With the vision to help Filipinos transition to and thrive in a circular economy, local startup Humble Sustainability extended their decluttering services to e-commerce companies and other major corporations in Metro Manila.
Launched in 2020 by Josef Werker and Niña Opida, Humble Sustainability initially focused on helping homeowners unload personal junk like books, clothes, toys, electronics, and furniture and give them a second life. People residing in Metro Manila and select provinces can schedule a collection service via Humble’s website and the company will remove the items free of charge. The old goods are either brought to Humble’s sustainability channels for upcycling or sold in their Shopee store, Thrift by Humble.
The problem, however, is that most of the items collected from homes are in bad conditions that make them difficult to recycle. That’s why Werker and his team decided to shift their focus elsewhere: e-commerce businesses.
According to Nosto, lowering product return rates is one of the biggest issues that e-commerce businesses face worldwide. Returns incur inconvenient hidden expenses, resulting in business owners losing a large amount of profit due to product returns. Shopify reported that a quarter of all shoppers return between 5% and 15% of the things they purchase online. Apparel retailers have the second-highest return rate at 12.2%, followed by home improvement at 11.5%.
In September 2021, Humble started collecting returned or damaged goods and other unwanted items from companies like Ninja Van and LOCAD. According to Werker, they collect about 500 to 1000 items that are in more favorable conditions than personal junk collected from homes. The items are sent to Humble’s partner channels for upcycling or recycling then the startup gives back some of the revenue made to the companies.
“What we’re doing is we’re disrupting asset liquidation, so we help businesses recover more value than the alternative [solutions] with better pricing through our sustainability partners,” said Werker. The Humble Co-founder recently stepped down as CEO of HR startup Penbrothers.
Humble also offers its sustainability services to other major companies including Google, Robinsons, Unionbank, and P&G.
Werker said that Humble will soon launch its own platform for Thrift within 2022. The startup also currently raising funds in order to grow their team.