents pushed me to get cultivated, get creative, do what I like, have fun, be independent, be unafraid of taking risks and live by my values.
When I was 12, they showed me “An Inconvenient Truth,” a documentary about climate change by Al Gore, which was one of the first “aha” moments of my life. It was hard to realize that everything I thought would be there forever (nature, animals, people) was in danger. I was raised to take action and fight for what I believe is right. As the older sister of two brothers, the oldest cousin of a big family, and a Girl Scout, I was used to leading. So, I started rethinking my own habits first, before deciding to run for the kids’ city council to push for more action toward sustainability. I remained a student’s elected representative for most of my academic career, while volunteering for associations acting for climate preservation and social justice.
I became a climate activist because, growing up in the heart of the EU in Brussels, I had witnessed the power of lobbies, and I felt the need to use my skills to try and make a difference for more social and environmental justice. After taking an online class on social entrepreneurship and sustainability at MIT, I realized that I might actually have even more impact as an entrepreneur. I saw the spark that so many entrepreneurs have, and I knew there was even more potential to make a lasting difference.
I am also a feminist, because I deeply believe that somebody’s gender, sex, skin color, religion, or sexual orientation should not define their opportunities in life. The only thing that should matter is their drive, their ambition and how they work towards it, their integrity.
You are currently leading a social & climate 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?
We started working on Faircado mid-2021 with the aim to build the first AI-powered sustainable shopping assistant that automatically finds the second-hand alternative to what a user is searching for online.. A year later it was ready. Consumers can now find the best pre-owned options for what they are need with our browser plugin. We ended 2022 with 10 million products (electronics, books and fashion) gathered from 55 of the world’s biggest, coolest second-hand platforms around the world (like Vestiaire Collective, Back Market, eBay, etc.). Our mission is to accelerate the shift from our linear economy to a circular economy, and drastically reduce the waste we generate.
We live on a beautiful planet that we are currently ruining with our waste and overconsumption. Every second, 9,023 smartphones and the equivalent of a rubbish truck full of clothes are thrown away. We produce 100 billion garments every year, and 85% end up in landfills after just a few months.
And that’s not all: our economies are currently only 8.6% circular. That means more than 90% of the resources we extract are used only once and then wasted. This makes little sense when we know that today, we need about 1.75 planets to provide the resources for our consumption and absorb our waste. It is as if we’re living on credit, spending almost twice as much as we have and still wasting 90% of what we borrowed from the bank.
Can you tell us the backstory about what inspired you to originally feel passionate about this cause?
The idea of Faircado came up in 2020 when I moved to an unfurnished flat in Berlin. I spent hours searching for second-hand furniture and was totally frustrated by the process. There are around 70 different second-hand marketplaces in Germany alone, and no aggregator that could show all the available goods, so all I could do was scroll for hours and have 100 tabs open to compare options.
I could not believe that second-hand shopping was still so time-consuming and inconvenient. While discussing this struggle with my friend Ali Nezamolmaleki, now the co-founder and CTO of Faircado, we decided to do something to offer a real alternative to Amazon. Entrepreneurship is the best way I found to turn my energy into impactful change.
Believe it or not, I used to be a “shopaholic.” I initially turned to second-hand because it was a way to minimize the damage to the planet (and my wallet!). However, I can’t deny that it was much less convenient to shop second-hand when massive online marketplaces were just a click away. My dream with Faircado is to create something that could become a real alternative to e-commerce giants like Amazon or Zalando. To make second-hand the first choice of every consumer is not that hard, as the arguments of lower prices and more eco-friendly are already there, we just need to make it as easy and convenient as buying new. That’s where the AI and the browser plugin come into play.
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?
I would say it’s a lot about the inner drive. I quickly get bored and love new challenges. I also had an extremely supportive family growing up, and they instilled the idea that I could change the world with my actions from a young age. I know many people didn’t have that kind of family, but I still believe that surrounding yourself with the right people can be the catalyst you need to “pull the trigger” on your ideas.
For example, I would not be where I am today without Ali. He’s one of my best friends and biggest supporters. We take most of the important decisions regarding Faircado together, we laugh a lot and completely trust each other. I also have realized that getting support from professionals (life & career coaches, psychotherapists, etc.), so investing in myself really, was one of the best decisions I’ve made.
In general I think it’s important to remember that taking the first step is the hardest, but the most important thing you need to make a lasting change or bring your dream to life. Even a small step is enough to start the forward momentum required to pursue your passion. And then the key is to enjoy the ride, and not give up too quickly.
Many people don’t know the steps to take to start a new organization. What are some of the things or steps you took to get your project started?
In building a company, you rarely do the same thing twice. You constantly have to learn and evolve in a changing environment, to adapt and solve problems. I am stepping out of my comfort zone every day.
Ali and I designed Faircado pretty quickly; we thought it was most important to get the technology side of the idea functional as fast as we could start getting user feedback. It’s better to have something workable than something perfect in the beginning; you have to be able to put your idea in the hands of users so they can tell you what they like and what they don’t.
