Etikbee is a marketplace which connects customers with their local merchants and it promotes reuse by allowing merchants to rent out and sell their second hand products and advertise services such as products repair.

We aim to connect customers with their local merchants and neighbours by showing the products listed nearest to them. This helps local businesses to growth while it allows lowering the carbon footprint of delivering products to customers.

Moreover, we encourage customers to reuse over buying new by showing in priority second hand products which are for rental or for sell. This helps reducing customers and merchants' carbon footprint while it avoids to contribute to the extraction of raw materials to produce new products.

Anyone can become a merchant by simply listing their products, whether they are an individual, a company or a charity. And we do not charge merchants a commission.

We provide the choice to merchants to donate a percentage of their revenue to local charities such as the nearest school PTA (Parent Teacher Association).

Our aim is to create a decentralised and a local circular economy with solidarity in its heart.

We have 3 main objectives:

• Reuse and lower our carbon footprint
  We aim to help individuals, companies, public services and charities to lower their carbon footprint by reusing. Our aim is to limit the need for selling and purchasing new products. To make this possible, we allow users to either rent out their products or to sell their second hand goods.
  Moreover, we aim to be the place where businesses can list their repair services in order to help customers to extend the lifetime of their existing products.
• Develop local economy
  We encourage a thriving local economy by showing to customers the products and services of individuals & companies nearest to their locations.
  Moreover, to limit the carbon footprint of shipping products, we do not allow companies located in countries far away from the UK to list on Etikbee.
• Optionally donate a percentage of revenue
  For individuals & companies listing their products, we provide the choice to donate a percentage of their revenue to a public service or to a charity of their choice. When listing a product, they can select the business to donate to, and how many percent of their future revenue to donate. Etikbee will automatically transfer the money to their selected charity or public service each time a product is sold or rented.
  For example, when selling a school uniform you can decide to donate 10% of your revenue on Etikbee to a school's Parent Teacher Association (PTA). Etikbee will automatically credit the selected school's PTA when the school uniform is sold.

 

Why do we promote reusing products?

There is an economical reason. With the rise of inflation in 2022, many families cannot have access to goods as they used to. Renting and buying second hand products allows many families and companies to be able to afford them. We believe this trend will increase.

There is an environmental reason. Each time customers buy new products, they not only pay a higher price, they also indirectly burn fossil fuels: 80% of all energy used to extract, produce and transport new products originates from fossil fuels. And fossil fuels are the main cause of carbon emissions causing global warming.

Moreover, buying new products contributes to the extraction of raw materials such as water, wood, copper, marble, clay, iron, cotton, etc...

 

Fair tax

Etikbee pays its taxes in the UK without using any tax optimisation method. We believe that tax is an important contribution and solidarity mechanism which enables the funding of essentials and universal public services such as schools, hospitals, justice, police, army, infrastructures, etc...

 

Who can list on Etikbee?

Individuals, companies and charities can list on Etikbee.
They can:

• rent-out their new or second hand products,
• sell their second hand products,
• list services to help customers to lower their carbon footprint and extends the life of their existing goods,
• give away food and goods.

Etikbee allows listing of all types of products from bikes, cars, DIY tools, lawnmowers to fruits and vegetables produced locally. We even allow the rental of garden spaces as an allotment in order to help communities to produce their foods locally.

 

What type of services can be listed on Etikbee?

Etikbee allows companies to list services such as:

• repair services in order to extend the life of existing products,
• solar panels and insulation installation, which help reducing the energy usage of homes and offices,
• training, conferences and meetings promoting reuse, zero waste, sustainable agriculture and development,
• any services helping to reduce the carbon footprint and promoting the reuse of resources.

 

Does Etikbee allow listing new products?

If it is for sale, we do not allow the listing of newly produced products. However, we allow it for rental because rented products are reused.

For example, we do not allow new bikes to be sold on Etikbee since they are widely available in the second hand market.

At the same time, we understand there are new products which do not exist in the second hand market. And consequently, we allow some newly produced goods to be sold such as cleaning products, underwear, fruits and vegetables, etc.

In regards to fruits and vegetables, Etikbee prioritises goods sourced locally. For example, we do not allow the listing of apples which originate from thousands of miles away (e.g. from America, China ...) when apples are widely available in the UK. This approach reduces customers' carbon footprint while benefiting UK farmers and a thriving local economy.

On the other hand, when customers reuse existing products, they only contribute to the emission of its transportation and maintenance which reduces their carbon footprint significantly compared to buying new.

 

Why is it important to reduce our resource consumption and carbon footprint?

Our generation faces the challenge of a severe global warming which is linked to the usage of fossil fuels as recognised by the majority of the scientists. If we continue "business as usual", the scientists of IPCC of the United Nations are warning that the average global temperatures will increase by up to 5 degrees Celsius within the next few decades. Such an increase will make the world a difficult place to sustain life.

We are already seeing the results of global warming with the increase of extreme temperatures, draughts in Europe, regular forest fires during summer time, and more violent storms. Our only way out is to reduce our consumption of new goods and produce our foods locally. Etikbee's aim is to help individuals and companies to consume more efficiently by reusing the existing resources and to consume locally.