CC Pioneers
The Rise of Collaborative Consumption

Collaborative Consumption Pioneers & Protagonists

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10 questions for Kelly Scales, founder of Bid & Borrow

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The easiest way to explain Bid&Borrow is …
a website that promotes sustainable re-use through the sharing of existing resources. It means we can share resources with our local community through lending and borrowing, rather than buying, as well as earning some extra income by lending, saving money by borrowing and being kind to the planet.

The idea came from…
saluting the sun on a yoga holiday in 2009. I started considering the possibility and benefits of hiring less accessible items, say designer fashion. From this came the idea of borrowing from an existing owner rather than buying, and paying them directly for the privilege. So then I thought why stop at fashion?

A unique factoid that surprises people…
is how vastly we are able to apply our model; to a whole country with government funding, across the public sector with a global tech company’s support, to corporates, universities, charities and, of course, local neighbourhoods to share objects, places, spaces, time and talents. It’s vast!

Favorite Bid & Borrow success story so far…
was when we were invited to pitch for funding from the Welsh Government’s Sustainable Development Challenge Fund - we won! That means we have government funding and support to roll out the Bid & Borrow ‘One Million Person Sharing Plan’ across Wales. This is brilliant news for us, the communities across Wales and for the sharing economy.

The biggest challenge to overcome is…
behaviour change. In the UK particularly, we are in love with stuff - with shopping, acquiring and owning. Our awareness, attitudes and intentions are certainly shifting and leading the way for new, more sustainable behaviours that favour accessibility, community, relationships and services. It’s taking action that ultimately counts.

If I wasn’t doing Bid & Borrow I would be…
I really have no idea! I am so immersed in what we’re doing at Bid & Borrow, championing sustainability and green best practices that I honestly can’t think of what else I would be doing.

The first three things I do to kickstart my day…
after a few sun salutations and a cycle along the seafront to work, breakfast and a cup of tea I’ll check my emails, my diary, my to do list and then get on with it!

The greatest piece of advice I have been given about start-ups is…
dreams can become reality; and that requires passion, belief determination and a sense of fun. Don’t let your idea be the one that got away.

Another example of Collaborative Consumption I admire …
Whipcar is peer to peer car sharing that is revolutionizing how people view personal vehicles and may ultimately lower vehicle ownership and reduce the amount people drive, which in turn benefits individuals, communities and the environment. This is creating a change in behavior which car manufacturers are already recognising.

Next on the horizon for Bid & Borrow is…
to be the hub where anybody can access what they want when they want it; via peer to peer or a professional hire company. We aim to encourage and enable the social integration of sharing principles amongst individuals and to genuinely embed sustainable behaviours throughout private, public and third sector organizations.

Archive of Collaborative Consumption Pioneers & Protagonists Interviews

Pioneer Headshot   10 Questions for Benita Matofska, founder of The People Who Share

Pioneer Headshot   10 questions for Marta Nowinska, founder of Swapsity

Pioneer Headshot   10 questions for Ryan Rzepecki, founder of SocialBicycles

Pioneer Headshot   10 questions for Jamie Wong, founder of Vayable

Pioneer Headshot   10 questions for Theo Kitchener, founder of The ShareHood

Pioneer Headshot   10 questions for Kelly Scales, founder of Bid & Borrow

Pioneer Headshot   10 questions for Campbell McKellar, Founder of Loosecubes

Pioneer Headshot   10 questions for Marcio Nigro, founder of Caronetas

Pioneer Headshot   10 questions for Jess Ratcliffe, founder of GaBoom

Pioneer Headshot   10 questions for Philipp Rogge, founder of frents

Pioneer Headshot   10 questions for Tim Hyer, founder of Rentcycle

Pioneer Headshot   10 questions for Barbara Pantuso, founder of Hey, Neighbor!

Pioneer Headshot   Ella T. Gorgla, Founder of I-ELLA

Pioneer Headshot   Cathy Tao, co-founder of Tourboarding

Pioneer Headshot   Mike Karnjanaprakorn, cofounder of Skillshare

Pioneer Headshot   Juha Koponen, Founder of Netcycler

Pioneer Headshot   Michelle Shearer, Founder of MamaBake

Pioneer Headshot   Leah Busque, Founder and CEO of TaskRabbit

Pioneer Headshot   Ron J. Williams, founder of SnapGoods

Pioneer Headshot   Stephen Rapoport, founder of Crashpadder

Pioneer Headshot   Anthony Eskinazi, founder of ParkatmyHouse

Pioneer Headshot   Drummond Gilbert, founder of goCarShare

Pioneer Headshot   David Mahfouda, Founder of Weeels

Pioneer Headshot   Andreas Randow, Founder of StudioShare.org

Pioneer Headshot   Emma Jamvold, Founder of SwapItBaby

Pioneer Headshot   Dave Llorens, CEO of One Block Off The Grid

Pioneer Headshot   Orli Cotel, co-founder of Swap for Good

Pioneer Headshot   Owen Rees-Hayward, Co-founder of Thingloop

Pioneer Headshot   Juliette Anich, Co-founder of The Clothing Exchange

Pioneer Headshot   Keara Schwartz, Founder of Share Some Sugar

Pioneer Headshot   Hans Schoenburg, co-founder of GiftFlow

Pioneer Headshot   Meriel Lenfestey, Co-founder of Ecomodo

Pioneer Headshot   Steve Sammartino, Founder of rentoid.com

Pioneer Headshot   Micki Krimmel, Founder of NeighborGoods

Pioneer Headshot   Shelby Clark, Founder of RelayRides

Pioneer Headshot   James Reinhart, Founder of thredUp

For a complete archive of CC Pioneers & Protagonists Interviews click HERE.



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