Gideon Harpantides

storgaeladde

What Do Organizations Have Lying Around Collecting Dust?

Insights from the Reboot Sustainability Fair We’ve all been there—walking through the office and spotting items collecting dust on shelves, buried in cupboards, or stashed in storage spaces. The problem? No one knows about these items, their condition, or who’s responsible for them. Current resource management tools fall short. While they might tell you an item exists somewhere in your office, they often leave critical questions unanswered: With these unknowns, it’s often easier just to buy something new. Common Challenges We Heard at the Reboot Fair At the Reboot B2B Sustainability Fair in Odense, we asked visitors:“What are the items you’ve spotted collecting dust at your workspace?” The responses were strikingly similar across companies: Upon further discussion, a shared challenge emerged: unused items are often either discarded as waste or tucked away into storage—hidden from everyone except the handful of people managing company resources. Making Unused Items Visible What if, instead of letting unused items disappear into storage or landfills, they were actively made visible and available to the entire company? Items can only be utilized if: Some companies attempt to address this through intranet systems, but without a cultural shift, these solutions often go underutilized. Circularity Requires a Change in Mindset Building a circular culture demands more than just tools—it requires front runners willing to champion change. While companies often focus on saving money during procurement, they overlook the massive savings potential in utilizing what they already own. For example, reusing existing office equipment could reduce purchasing costs by 20-30% annually (source: Accenture, Waste to Wealth). The Opportunity in Circular Resource Management By creating a streamlined, user-friendly process for redistributing or borrowing unused items, organizations can unlock significant opportunities: The Future Is Circular At WeUse, we believe the foundation of circularity lies in visibility and convenience. By enabling a culture of sharing, borrowing, and reusing, we help organizations realize the untapped potential in what they already own. So, the next time you’re about to buy something new, ask yourself:Could the solution already be hiding in your own workspace? Let’s work together to shift from “buying new” to reusing smartly, building a more sustainable, cost-effective future for your organization.

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The Hidden Cost of Unused Resources: Unlocking value through effective asset management

In today’s business environment, many organizations face the ongoing challenge of managing their physical assets efficiently. A problem we discovered during recent interviews with Danish companies is the issue of hidden or “lost” resources—items that are stored away, rarely used, and frequently forgotten. These assets, which can include everything from office furniture to specialized equipment, represent a significant and often overlooked cost. The failure to effectively manage these resources can lead to unnecessary expenditures, operational inefficiencies, and missed opportunities for promoting sustainability. The Problem of Hidden Resources Over time, organizations tend to accumulate a vast number of assets through purchases, upgrades, or expansions. However, these assets often end up scattered across various departments and storage locations, with knowledge of their existence limited to a few individuals. As organizational knowledge shifts due to staff changes or restructuring, these resources can become forgotten, essentially becoming lost. This leads to a situation where employees, unaware of the existing resources, request new purchases—adding to the already underutilized stockpile. This scenario presents several challenges: Financial Waste: Continuously purchasing new items instead of utilizing existing ones leads to unnecessary financial waste. Moreover, the need to expand storage for new items, adds to the economic waste. Operational Inefficiencies: When employees cannot easily locate necessary resources, processes slow down, creating inefficiencies. The time spent searching for or requesting new items also drains organizational resources. When the item is located and then borrowed, the overview of who has what is often lost. Environmental Impact: The constant purchase of new items, when usable resources already exist, contributes to environmental harm. This practice increases waste, consumes more raw materials, and enlarges the organization’s carbon footprint. The Importance of Effective Asset Management To address these challenges, companies must reevaluate how they manage their physical assets. Effective asset management is not just about maintaining a record of what exists; it’s about actively ensuring that all resources are fully utilized. Key strategies include: Exploring Asset Management Practices: Join Our Research Study As part of our commitment to understanding and improving asset management, we are conducting a research study to explore how companies track and manage their assets. This study aims to uncover best practices, identify common challenges, and gather insights on how businesses are preparing for future demands, including sustainability requirements. We are currently seeking participants to contribute to this research. By participating, your organization can gain valuable insights into your own asset management practices and help shape future solutions that benefit the wider business community. Looking Ahead: The Future of Asset Management As businesses face growing pressure to operate more efficiently and sustainably, effective asset management will become increasingly vital. Organizations that prioritize transparency, resource optimization, and sustainability in their asset management strategies will not only reduce costs but also improve operational efficiency and contribute to environmental goals. By shedding light on hidden resources and embracing more effective asset management practices, companies can unlock significant value—both financially and environmentally. If your organization is interested in optimizing asset management or participating in our research study, we would love to hear from you. Together, we can explore how to turn lost assets into opportunities for growth and sustainability.

