By designing products and services, engineers shape society. Their awareness of their ability to make a difference through their work can inspire them to start their own businesses. This is the choice made by Claire Dalibot and Clément Boloch, who graduatedArts et Métiers 2017. Through their start-up, Épicerie SiFacile, they select, sell, and deliver high-quality, environmentally friendly, zero-waste products.
Entrepreneurship to put environmental commitment into practice
Claire Dalibot and Clément Boloch truly realized the extent of the current ecological crisis shortly after graduating from school: " Like everyone else, we were somewhat environmentally conscious, but we didn't really understand what that meant in practical terms. " " After extensive research, they realized the urgency of the situation. That's when they decided to devote all their time to this cause and make it their business.
" We didn't have the desire to be entrepreneurs. We just wanted to find a way to make a meaningful impact. "
They identify food as a key issue to address and contact companies in the sector to explore opportunities for collaboration.
As these discussions proved fruitless, they decided to set up their own organization: " Although that wasn't our initial intention, it still makes sense. We firmly believe that it's not one giant company that will bring about change, but rather the sum of local initiatives, " says Claire optimistically .
Using project management skills to start your own business
To start their business, the two engineers drew on the skills they developed during their training: " At Arts et Métiers were trained in project management. That means, for example, organizing a development schedule over several months, knowing how to find information, and calling on experts when necessary, " they explain .
This is how they developed the logistics aspect themselves, which they consider to be the strength of their solution. But they sought help with other aspects: accounting, legal matters, communication, etc.
The pragmatic approach often emphasized among Arts et Métiers engineers also prompted them to quickly test their ideas in the field: " As soon as we had the first idea for a solution, we wanted to test it with a few customers. All these experiments led to numerous developments, and we are still continuing this process of continuous improvement today."
A start-up committed to environmental and social causes
Despite the many changes made as a result of experimentation, their guiding principle has remained the same: to facilitate the ecological transition of the French people. This is what helped them stay the course during the months they spent developing their project.
Their online grocery store, officially launched last November, offers zero-waste products that are all environmentally friendly (studies to prove it), delivered to pick-up points or partner companies: " This way of working optimizes logistics flows," explain the two partners. " And we collect the returnable jars when we deliver the next order. "
There is no question of them outsourcing delivery without guarantees on employee working conditions, such as delivery rates and schedules. Their project is part of a broader vision of sustainable development: both ecological and societal.
A smooth start
When it launched, the company started with around fifteen clients, both businesses and individuals. This was a satisfactory start, allowing them to test their solution in real-world conditions without any major issues.
Claire and Clément are already discussing the implementation of significant initiatives for this year: " We are proud to announce that we have just entered into a partnership with an ESAT (French acronym for "work assistance through employment" organization) for the packaging of our products. Our SiFacile grocery store is now playing a role in the professional integration of people with disabilities! In terms of development, we are also considering a new range of snacks for our partner companies. And, of course, we are continuing to expand our product catalog. "
