BoxOfHope.pl - online, circular economy platform that allows you to donate used items
We're reaching out to you because we want to help you make the world a better place. We know that you have lots of stuff that you don't need or use anymore, and we want to help you do something good with it. That's why we created BoxOfHope-to promote the idea of a circular economy by helping you give your unwanted stuff new life. It's simple: register on the platform and order a free pickup from our courier service. Then we'll unpack them and sell them in our shop giving all proceeds to charity.
National
Poland
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It addresses urban-rural linkages
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
Yes
ERDF : European Regional Development Fund
Programme:
Operational Program Eastern Poland
Action
1.1. Starting platforms for new ideas
Fund
European Regional Development Fund
Year: 2021
No
Yes
As a representative of an organisation
Name of the organisation(s): Boxofhope.pl Sp. z o.o. Type of organisation: For-profit company First name of representative: Krzysztof Last name of representative: Domański Gender: Male Nationality: Poland Function: Board Member Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Marszałka Józefa Piłsudskiego 1/7 Town: Przeworsk Postal code: 37-200 Country: Poland Direct Tel:+48 502 896 108 E-mail:krzysiek@boxofhope.pl Website:https://boxofhope.pl
The BoxOfHope.pl initiative aims to promote the idea of closed-loop economy, by encouraging people to re-use and recycle items they no longer need. The concept is simple: users register on the platform and request a courier to pick up their unwanted belongings. Then, we sort and sell them in our online shop or on popular auction websites. The proceeds go towards an organization of your choice.
BoxOfHope.pl is an environmentally-friendly platform that encourages e-commerce stores to help reduce their carbon footprint by offering customers incentives to donate their unused goods (e.g., clothing, toys, small appliances, decorative items etc.), which are then sold on behalf of BoxOfHope.pl through our online shop—proceeds goes towards supporting a public benefit organization. By joining this initiative, e-commerce stores gain access to our API that automatically generates return labels for each purchase by their customers so that they can donate their no needed or not used items directly from us using the package you received.
Our initiative is simple, but we think it could have a huge impact.
Sustainability
Circular ecosystem
Innovation
Waste management
Education and learning
The key objective of the BoxOfHope initiative in terms of sustainability is to raise awareness among residents that they have a large number of unused and still usable items in their homes, and to encourage them to donate these items to support a selected public benefit organization, while also reducing waste generated through e-commerce. The initiative not only gives a second life to items that are no longer needed but also encourages the reuse of e-commerce shipping packaging. A survey conducted by Biostat (CAWI) found that almost 90% of respondents liked the concept of the BoxofHope platform and 88.5% expressed interest in donating items through it. The platform and initiative can be replicated in other communities with only the need to adapt the language and encourage e-commerce businesses to support it. Working with international networks can help minimize the challenge of engaging the e-commerce industry by having a distribution channel through global e-commerce platforms.
The BoxOfHope.pl initiative aims to promote the idea of closed-loop economy, by encouraging people to re-use and recycle items they no longer need. The concept is simple: users register on the platform and request a courier to pick up their unwanted belongings. Then, we sort and sell them in our online shop or on popular auction websites. The proceeds go towards an organization of your choice.
The key objectives of the BoxOfHope initiative are to simplify the process and operation of the platform, making it easy for anyone to donate unused items. Additionally, the focus was on simplicity in accounting so that donors immediately know the details of the donation. Minimizing unnecessary costs for donors was also a key objective, which is why the shipping process is 100% free. These objectives were achieved through a minimalist design of the platform, with a white background and the characteristic green hue of BoxOfHope, which is meant to convey an eco-friendly attitude and hope through wise resource management. The process of generating a shipping label for the items is also very simple, requiring only the input of the donor's information. The initiative aimed to evoke positive emotions in donors by enabling real impact through the choice of a specific Public Benefit Organization to receive funding from the sale of donated items. The universal design and simple mechanism of operation make BoxOfHope a model that can be replicated in other countries by simply changing the language.
