Paul Morris came across a food delivery firm that thinks long-term in helping Belgian charity.
At Together we love it when we discover a business that thinks long-term, that believes in sustainability and puts it into practice. That’s exactly what Cirkle does. Their slogan sums it all up: “We make it easy to eat well and do good.”
The fresh food they deliver is combined with a free recycling service which, in turn, benefits social causes. Among their providers are shops such as Jack O’Shea and Les Tartes de Francoise. Their boxes can be packed with meat, or just vegetables or even wine and beer. They also supply all manner of fruit and nuts, and traditional bread from the bakery.
The philosophy towards Belgian charity
I asked the company’s founder Ben Bramich how important it was to them to get involved directly in charity and sustainability. “With the recent recession, scandals in the banking industry and with interest rates being so low, there appears to be an appetite in investing in companies that have more than just financial value. Investors are increasingly looking at business models that have a social value. In addition to this, innovative companies are implementing ‘circular’ initiatives to reduce waste through their businesses. The circular economy is regenerative by design, meaning that the reduction of waste is built into the business model, ideally to reach zero waste. At Cirkle we are combining both a circular model with social value.”
So how does it benefit good causes?
You make you order and it’s delivered to you – and there’s your chance to hand over something of value that can be recycle/reused where it’s most needed.
Cirkle encourages people to stop before they throw anything away, to see if it is has value. They collect over 20 different types of household waste, and most have some kind of value. The items that can be reused are given directly to charities to be sold by them. The other items are recycled. Any money generated from the recycling also goes to charities. A few items do not have a value, but they collect them for your convenience to be recycled.
And how have customers reacted to the extra value? “Our clients are very happy to use our free recycling service of 20 types of household waste. The convenience of the service is appreciated and the fact that all donations are given to charities is an added bonus. We have a high participation rate, and are generating plenty of income for charities as a result.”
Every month they choose a different Belgian charity and funds collected from recycling goes directly to them.
A company that is clearly thinking outside the box.
