Strategic and Responsible innovation
Two cases of startup providing innovations for the greater good I present here two innovations proposed by startups : Agricool and Smart & Blue. If these two innovations allow to save water, they bring much more benefits… The first firm will make you taste the best strawberries, growing in the center of your town. The second one will make you change the way you take a shower. Discover together these newborn ideas.
Table of contents Producing high-quality strawberries near the point of consumption
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Positive impacts and improvements
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Limiting the consumption of the resources Developing urban farming Recycling High Quality of the production No air pollution Human development Respecting the Nature Areas for improvement
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About the company
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Halving the water consumption by taking a “smart” shower
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Positive impacts and improvements Limiting the consumption of the resources Facilitating the changing in human behavior Reducing the pollution of the water Monitor the progress Using stakeholders to spread the awareness of water consumption Areas for improvement
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About the company
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Sperandio Mallory / Mail :
[email protected] / +33 6 31 60 90 93 / p. 1
Strawberry in the city
Production of strawberries in a container by Agricool
Producing high-quality strawberries near the point of consumption
The founders of Agricool are two farmers’ sons. When few years ago they moved to Paris, they felt frustrated not being able to feed with high quality fruits and vegetables. The reason why strawberries, for example, are not tasty is that they have to travel on average 1,500km1, coming from Spain or Marocco2 for example. In 20153, they started to think about a solution to produce and provide high-quality strawberries, in town. After several trials, they find the solution : they will using old shipping containers, and recycle in converting them in city farms4. To take up the challenge, they use two techniques5 coming from urban agriculture : aeroponics6 - soilless cultivation, that consists in using the mist to deliver nutrients and water to the plants - and vertical farming - several stages arranged one on top of the other. The innovation consists in using a connected container, combining the most effective techniques of the urban agriculture and the technology, to control the environment of production and to maximize the use of the available urban area. Thanks to this innovation, they bring, in the center of a city, an entirely self-managed container able to produce up to seven tons of strawberries per year. In the container, about 3,500 strawberry plants are arranged on racks : it represents, with these high efficiency production techniques, the equivalent of 4,000 sqm field grown strawberries. The light of https://www.politis.fr/articles/2008/04/fraises-espagnoles-un-bilan-ecologique-et-social-catastrophi que-3538/ 2 https://www.wedemain.fr/Pour-cultiver-des-fraises-en-ville-ils-transforment-des-containers-en-par adis-pour-fruits_a2627.html 3 https://agricool.co/notre-histoire/ 4 https://en.agricool.co/wp-content/themes/agricool/assets/videos/agricool.mp4 https://youtu.be/qv20DFolPdg 5 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agricool 6 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aéroponie 1
Sperandio Mallory / Mail :
[email protected] / +33 6 31 60 90 93 / p. 2
the sun is replaced by LED lamps. The pollination is made by bumblebees7 living in hives inside the container.