The key objective of the BoxOfHope.pl initiative is to make the platform accessible to a wide range of users, including individuals of different ages, income levels, and places of residence. This objective has been met by offering the solution in an online format with a simple and intuitive interface. Additionally, the solution is free for all donors, reducing the barrier to entry and ensuring broad access to the service. The platform is accessible through any device with an internet connection, which means anyone in Poland can participate regardless of their location. The process of donating items is simple and straightforward, with users just needing to register on the platform and request a courier to pick up their items.
The initiative also aims to promote long-term thinking in industrial and consumer ecosystems regarding the lifecycle of a product. This has been achieved by raising awareness of the possibility of reusing no longer needed products by donating them for sale, thus extending their life by functioning for a new owner. This innovative form of recycling, in which there is no need to transform existing resources but only to find a new owner for them, contributes in the long term to shaping an ecosystem that is approaching a closed-loop, extending the product's lifecycle.
The platform also promotes inclusive governing systems by allowing users to choose which public benefit organization they want to support, ensuring that their efforts have a direct impact on society. The initiative is in line with design for all principles, as it aims to make the platform accessible to people with disabilities, ensuring that everyone can participate in the closed-loop economy.
The initiative can be considered exemplary in promoting closed-loop economy by incentivizing people to donate their unused goods, reducing waste and promoting sustainability. The platform also encourages e-commerce stores to reduce their carbon footprint.
The initiative BoxOfHope brings benefits to citizens from different groups. Donors can easily give a second life to their no longer needed products and support a Public Benefit Organization of their choice. Buyers who purchase products through the BoxOfHope initiative contribute to reducing resource consumption by using already created products, thereby minimizing expenses in the face of ever-increasing prices. The involvement of these two sides of the relationship will lead to mutual stimulation of both the offering and buying sides, as a larger and increasingly diverse range of products will drive the buying side to take advantage of new offers in terms of the number of people involved and the volume of purchases. The additional driving force behind BoxOfHope is the involvement of citizens and, therefore, each side of the relationship in terms of the broadly understood sustainability, where through conscious thinking in terms of the product's life cycle, the parties care for the natural environment.
The initiative is engaged by various groups: one of the key ones is the group of e-commerce stores. They are the main channel of distribution of the idea, as they not only serve as an educational channel about the initiative through communication on their websites and printed materials included in shipments, but also co-finance the activities of BoxOfHope. Another group consists of public benefit organizations, which are the actual recipients of the profit generated from the sale of items. The last group consists of citizens, who can be divided into two subcategories: donors, who donate their items, and buyers who make transactions and thus financially support the foundation and the BoxOfHope initiative.
In developing the initiative, they relied on the snowball effect. The first step was to sell their own items, which had value and could find new buyers. In addition, they started working with online stores that they used privately and those whose owners they knew. The first buyers were friends who were reached through direct conversations or by publishing information on their private social media channels. As for foundations, they aimed to first gain support from foundations in various categories, from environmental support to concern for animal welfare and engagement in the fate of children and adults.
Thanks to this strategy and the selected actions, they gradually built up greater awareness by involving new entities.
The project is currently addressed to entities (online shops, citizens, public benefit organizations) operating in Poland.
The design and implementation of the BoxOfHope.pl initiative involved a multi-disciplinary approach, incorporating perspectives from fields such as sustainability, business, logistics, and marketing. This approach allowed us to effectively address the challenge of creating a closed-loop economy, which requires not only a shift in consumer behavior but also the creation of a seamless and convenient process for collecting and redistributing unwanted items.
Representatives from these different fields worked together to find the right balance between environmental sustainability and practicality. For example, the logistics team worked with the marketing team to create a system that was user-friendly and easy to use, while the sustainability team worked with the business team to ensure that the initiative was economically viable.
This interdisciplinary approach allowed us to maximize the potential of each field, and to create an initiative that was greater than the sum of its parts. The result was a platform that was able to effectively promote the idea of a closed-loop economy and make it a reality. The added value of this process was a solution that was not only environmentally responsible but also economically viable, and that has the potential to make a significant impact on the environment.