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entertainment category

Unlock the Power of Sharing: What to Share on WeUse

Are you one of those who think they have nothing to share? Think again! WeUse is not just about sharing physical items; it’s about building a community where you can conveniently access items from people you trust and share the cost and space of owning them. Creating an Item Pool One of the misconceptions about sharing platforms like WeUse is that you need to own a lot of stuff to participate. But the beauty of WeUse lies in its ability to create an item pool within your community. When everyone contributes, you can suddenly access over 100 items. Additionally, you can also create a “need,” signaling your community that you require something specific. We’ll notify your community, and they might be able to help by uploading the item. This means you don’t need to own everything yourself; you can share resources and access what you need when you need it. Convenient Access Imagine needing a tool for a DIY project or a game for a family game night. Instead of rushing to the store or awkwardly asking to borrow, you can simply check your WeUse community. With items conveniently located within your network, you can easily borrow or lend items without the hassle of travel or long waits. For example, by borrowing from a neighbor or colleague, the item will be either nearby or available for handover the next day at work. Sharing the Cost and Space By sharing items on WeUse, you not only share the cost but also the space they occupy. This is particularly beneficial for items that are not frequently used, such as power tools, board games, or leisure equipment. Instead of cluttering your space with rarely used items, you can share them and free up valuable space in your home or garage. A Power Drill, for example, is only used on average 12 minutes in its lifetime, indicating that many items are underutilized and dispensed, not due to overuse, but because they’ve been lying around collecting dust. Most Popular Items on WeUse Wondering what kinds of items are popular on WeUse? Tools top the list, followed by board games and leisure equipment. And here’s the best part: 90% of the items on WeUse are offered for free to lend. So whether you need a hammer, a Monopoly set, or a pair of rollerblades, chances are you’ll find them in your WeUse community. Inspiration for What to Upload Still not sure what to share on WeUse? Here are some ideas to get you started: Conclusion Don’t underestimate the power of sharing. With WeUse, you can build a vibrant community where you can conveniently access a wide range of items from people you trust. So go ahead, start sharing, and unlock the potential of collaborative consumption! Make the first step to your community item pool by uploading something. Set an example, and others will follow.

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Sharing a board game

How to get your sharing community started

So, you’ve decided to embrace the power of sharing and start your own community on WeUse. Congratulations! But where do you begin? Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered. Follow these simple steps to get your sharing community up and running: 1. Define Your Community Before diving in, think about who you want to share with. Is it your neighbours, colleagues, friends from your sports club, or maybe your extended family? Once you’ve decided, the first step is to download the WeUse app from either the App Store or Google Play Store. 2. Set Up Your Account and Community Once you’ve downloaded the app, it’s time to set up your account and create your community. Choose a catchy name and a secure community code (min 8 characters, and just don’t use your password!) to get started. Then, create your personal account, upload a profile picture to add some personality, and verify your account via the link sent to your email (don’t forget to check your spam folder! Especially if you have a Hotmail or outlook mail.). Your account will automatically be linked to your community. 3. Invite Your Community Members Now that your community is set up, it’s time to invite your fellow members. Whether it’s friends, neighbours, or colleagues, invite them to join your community by sharing the community code. You can easily do this by navigating to your profile, selecting “Community,” clicking on the “share” button and sharing the code via WhatsApp, Messenger, or email. Feel free to customize your message to motivate your peers to join. 4. Make Your Community Come to Life As a community leader, take the initiative to upload 10-20 items that you are willing to share. You don’t have to go out and dig up the entire garage, just sit on the couch and post the items you know you have that other should be able to borrow. Whether it’s board games, tools or other items, showing what you have to offer will inspire others to do the same. A picture always helps, but can also be added along the way by going to “Profile”, My Items, select the item you want to add a picture to and hit “edit”. Add a picture when there is someone who wants to borrow the item, it will have to be found anyway.  This will help kickstart your community and encourage others to follow your example. 5. Build new habits It’s hard to change habits but try to make a mental note every time you need something to check WeUse first and make a request for what you need. If it’s something you only need a few times, it makes sense to borrow it from someone else. By requesting it, they may be the first to realize that they have the item and you can borrow it. 6. Start Sharing! With your community up and running, it’s time to start sharing. Browse the available items in your community and request anything you’d like to borrow. Or if you need something specific, create a “need” and encourage others to upload it to help you out. 7. Keep WeUse current When you buy something new, put it on WeUse right away, the app lets others know that something new has been added to the app, which can create curiosity and help them share more. Talk about WeUse when you meet others and tell them they are welcome to join the community or create their own. It will soon be possible to join more communities, so you can create another community with just them.

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Emil in a panel

2024: A Year of Change for Sustainability: Insights from Miljøministeriet Event

In a recent session hosted by Miljøministeriet and Miljøstyrelsen, our CEO Emil took part in a discourse that delved beyond waste sorting, focusing intensely on the necessity of establishing concrete goals and the need for tools for waste prevention. These discussions strike at the core of WeUse’s mission. Philosophy in Action: At WeUse, we stand firm on the principle that “Things are made to be used.” It’s not just a mantra; it’s our guiding principle, propelling us toward a more sustainable future. Sharing resources actively contributes to waste prevention. Overconsumption, identified as the biggest threat to sustainability by The World Economic Forum (2022), is addressed by encouraging the full utilization of items before they become redundant. We see our role as a provider of a practical solution, offering a platform for individuals and communities to share possessions, emphasizing the essence of “use” over “discard.” The Carbon Dilemma: Charlotte Louise Jensen’s revelation from CONCITO hit hard – the average Dane emits a staggering 13 tons of CO2 yearly. Even with conscientious lifestyle choices, such as collective living, veganism, electric vehicles, and second-hand shopping, we’d still be contributing 8.7 tons per person. Our collective goal? A mere 3 tons. In Denmark alone, there are more than 20 billion DKK worth of functional resources lying in garages and basements, mostly unused. Despite this, the pattern of buying things that are rarely used persists. SDG 12: “Responsible consumption and production” is, according to the UN, Denmark’s worst SDG performance. A power drill is, for example, on average, only used for 12 minutes in its lifetime. This clearly shows the need for action and impact education, but also the potential to support change in communities. A Daunting Path Ahead: While the journey might seem overwhelming, hope lies in witnessing dedicated individuals working on innovative solutions. Marked as a year of transformative changes, 2024 emerged prominently in yesterday’s discussions. It’s a collective call to action, reminding each of us of our pivotal role. As we navigate the complexities of carbon emissions, let’s remember that change begins with us. In 2024, let’s collectively strive toward that 3-ton goal.

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We would love to welcome your company!

We would love to welcome your company!

We would love to welcome your company!

Vi vil elske at byde din virksomhed velkommen!

Vi vil elske at byde din virksomhed velkommen!

Vi vil elske at byde din virksomhed velkommen!