Positive impacts and improvements
Limiting the consumption of the resources ● Low use of water8 (ten times less than traditional farming) : using the aeroponics techniques in the container, they create a closed circuit with no pollution by pesticides, and no loss of water. ● Low use of electricity, coming from renewable energy (use of photovoltaics9 panels and partnership with Enercoop10); The temperature of the air is optimised : the air is colder by night. Developing urban farming ● Using the brand of Agricool to promote the techniques of urban farming, especially aeroponics ● Vertical farming : optimization of the available area in town ● No use of arable land, still decreasing in the rural areas Recycling ● Recycling of a shipping container ● Recycling of the unused water (closed circuit) High Quality of the production ● The air is filtered and renewed : no risk of the air from the inside being polluted from the outside. ● The strawberry plants are not Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) : the plants are selected first for their taste qualities. ● No use of pesticides : no threatens from the outside (air quality control) No air pollution ● No transport (almost none) : local production, possibility to develop urban farming in big cities11 or in low water resources countries (Africa for example12). Human development ● Creation of sustainable jobs, probably thousands, soon in any city of the world. The cooltivateurs13 can lease “cooltainers” to produce and sell strawberries. With three containers you can make a living. Respecting the Nature ● Pollination by bumblebees ● No GMO Areas for improvement ● The nutrients have a synthetic origins : they probably come from a polluting industry. ● The bumblebees will accomplish their duty, living probably their entire life in the container. https://youtu.be/gjOITwPwoCY
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https://www.consoglobe.com/paris-fraises-cg https://lexpansion.lexpress.fr/entreprises/agricool-les-aventuriers-de-l-agriculture-urbaine_1940915 .html 10 https://www.consoglobe.com/paris-fraises-cg ; http://www.enercoop.fr/ 11 https://www.lesechos.fr/11/07/2017/LesEchos/22484-087-ECH_agricool-bascule-en-mode-produc tion.htm#xtor=RSS-38 12 http://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/sia-2016-une-start-met-au-point-la-fraise-des-quatre-saisonsecologique-et-de-proximite-940092.html 13 https://agricool.co/est-ce-facile-de-devenir-cooltivateur/ 8 9
Sperandio Mallory / Mail :
[email protected] / +33 6 31 60 90 93 / p. 3
About the company
The firm is a startup created in 2015 and is now located in a 1,500 sqm office in La Courneuve14. Using fund-raising, with high level investors, it developed and now counts thirty seven people, including the founders15. Currently, the company develops containers for the production of strawberries, but the reason the company exists is to provide any fruit and vegetable in the city, with the same objectives : no pesticide, no GMO, no transport, low resources consumption, a very good taste, excellent nutritional qualities... all that creating thousands jobs through the world. The objective is to bring in France 100 containers in 201716 and to start the culture of other fruits and vegetables. The style of leadership is typical of the french startup mindset : open-minded, demanding and futuristic, as a summary of their four key values17. They consider that they are “on a mission” and that they have to “shake certitudes” through excelsior and legitimacy.
https://www.fusacq.com/buzz/agricool-leve-4-m-pour-revolutionner-l-agriculture-a130162.html
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https://agricool.co/equipe/
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http://agriculture.gouv.fr/agricool-des-fraises-100-parisiennes https://en.agricool.co/team/
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Sperandio Mallory / Mail :
[email protected] / +33 6 31 60 90 93 / p. 4
Close the tap, you are in the red zone! Hydrao First, the coach for a smart shower by Smart & Blue
Halving the water consumption by taking a “smart” shower
To reduce the consumption of water in the bathroom, we gradually replaced the bath by the shower. But we can go further, and we have to reduce the volume of water that we use, taking shower in another way. This is not easy, that is why we need some help. Smart & Blue is a startup from Grenoble, in France. It offers connected objects dedicated to smart water management18. His founder created Hydrao First, a smart showerhead19 which indicates to the user how much water is left before reaching the limit volume of water supposed to be used for the shower. On average, 80 liters are used : Smart & Blue proposes to divide this quantity by two. This showerhead is lit with a colour20, that changes as the consumption of water evolves. Up to ten liters, it lights up, with a green light; from ten to twenty liters, it turns blue, then pink from twenty to thirty liters; and from thirty liters to the end, the light is orange. The design of the showerhead21 is based on the Nudge Theory22, that consists in using positive reinforcements23 (or incentives) to improve a behavior. As we know, it is often difficult to change our behavior, and to succeed we have to repeat the good action on the long term, in a way to change our neuronal connections. With the help of Hydrao First24, the user can create, and learn, a new strategy to take a shower using less water. That may include, for example : using less soap, to reduce the quantity of foam; not uselessly letting the water running… That way, if the product works perfectly, you may no longer need it. We may assume that if you go to the hotel and take a shower without Hydrao, you will probably take a smart shower and consume less water than before. https://www.usine-digitale.fr/annuaire-start-up/smart-blue,527089 https://www.hydrao.fr/en/ 20 https://youtu.be/dijY3WBWXlM 21 https://www.hbrfrance.fr/chroniques-experts/2017/08/16482-nudges-service-de-conduite-changem ent/ 22 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nudge_theory 23 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reinforcement#Positive_reinforcement 24 https://fundtruck.com/hydrao/ 18 19
Sperandio Mallory / Mail :
[email protected] / +33 6 31 60 90 93 / p. 5
This object is also smart because it is a connected device : using the mobile application, you can customize the amount of water you want to spend for each user of the shower (for example, a long-hair people can be authorized to consume more water). Furthermore, Hydrao is a sustainable device based on water-powered energy-harvesting25, using the rotation of the wheel (see brown wheel on the photo below). That is why there is no need for electric power and no plugging. The connection to the network is made by bluetooth (low-power technology).
