[Ana's Editorial] Happy Birthday, Foound!

March 6, 2025asemaphore-CSRinfluencers

Ten years ago, Fanny Arnaudo founded Foound, a space for creativity, collaboration, and engagement. 

After studying international law and business, and after working in marketing, Fanny felt she needed more sustainability and solidarity in her professional life. This sentiment is shared by many young people in search of meaning, who are willing to leave a stable job at a large company so they no longer contribute to the destruction of the world. 

Check out my interview with Fanny here.

When I first met Fanny, what immediately struck me was her commitment and her desire to do things better and differently. Better and more sustainable: all Foound members sign a commitment charter that embodies values such as promoting artists, inclusivity, tolerance, and sustainability. At a time when large and medium-sized companies are complaining about the constraints of certification, Foound has earned the BCorp and Fait Maison certifications (for its restaurant).
It’s different because Foound combines a coworking space, a restaurant, an artist residency, event venues, and more. It’s a kind of multifunctional space—one of very few in Geneva—whose entrepreneurial status as a “mission-driven company” does not yet exist under Swiss law.
Through events like the Fair Fashion Weekend, or exhibitions that explore the concept of letting go or that bring together seemingly disparate fields such as digital technology and art, Foound is becoming a space for reflection and connection.
Foound is a kind of inspiring entrepreneurial “UFO” driven by a person with strong values—exactly what the world needs right now.
I wish it a happy tenth anniversary and many more decades to come,
With joy and happiness, 

Ana 

Combining ecology and economy through sharing and functionality

June 26, 2024 asemaphore-CSRinfluencers

Combining economy and ecology is often difficult, as the former causes significant damage to the latter. Nevertheless, many initiatives, associations and companies are developing new ideas to create a social and sustainable economy. One of these is the sharing and functionality economy.

The sharing economy gains in importance in Switzerland

The sharing and/or functionality economy breaks with the idea that you have to buy the good in order to use it. In this new dynamic, we pay for use (functionality), not possession. The classic example is the local library, where you borrow books that others have read before you and will read after you, instead of collecting dust at home. Often, prices are more affordable and this gives you access to higher-quality goods.

Investment in this sector is soaring. According to Deloitte, 12 billion has been invested, and 55% of consumers plan to use a sharing economy platform.

On the business side, we find Airbnb and Uber, as well as coworking spaces. Even if the environmental and social benefits of such enterprises need to be qualified (uberization produces workers with little social protection and relieves companies of their obligations towards their employees), the sharing economy should not be dismissed out of hand. In fact, more local initiatives are emerging with genuinely positive and lasting impacts. One of these is La Manivelle.

La Manivelle, a library of objects

La Manivelle operates like a traditional library. With a subscription, customers can borrow an item from its catalog of over 4,000 items, ranging from party equipment to DIY. Simply return it to one of La Manivelle's branches (MACO, Thônex, Pâquis) or a collection point, of which Foound is now a member.

The famous benefits for the planet

With the economy of sharing and functionality, as with La Manivelle, the need to buy diminishes. ZeroWaste Switzerland mentions that the average Swiss car is filled by 1.53 people and is parked 95% of the time, while there are almost 4.8 million vehicles! It's easy to understand that carsharing would reduce consumption and therefore production of cars, and in turn, the extraction and use of water and energy and other resources needed to create them. ZeroWaste Switzerland also presents the case of a drill that is only used for 13 minutes in its lifetime, so buying one is a waste of money and time. If it were borrowed, it would be used more often, and again, the need to produce new ones would diminish, as would the number of drills ending up in the garbage can. What's more, companies such as La Manivelle offer repair services for the items they rent out, which increases their lifespan and reduces waste production. 

On the social front, as mentioned above, local initiatives also have a mission to contribute, whether by supporting social causes or integrating people with disabilities. For giants like Uber, more regulation is needed to combat wage dumping. For the record, 21% of Swiss would be in favor of greater regulation of the sharing economy.

You can find La Manivelle on www.manivelle.ch and Foound on www.foound.ch

When nature inspires art

February 1, 2024, 2023asemaphore-CSRinfluencers

Nature provides many ecosystem services, such as soil stabilization or irrigation, but there is a whole range of services that are less valued, such as cultural ones. Nature can serve as an inspiration for art, from architecture to jewelry design. Artists use nature for its natural resources, integrate it into their creations or convey an ecological message through art. For example, ceramist Ana-Bélen Montero integrates cereal grains into her porcelain to leave an aesthetic trace. Mériadec Le Clainche creates sculptures in which natural oxidation is part of the work itself.

Here are two examples of how nature is perfectly integrated into art. 

Art nouveau, the art of nature

Art Nouveau is an artistic movement that developed during the Belle Epoque (late 19th century) in Belgium and France. It was characterized by curved forms representing natural elements such as flowers, animals and plants. The movement was inspired by the arrival of industrialization in Europe, and was named after the name of Sigfried Bing s gallery in Paris, which exhibited many of his works. He challenged the separation between the fine and applied arts, and thus between ornament and industrial production. Overproduction often led to a lack of beauty in the objects that Art Nouveau wanted to bring, combining functionality and beauty. The discoveries in zoology and botany served as inspiration for Art Nouveau artists. These included elegantly curved swans, exotic creatures from the seabed and monsters from mythology.