When we started, it was just Ali and me. Some people think you need a whole team to make an organization successful, but it’s better to have a small team who will work hard in the beginning, so you don’t waste time or money. We’ve grown to a group of 12 people since our launch, which is exciting progress for us.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company or organization?
One of the most interesting things that have happened since we launched Faircado is seeing just how on board with the idea everyone has been. I always thought that more people would want to contribute to sustainability by shopping second-hand if they could, and I have loved seeing that this was the case.
It has been said, that sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Do you have a story about a humorous mistake that you made when you were first starting and the lesson you learned from that?
I made a lot of mistakes! Hiring a person that’s not really a match because we didn’t really know what we needed, losing time applying for grants that we had very little chance to get, postponing a big decision to try and gather more data until missing the deadline… But those were small mistakes. On the big, important things, like which investors we get in, we really trust our instincts, on top of doing extensive research, and this has not failed us once.
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 am thankful for the support of our business angels and advisors, such as Lubomila Jordanova, Fridtjof Detzner, Alex Grots, Daniel Dippold, Xavier Sarras, Vera Baker, Monique Hoell, Emma Tracey, Vincent Gregoir and Alex Melzer. They’re amazing sparring partners, always available to answer urgent questions, brainstorm over lunch, make introductions, promote us here and there.
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?
I’m all about reducing CO2 and making consumption sustainable without spoiling the fun. Go for quality over quantity in general, buy pre-owned items and handle any kind of product with care, so it can be passed on to someone else when it doesn’t spark joy anymore. Use trains and public transportation over planes and cars when you can. Or go by bike, it’s better for the planet and for your own fitness! And try to reduce your meat consumption as much as possible. These are small changes that accumulate to a huge impact.
As for politics, I would really love to see more direct incentives to act sustainability in the future. All people — and companies — want to survive economically first and foremost. This is our basic instinct, now that there are no more saber-toothed tigers lurking around. Accordingly, politics should give us all financial incentives to act sustainably as well. For example, by taxing environmentally harmful goods and services more heavily while subsidizing sustainable alternatives.
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?
First, being wasteful is expensive. Integrating the principles of circular business models (using resources more effectively and efficiently, reducing waste, etc.) can save a lot of money. Secondly, sustainability is a megatrend that is increasingly gaining ground in society’s consciousness, especially among younger people, and influences their purchasing decisions. People are voting with their money more and more, so being environmentally conscious certainly helps profitability in that regard. And finally, unsustainable behavior is being taxed at an increasingly high rate. Most companies won’t be able to avoid acting sustainably if they want to survive in the long run.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
- Just do it. It really is as simple as it sounds. Many people spend their lives making plans, waiting for the „right moment“ to come — which ultimately never does. Just embrace the unknown and jump into the new. One step at a time. While remembering to have fun and not taking yourself too seriously if possible.
- Don’t be intimidated by big names and titles, those people also put on their trousers one leg at a time. This may sound insubordinate or disrespectful at first glance, but the message behind it is about self-efficacy. Instead of waiting for “one of the mighty” to do something, you might as well take on the challenges yourself. That’s why I’m here, doing what I do.
- Always dare to step out of your comfort zone and take a chance, even if succeeding seems hard and unlikely. Most people are raised with the belief that “if xy were that easy, everyone would do it”. But as the majority thinks this way, and another significant percentage is busy protecting their ego from potential failure, the pool of people who actually try to reach for the stars is pretty small.
- Cooperation > competition. That’s actually one I always knew, even though conservative economics tried to convince me otherwise. The prisoner’s dilemma is a good example for that: being selfish tends to be beneficial in the short term. But when everyone is selfish, in the long run everyone will suffer. If we as a society managed to internalize this collectively the world would be a very different place.
- The team is more important than the idea. At first, I thought that the perfect idea is what makes a company great. But the more I spoke to investors, the more I received the feedback that they would rather invest in a great team with a not-quite-perfect idea than the other way around. In the end, success depends very much on the people who take on the task. That’s why we pay a lot of attention to the people we hire and make part of our team.
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?
You could go make a career in a big, boring corporation and most likely become part of the problem… Or you could choose to help make our planet livable for your grand-children too, and become part of the solution against the environmental crisis. There are so many exciting challenges to tackle, so many opportunities to learn, grow, build things that really can make a difference, just find the one that really motivates you and go for it. You’ll have fun, fight for the right thing, and be proud to tell your story to your grand-children. Isn’t that the best feeling?
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“The comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there.”
It motivates me to keep on learning every single day and to be open to rethink everything I consider to be true at a given time. It‘s sometimes uncomfortable — but makes me learn and grow 10x faster.
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. 🙂
John Oliver. In his show “Last week tonight” he manages to point out social problems in a very humorous way without undermining the seriousness of the issues. Or AOC, I really admire her determination, integrity, great communication skills and motivation to get things moving for more climate and social justice.
How can our readers follow you online?
Sure, please follow me and Faircado on Linkedin. We also have Instagram and Twitter accounts.
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 Evoléna de Wilde d’Estmael Of Faircado Is… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.