Innovation

In summer 2019, Heather Patrone came up with the idea of ​​recycling used, damaged and old buoys that pollute the environment by turning them into bags and pouches. Indeed, Heather being installed in Antibes, on the French Riviera, in the south of France, where the use of buoys is important, since the sea is nearby and many people have homes with swimming pools, she is all the more sensitive on this subject. While talking with those around her, especially with people with a swimming pool and children, she learned that these people throw 6 or 7 buoys a year, which represents a lot of waste.

In order to resolve this problem, she decided to up-cycle the buoys, that she obtains by donation, to transform them into something beautiful, that we can use in our daily life. Indeed, in this way, as the product is made in plastic and cannot go back in the environment, it’s our duty, according to her, to continue the all-life cycle of the product. As we buy a product we have to think if we can give it back to the environment or recycle it in something else. By buying her product, the consumers have a responsible consumption and are more aware about the environmental issues. And she tries to have as much as possible a responsible production. In this way she promotes the sustainable consumption and production target of SDG12.

Inspiration

She doesn’t take the credit for the innovation because there are three companies already doing it, one in the UK and another in New Zeeland, but no one else is doing it in France when in particularly in the south of France, they have thousands of buoys being thrown away.

However, one day she had enough from her previous work which didn’t let her creativity to express himself. So, she decided to take a break and was looking for creative ideas, she started painting again for the first time in 18 years. And she just happened to see an idea of a company based in UK, who has been recycling buoys for about 12 years now. She saw it on Facebook, and it captivate her intention. And “it kind of get stuck in the back of my brain and about two months later, I was in the shower (must of my ideas come in the shower) and this idea that was stuck in my brain came back, and I wondered if she could do something with it.”

So, she posted some advert in some international Facebook groups and ask if anybody had some buoys that they didn’t use anymore. And she had a lot of feedbacks and she obtained 200 buoys in 2 weeks, and in the end of September about 2000 buoys. And then everybody said, “What are you going to make?” And she said, “Honestly I don’t know”. And she started looking for some ideas and inspirations with tutos on YouTube and on the internet.

Overall impact

While talking with those around her, especially with people with a swimming pool and children, she learned that these people throw 6 or 7 buoys a year, which represents a lot of waste. And at the beginning of the idea of the innovation, at first, she posted some advert in some international Facebook groups and ask if anybody had some buoys that they didn’t use anymore. And she had a lot of feedbacks and she obtained 200 buoys in 2 weeks, and at the end of September about 2000 buoys. So, it means that she stopped 2000 buoys becoming a waste that would have pollute the planet. With those buoys she has already made almost a hundred of products that she sales on her website.

The donation system in her company is very important because it aware people about the waste that they create and show them the importance of acting responsibly by giving the buoys instead of throwing them and let these buoys burn in the atmosphere. It pushes people to be committed in their own scale to the environmental challenges. It pushes the consumers to be actors in the circular economy and question their way to consume.

Heather said that "the fact of taking something that you wouldn’t say that is recycled and obtaining something quite beautiful from it, it naturally made people start questioning about what they buy. Last summer I kept saying to people to buy something that you know can be recycled or given, to keep thinking of the all-life cycle of a product."

Business benefit

The innovation was a very good idea, many people liked the idea and the commitment of Heather Patrone. At first, she was alone in the company. But she came to a point when she could not do everything by herself especially in the marketing. She had to many works, create the products and do the marketing of her company. So, she found a woman in order to help her with the social medias. Heather provides the content and the women that she engages with helps Heather a lot to post both in English and in French. As they post three times a week, this woman does a great job with the contents that the owner gives her.

When she started promoting her products on Facebook, her customers were for the majority women, over the age of 40. Now that she has a large Instagram account, the age is coming down: young women in their thirties and also people who are trying to be more ecological are more interested in this type of products. To grow she had to reach out influencers, to share information about being more responsible, to reach younger people. She obtained 200-300 followers in a day by sending her product to an influencer. By promoting her innovation, she obtained a larger number of consumers and it helps the company to grow.

Now the company's number of employees can grow. Heather said that "hopefully by next summer I will look for somebody to help me in the production part of my products, so I can focus a bit more in one of my main goals which is to outsource my marketing a bit more." Even though it's a bit hard for her to give her "baby" to somebody else.

And thanks to this innovation she has more and more recognition, as the regional magazine of Nice has already spoken about her. Heather Patrone and her company are in the great way to gain some notorioty thanks to her innovation. Thanks to that the company can and will grow.

Social and environmental benefit

Concerning the environmental aspect, the company benefits a lot to it. While talking with those around her, especially with people with a swimming pool and children, Heather Patrone learned that these people throw 6 or 7 buoys a year, which represents a lot of waste. And at the beginning of the idea of the innovation, at first, she posted some advert in some international Facebook groups and ask if anybody had some buoys that they didn’t use anymore. And she had a lot of feedbacks and she obtained 200 buoys in 2 weeks, and in the end of September about 2000 buoys. So, it means that she stopped 2000 buoys becoming a waste that would have pollute the planet. In that sense she helps the environment.

And in the other hand, she thinks that the fact of taking something that you wouldn’t say that is recycled and obtaining something quite beautiful from it, it naturally made people start questioning about what they buy. Last summer she kept saying people to buy something that you know can be recycled or given, the need that we have to think of the all-life cycle of a product.

And to grow she said, " I had to reach out influencers, to share information about being more responsible, to reach younger people, to make a difference, to learn share info about being eco-responsible. My purpose was to make partnerships based on good values." In that sense she promotes the commitment of each consumer to protect the planet.

Interview

Heather Patrone, Entrepreneur