Positive impacts and improvements
Limiting the consumption of the resources ● Entirely energy self-sufficient : the product includes its own power generation. ● Created to limit the consumption of water used for shower Facilitating the changing in human behavior ● Easy to use (“plug and play”) ● Not very expensive (90€26)and quick return on investment (“With HYDRAO you will save water AND money! For a family of 4, your payback is in mere months”27). ● Using the “nudge” for soft and long-term changing Reducing the pollution of the water ● Reducing the quantity of waste water - includes also reduction of the wastewater treatment Monitor the progress ● The mobile app allows to program the fair amount of water to consume, and also to monitor the progress made by the users. Using stakeholders to spread the awareness of water consumption ● This product is sold in big DIY stores, but the company also develops with social landlords and water utilities, providing thousands of devices in flats28. That means that even people who are not interested in sustainable development or money savings may use this device and adopt a new behaviour in the shower. https://pro.hydrao.com/ https://www.leroymerlin.fr/v3/p/produits/pommeau-de-douche-1-jet-avec-enceinte-connectee-hyd rao-first-e1500805302 27 https://www.hydrao.fr/ 28 http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/smart-showers-to-be-fitted-in-10000-bto-flats-from-next-y ear 25 26
Sperandio Mallory / Mail :
[email protected] / +33 6 31 60 90 93 / p. 6
Areas for improvement They concern mainly the use of the materials, and as a manufactured good, the transport. ● Materials : The showerhead is made with ABS29 (Acrylnitrile-Butadiene-Styrene) which is a thermoplastic polymer. Of course the production of plastic is pollutant, but ABS can be recycled. The top coat is made with chrome and small barbs are made with silicone, also very pollutant materials. ● Transport : ABS comes from China30, electronics are made in Isère and the products are assembled in the North of France.
About the company
The company Smart & Blue was founded near Grenoble in 201531 by Gabriel Della-Monica. Formerly a telecom engineer in the space industry32, this father of four girls is concerned about the consumption of water during their showers. Gabriel decides to take action to reduce his water bill and launches Hydrao connected shower head to control his water consumption during the shower. The turnover of Smart & Blue was €200,000 in 201633 (about 5,000 products were sold, mostly by DIY companies). It counts nine employees. The company aims at providing smart solutions for water conservation and management. It started in 2017 its international development and is currently developing other smart solutions for water conservation.34 The solution Hydrao has won three CES Innovation Awards (2016/7) and Waterwise UK Water Efficiency Product Awards (2017)35.
https://www.leroymerlin.fr/v3/p/produits/pommeau-de-douche-1-jet-avec-enceinte-connectee-hyd rao-first-e1500805302# 30 http://www.bpifrance.fr/A-la-une/Actualites/Une-start-up-iseroise-met-au-point-Hydrao-une-douc he-intelligente-22240 31 https://www.societe.com/societe/smart-and-blue-814127148.html 32 https://www.usine-digitale.fr/annuaire-start-up/smart-blue,527089 33 http://lessor38.fr/hydrao-equipe-les-professionnels-a-l-international-18990.html 34 https://pro.hydrao.com/about-us/ 35 https://fundtruck.com/hydrao/ 29
Sperandio Mallory / Mail :
[email protected] / +33 6 31 60 90 93 / p. 7
