20 questions with… Matt Dredger, CEO of Borroclub.

Borroclub recently won a share of a £72,484 initial investment from Innovation Birmingham’s Low Carbon Accelerator programme, which is part of the European-funded Climate-KIC initiative. We put Borroclub CEO, Matt Dedger, in the “20 questions with…” hot seat.

We want the world to be as blue and green tomorrow as it was yesterday. What’s your mission?

My mission is to unlock £92bn worth of items that are lying idle across homes in the UK.  Borroclub offers our members the opportunity to post their items to an online sharing platform for others to borrow.  It could be anything from a drill, roof box to a handbag.

We form part of the growing sharing economy & are at the heart of the circular economy.  We want to connect people in local communities, which in turn will reduce Co2 by mobilising items that would otherwise be lying idle.  We have partnered with charities to offer them a new fundraising stream via supporters who choose to donate their lend fee to the charity rather than keep it themselves.

With over 26m homes in the UK combined with stats showing that a UK garage contains on average £3,500 worth of items (and this doesn’t include the car), we have the potential to unlock £92bn of idling assets.  We help families to access items they need to use but do not necessarily have the funds to purchase that item outright.  At the same time helping families to generate some supplementary income for their household.

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be an architect.

How would your friends describe you?

Fun, out going, dependable.

What was your ‘road to Damascus moment’ in terms of sustainability?

When I was clearing out my garage getting ready for a car boot sale and I realised how much stuff I had accumulated that I hardly used and I knew people were going out to the shops to purchase the same items and I realised that they could use my items.

Who or what inspires you?

My kids inspire me as they are so committed to their own endeavours but are really keen to support my wife and myself.

What really grinds your gears?

People who do not listen and are too wrapped up in their own self-importance.

Describe your perfect day.

A day’s body boarding with my kids in Devon.

What do you see when you look out your window at home? 

Lots of cars driving… too many.

What do you like spending your money on?

Days out or holidays with my family.

What’s your favourite holiday destination?

Woolacombe in Devon.

What’s your favourite book?

I don’t really read books, I prefer to listen to podcasts

What’s your favourite film?

This is a real tough one, its difficult to choose between Jaws/Star Wars

You’re elected prime minister with a thumping majority. What’s the first thing you do?

Create a fairer tax system and go after the biggest tax evaders.

If you were stuck on a desert island, which famous person would you like to be stuck with and why?

Paul Weller, I love his music and he can teach me how to play for the guitar.

What was the best piece of advice you have ever been given? And the worst?

Best: Always be open and listen to others

Worst: I cant remember as I choose to forget bad advice.

What’s your biggest regret?

Not starting Borroclub sooner.

What one thing would you encourage readers to do to make their life more sustainable?

Consume less, do you really need that thing you want to purchase whether its goods or food etc.

What’s the one idea that you think could change the world for the better?

Share more

What’s your favourite quote?

You’re gonna need a bigger boat (Brody from Jaws)

What would you like to be doing five years from now?

Taking Borroclub into Europe

And the bonus questions:- How would you like to be remembered? – What will they carve on your gravestone?

I would like to be remembered as a good dad/husband. No gravestone I don’t want to take up the space.

What is the one question you wanted us to ask you and didn’t?

Who let the dogs out?