My new start-up is revolutionary! When Michelle Reed and Philip Bondulich introduced “SendMePack” in “The Lion’s Den,” understandably all the lions were vying for the deal. In the interview, the two founders talk about what drives them - and how a simple cardboard box can solve a very big problem.

Michelle: We definitely don't want them all to end up directly in the waste paper, because recycling alone cannot stop this incredible consumption of resources. What is much more sustainable: simply reusing the boxes! Experience has shown that 90 percent are still so good that, once processed, they can be used again without any problems. So we are in the precycling business. We want to save the boxes from having to be recycled at all.

Philip: For example, we work with fulfillment centers that handle shipping and returns for online shops. There are tons of cardboard boxes that are no longer used and that end up in the waste paper press. Our employees are on site, collect the boxes and prepare them, for example by removing all adhesive residue. Then our SendMePack label comes on it, which has a QR code on it. This allows the recipient to track the journey of the box: How many times has this package been rescued? Where was it already and how many CO2 emissions were saved because no new cardboard had to be used?

Philip: You can easily order them directly from us Store  order. What is important to know: Although our business is labor-intensive and all boxes go through the hands of employees, we are absolutely in the middle when it comes to price. We wanted to be competitive and to be able to afford sustainability.

Michelle: I had a key moment in December 2020. I read such great stories about sustainable founders in a special edition of the business magazine “Business Punk” that I was totally hooked. I said to Philip: I wish I also had an idea that was so important that it could solve a global problem. And then he said: I've been carrying around an idea like that with me for seven years.

Philip: With my social media agency at the time, I was supporting an online retailer who had used cardboard boxes for the sake of the environment - but he hadn't communicated this. However, he received negative comments for the boxes on social media. Even then, I was sure that people would have reacted differently if they had known about his motives. And I definitely thought the idea of ​​not always buying new boxes but reusing them was brilliant back then. But the world was different seven years ago. The awareness of sustainability has only really come into the minds of the general public in recent years.

Michelle: It's gigantic in size, it's absolutely amazing! Just today we received a request for 10 million boxes. Only a very small number of sustainable brands buy from us. Many come forward that are not sustainable per se. These include global corporations, such as car brands and electronics manufacturers. They want to be more sustainable, but it will easily take five to ten years until they have changed the processes to achieve this. The choice of shipping boxes can be implemented with a click of the mouse. It is the easiest way to become more sustainable in this field. That's why we are interesting for all brands.

Michelle: We were so convinced of our idea that we knew: If we got the money we needed to start it, it could go through the roof! We knew we were the first to come up with this idea, but we were worried that big producers would hijack it if they found out about us. That's why we didn't want to be on the market for long, but instead wanted to take advantage of DHDL's wide reach.

Philip: Yes, our entire mission could only be successful if as many people as possible knew about it as quickly as possible. We had to be loud and fast! And of course DHDL is made for that. Where else can you get such an enormous reach?

Michelle: The feeling was that the first offer was on the table after five minutes. All the lions were courting us and there were no skeptical questions like: How do you know that it works if you're not even on the market yet? Everyone instinctively felt that something really big could happen!

Philip: It's just the perfect mix. All three bring incredible know-how and each have a different background. Things couldn't have gone better for us. Filming is a while back and we are so happy with our decision. Judith is already diligently supplying us with boxes that we can then process. Together we can make SendMePack really big! Our dream is to see a DHL truck soon and our label will be on all packages.