Ben Patten, Dizzie: “Making closed loop grocery shopping a reality"
Ben Patten CEO and Co-founder of Dizzie (formerly Good Club).
Plastic packaging used for groceries are estimated to account for more CO2 by 2050 than all of the current aviation combined. Dizzie want to reduce this packaging waste by making their reusable packaging desirable and accessible for all.
1. Describe your start-up in two sentences
Dizzie is tackling the problem of packaging waste in groceries by making reusable packaging desirable and accessible for shoppers, brands, and retailers.
2. What gave you the inspiration?
I ran an event in the 2000’s called Green Mondays, which explored sustainable strategies for corporations. We visited the theme of circular business models a few times, and Michael Braungart and William McDonough’s seminal book, Cradle to Cradle, provided such a compelling vision. William spoke at one event and since reading that book, I have always wanted to work on a closed loop model.
At Dizzie it was our early customers that led the way – we started the business working on making sustainably produced groceries more accessible, but the overwhelming feedback was to solve the problem of packaging waste. We spent a lot of time then considering the best way to address this problem – exploring different packaging materials, life cycle analysis studies, interviews, different approaches, prototypes – before deciding on reusable packaging.
3. How did you meet?
Danny and I met working on another sustainability platform – allowing corporations to share their experience of deploying renewable and co2e reducing energy investments. Danny was able to help me articulate the vision for the digital product. And he was great to work with: an amazing work ethic, quality levels and ability to build easy-to-use products.
4. What has been your greatest success to date? And your greatest challenge?
Our ability to get things done and do them well, under constant pressure. A few specific highlights:
Making closed loop grocery shopping a reality: designing all steps in an efficient and convenient system for reusable packaging from a blank canvas.
The fact we’ve sold more groceries in reusable packaging than anyone else.
Partnering with retailers: we went live in June with Milk & More, who make 1 million deliveries a week. Two more retailers will be live in the next quarter, with conversations up and running with bigger retailers.
Shifting the economics: we’ve already improved the margin by 22 percentage points since Jan 2021, with many more gains soon to come.
New packaging: Made from renewable materials, they can go through >200 reuse cycles and can be repurposed at their end of life for … making more of our reusable, food grade packaging. The packaging also has specific features (e.g. it’s stackable) that makes the process of reuse more efficient and more convenient for households.
Pioneering a digital infrastructure for reusable packaging: others talk about this, but we have a system up and running to track all our packaging. We will soon know what each packaging asset has had in it, how many times it has been used, who has used it, how long they held it. It means we can do cool things, like let someone know when a product’s about to go out of date or send them a reminder to return packaging.
The ultimate challenge is helping reusable packaging reach cost parity with single use packaging. We can see a way there!
5. What kind of impact is Dizzie having and how do you measure it?
Our main measure is plastic packaging waste saved, but we are also focused on ensuring the carbon impact is lower.
800,844 pieces of plastic saved
130,036 kg’s of co2e saved
For every item that a customer purchases from our reusables range, the use of single use (usually plastic) packaging is prevented. This also prevents the impact that that single use packaging will go on to have on our environment, whether that be through plastic leakage into the ocean, burning of plastic and the creation of harmful fumes or the resources required to recycle an item after just one use.
We are also working on a number of other sustainability objectives, environmental and social. Some examples of both:
Environmental
Net Zero: We have put together an emissions report for 2021and are working towards net zero by 2025
We offset carbon through tree planting (for the future) and carbon removal or replacement projects (in the current) through our work with Ecologi.
Systems for recording and improving:
Waste Management
Resource Efficiency
Sustainable supply chain
Social:
Fair pay
Equal opportunity employer
Our Business Conduct Policy
We also have specific principles for Our Buying Policy, Supplier Policy, Recruitment Policy
6. How has Covid affected your business?
Not too much. It forced our hand at times, but generally it’s not been a huge factor in our strategic thinking.
7. When you were little what did you want to be when you grew up?
Film Director.
8. If you weren’t doing this, what would be your plan B?
Anything related to the environmental crises we face and building a sustainable and regenerative economy. For me, food and the food industry are my main driving passions. Without climate and ecosystem solutions nothing else will work.
9. What would you save in a fire?
The things my family have made for one another - paintings, pottery, and poems.
10. Who is your role model/ greatest influence? And why?
Two people, not very original!
Greta Thunberg is the greatest role model in the climate and environment, cutting through the noise to keep reminding us of the stark reality of the danger we face.
Elon Musk has done something we aspire to play a tole in - changing the course of an industry to adopt a more sustainable system - and doing it by creating a better alternative. Though he’s recently been trading in some (most?) of his moral authority.
11. What is your happy track?
The Beatles - In My Life
12. What’s your motto?
Keep on trucking! (AKA Never give up!)
13. What are you most looking forward to in 2022?
Seeing our reusable packaging being used by a few more retailers in the coming weeks and months