The main area of engagement was to raise awareness about striving for a sustainable economy through social involvement of various entities. Forming the initiative, the first fundamental step was education about a responsible approach to already created products, that is, existing resources. So that the connection between unused things and social recycling, that is, giving them to us and later selling them and thus transferring funds for charitable purposes, would clearly appear in public awareness. In addition, in the educational aspect, we wanted to create a habit of wise resource management.
The innovative character of the initiative lies in its unique approach to address social and environmental challenges by bringing together various stakeholders such as e-commerce stores, non-profit organizations, and citizens. The e-commerce stores serve as the main distribution channel for the initiative and educate customers about the initiative through their websites and printed materials, while also contributing to the initiative's funding. Non-profit organizations are the direct beneficiaries of the initiative's profit, which is generated from the sale of donated items. Meanwhile, citizens are encouraged to participate by donating their unused items or by making purchases, thus supporting the initiative and the non-profits financially.
This approach is different from mainstream actions in the field, which often rely solely on direct donations or government funding to support non-profit organizations. The initiative leverages the power of e-commerce and empowers citizens to make a positive impact by participating in their daily shopping habits.
The main distinctive feature of the initiative is its simplicity of operation, ease of access, and the range of benefits for different sides of the relationship. By making the initiative clear and transparent from the beginning, the potential problem of misunderstanding has been eliminated. By operating in a digital environment, we have ensured seamless access to the initiative for everyone. Additionally, one of the biggest innovations is the creation of a cycle in which each side is a real beneficiary:
Donor gives a second life to their unwanted products and thus supports public benefit organizations
Buyer buys products more cheaply and at the same time supports public benefit organizations
E-shop encourages the reuse of packaging in which they send their products and thus contributes to reducing waste
Foundations receive funds for their activities
We include opinions on the innovative character of the project.
The initiative has several elements that can be replicated or transferred to other places, groups of beneficiaries, and contexts. These include:
1) Methodology: The process of collecting and selling unwanted items can be replicated in other communities and regions, creating a local circular economy.
2) Technology: The platform and its API can be adapted to work with other e-commerce stores and systems, making it possible to expand the initiative to other places and contexts.
3) Processes: The sorting and selling process can be adapted to local conditions and needs, while still maintaining the basic principles of the initiative.
4) Products: The product offerings can be expanded to include a wider range of items and categories, allowing for greater reach and impact.
5) Learnings: The experiences and lessons learned from the initiative can be used to inform and improve similar efforts in other locations and contexts.
Overall, the initiative has the potential to be replicated and transferred to other communities, regions and countries, bringing its benefits to a wider audience while helping to promote the idea of a closed-loop economy and reduce waste.
The BoxOfHope.pl initiative was designed with scalability and universality in mind from the start. The aim was to make it easy to scale to other markets and encourage community engagement in the closed-loop economy concept. As a result, the entire initiative can be implemented in other countries while retaining all its methodological, technological, and process-related aspects. The plan is to expand the initiative to foreign markets in the coming years. It is possible that this will result in the transfer of items between countries. For example, items donated in Poland could be sold in Germany or vice versa. The platform has the ability to easily translate into different languages. The challenge may be the need to have warehouses in other countries, but this will help reduce transportation costs between countries.
The methodology or approach used by the BoxOfHope.pl initiative is based on the closed-loop economy concept. It involves the following steps:
1) Encouraging users to register on the platform and request a courier to pick up their unwanted belongings.
2) Sorting the donated items and selling them through an online shop or popular auction websites.
3) Allocating the proceeds from the sales to a public benefit organization of the users' choice.
4) Encouraging e-commerce stores to reduce their carbon footprint by offering customers incentives to donate their unused goods.
5) Providing e-commerce stores with an API that automatically generates return labels for each purchase, allowing customers to donate their no longer needed items directly through the package they received.
