Bluedigo: Second-hand office furniture
Our society needs to reduce the environmental impact of its economy. To do this, we need to produce less. One way of doing this is to extend the life of products, to make the economy more “circular”, for example by encouraging the second-hand goods market.
Bluedigo is part of this trend, offering second-hand office furniture. Co-founder Timothée Jochum agreed to answer a few of our questions.
What environmental issues does Bluedigo address?
In France, 250,000 tonnes of office furniture are thrown away every year. Less than 1% of this furniture is reused, around 15% is destroyed for recycling and 85% ends up in landfill or incineration. In addition, an employee generates between 120 and 140 kg of waste every year.
To support companies in their ecological transition, Bluedigo offers 100% eco-responsible used office furniture and office supplies. We salvage furniture from company moves and then resell it to other companies (startups, SMEs, coworking spaces, etc.). Bluedigo helps to reduce the amount of furniture waste generated by companies, and contributes to the development of the circular economy.
What does Bluedigo offer?
Bluedigo’s ambition is to help companies create positive-impact workspaces by offering second-hand office furniture and eco-responsible office supplies. On our e-commerce site, we offer all types of second-hand furniture: desks, chairs, storage units, relaxation areas… furniture that’s less expensive than new and eco-responsible!
When it comes to office supplies, 70% of our catalog is made in France, and 100% of our stationery is recycled paper. We also offer a range of water bottles, lunchboxes and mugs to get rid of plastic in the office (cups, plastic packaging, etc.).
What added value does Bluedigo offer its customers?
The second-hand office furniture we offer is inexpensive, costing on average 50% less than new furniture. Using second-hand furniture is also the most eco-responsible practice, as it avoids the pollution associated with the production of new furniture (CO2 emissions, use of raw materials….). Last but not least, our furniture is delivered pre-assembled, which is a real time-saver for small businesses! We also offer our customers customizable eco-responsible welcome-packs (water bottles, lunchboxes, mugs, etc.).
Have you identified any competitors? If so, what competitive advantages set you apart?
We have a few competitors in the used office furniture sector, notably brokers who aren’t yet very digitalized. We offer a designer e-commerce site where you can make all your office furniture purchases online. We’ve also set ourselves apart by offering a complementary range of eco-responsible office supplies, so you can be even greener in the office!
What’s currently preventing you from completely filling your market?
We’re a young startup created in July 2019. We’re mainly active in the Ile-de-France region, but we’d like to expand more in the regions to better support companies locally.