The initiative is designed to promote environmental responsibility and sustainability by reducing waste and encouraging re-use and recycling. The approach is simple and accessible, and it leverages the power of e-commerce to drive positive change.
The methodology used in the BoxOfHope initiative is to raise awareness among citizens that they are surrounded by unnecessary items that can be given a new life by reselling them and donating a portion of the proceeds to a Public Benefit Organization. The biggest challenge was to minimize the level of involvement required by citizens, so by using the e-commerce channel for communication and distribution, we showed that everyone can join the initiative without much effort.
The initiative also use Scrum. This approach is a commonly used Agile method for software development that focuses on delivering value to the customer through collaboration and iterative improvement. It involves a cross-functional team working in sprints to achieve specific goals and deliver a working product increment.
With Scrum, we can quickly adapt to changing customer needs and provide a high-quality platform that meets their requirements.
The BoxOfHope.pl initiative addresses global challenges such as waste reduction and promoting sustainability, by providing local solutions. The platform provides an alternative solution to disposal of unwanted items, and encourages re-use and recycling of such items. By promoting closed-loop economy, the initiative helps reduce the carbon footprint of e-commerce stores, and ultimately contributes to the global effort of reducing waste and promoting sustainability. By redirecting the proceeds of re-sold items towards public benefit organizations, the initiative also helps create a positive impact on the local community.
The BoxOfHope.pl initiative also addresses global challenges such as overproduction, waste generation, landfill, increasing carbon footprint, and lack of responsible recycling by promoting the idea of closed-loop economy. It aims to provide long-term thinking in terms of a single product's life cycle through social engagement, widely recognized benefits, and active social involvement. By involving citizens in the process, the initiative instills a sense of agency and contributes to the transformation of various ecosystems towards more sustainable practices based on closed-loop principles and social aspects.
In December 2022, the initiative was fully implemented and can be found at https://boxofhope.pl. The platform currently enables:
a) User registration as a foundation with a foundation management panel and the ability to create a widget that can be embedded on the foundation's website.
b) User registration as a Customer with a Customer account for managing shipments and purchasing products.
c) User registration as a business (online store) with an account for management and the ability to create a dedicated page and download a widget (with information on how much money customers of this store have already donated to foundations and how many packages they have already sent).
d) The ability to create a shipping label to send unwanted items along with a choice of foundation to which a portion of the proceeds from the sale/processing of the items should be transferred and information on what items are being sent.
e) A transaction panel
f) Project website
g) A blog with educational information on closed-loop economy (https://boxofhope.pl/blog)
h) A platform for selling used items with the ability to purchase and dedicated product pages and a main page (online store).
During the first months of platform operation, we have already acquired online stores, foundations, and have received the first shipments from customers. Currently, we are focused on increasing the recognition of our solution among the various target groups. We are also seeking funding for further project development.
By participating in the BoxOfHope.pl initiative, individuals and e-commerce stores have the opportunity to develop new competencies related to sustainability. Through the re-use and recycling of unwanted items, participants learn about the importance of reducing waste and promoting a closed-loop economy. Additionally, the platform's API and its integration with e-commerce stores provides an opportunity for participants to learn about innovative technologies and tools related to sustainability and environmental protection. By joining this initiative, participants are also contributing to the development of a more sustainable future and promoting a shift towards a more circular economy. All these actions align with the European competence framework on sustainability, which emphasizes the importance of developing competencies that support the transition to a sustainable society.
The BoxOfHope initiative is a new approach to recycling existing things. By reusing existing products, the use of resources needed to process existing resources into new ones is reduced. In this way, without the need for any processing, the existing product finds a new buyer who can fully use all its functions.
This business model, in which all parties in the direct relationship benefit, and there is the possibility of engaging non-profit organizations and the e-commerce industry, brings significant benefits in terms of sustainability and the pursuit of a closed loop, as well as in terms of quality of life and design for people from different social groups.
Thanks to the zero waste input, it became possible to achieve almost 100% price accessibility and active social inclusion in the initiative.