AETESIS, Foound's current jeweller

More recently, many artists have continued to use nature as a muse. AETESIS is a jeweller based at Foound that creates unique jewelry and objets d'art, as well as promoting craftsmanship through explanatory videos. The idea is to bring realism and natural forms by playing with colors and materials such as enamel and wood. AETESIS seeks to produce a new style of jewelry and to stand out from the high jewelry industry, which swears by so-called luxury materials such as gold, whereas with rock, rough stone or ceramics, it is entirely possible to create elegant pieces of jewelry.

This search for elegant Art Nouveau curves can be found at AETESIS, as well as the desire to highlight natural forms. Nature provides us with many ecosystem services, and its artistic influence is yet another reason to protect it.

Ana 

Slow fashion vs. fast fashion

December 13, 2023, 2023asemaphore-CSRinfluencers

On November 25 and 26, 2023, the Fair Fashion Weekend organized by Bubble Ethics was held at Foound, a sustainable co-working and event space that I've already introduced to you in previous articles (see sustainable entrepreneurship for women). The event spotlighted slow fashion artisans, a counter-current to fast fashion. 

Why is fast fashion an ecological and social problem?

Fast fashion is a concept that began in the 1990s. It is an accelerated production, offering several collections a month at low prices, often of mediocre quality.. This has encouraged ever-increasing consumption of clothing: 130 billion were purchased worldwide between 2000 and 2014, and in Switzerland alone, each inhabitant buys around 80 new items per year (four times more than twenty years ago). What's more, these garments are often only worn seven or ten times and almost 80% of our wardrobe is never used. The fashion industry is therefore extremely polluting, with 1.2 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases per year!

What's more, fast fashion clothes are produced in deplorable social conditions. Oxfam France has estimated that for a t-shirt sold in Europe at 29 euros, women workers (because they are often women, exposing them to cases of sexual harassment, fast fashion is therefore also a feminist issue) earn just 0.18 euros for a working time of almost 12 hours!

What is slow fashion?

Slow fashion is therefore a counter-current to fast fashion, which also emerged in the 1990s. Researcher Kate Fletcher defines it as "a set of practices that celebrate the diversity of textile production and consumption and the notion of pleasure, while taking into account the limits of the resources at our disposal. This concerns the design, production and consumption cycle of a garment, as well as its end-of-life."The idea is to promote quality garments with stable materials that extend their lifespan, hence their sometimes high price tag. sometimes high prices. What's more, employees are paid fairly and work in good conditions, highlighting know-how that is often local. Slow fashion values promote conscious, limited consumption of fashion by proposing less intensive production in smaller quantities, transparency and sustainability in production methods.  

Slow fashion is therefore part of a conscious, minimalist approach to consumption, or even counter-consumerism, based on real need rather than compulsive desire. If you're interested, the association Bubble Ethic supports local artisans and ethical designers with the aim of raising awareness of more sustainable lifestyles.

Ana

Sustainable entrepreneurship for women

April 10, 2023, 2023asemaphore-CSRinfluencers

Fanny Arnaudo is a sustainability entrepreneur based in Geneva. In her search for meaning in her work, in 2015 she created Foounda social enterprise comprising a restaurant, a coworking space and an artists' residence that is offered free of charge. This enabled her to put more sustainability into her work and live in line with her values.

After studying international public law, business school and a master's degree in entrepreneurship, she worked for a number of large companies. Finding herself no longer at home there, she gradually turned to smaller structures to be more in tune with her vision. " I've always been interested in sustainability and entrepreneurship. I used to work in e-marketing, but I was losing touch with my interests so I created my dream job. A job that is more supportive, that supports the people I care about and that is inclusive, offering a space that is freely used within the Foound charter. "

Among the various actions put in place are soft mobility with cargo bikes, bartering, second-hand furniture, a restaurant with seasonal products and the Fait Main label, etc. Fanny also organizes events and offers members and external players the chance to create their own events here too. Foound has been awarded the BCorp label, which highlights companies with high environmental and governance standards. To run the space, Foound barter services: volunteers give five hours of their time in exchange for coworking space. This has enabled Fanny to set up her business with the right support, as entrepreneurship can be a lonely business. 

Although she didn't find being a woman a hindrance to her adventure, she did perceive a few difficulties. "As a woman, it's true that we're taken less seriously. Our space is community-based, so there are rules, but users test our limits more because I'm a woman." She supports feminist organizations and has joined Genuine Women, a group of female entrepreneurs, to whom she gives free access to the space.

Sustainability is therefore a real commitment for Fanny. But being sustainable isn't easy, because as she says, "sustainability is everywhere, in the smallest details".

His restaurant offers a menu that varies according to the season, and is certified Fait Main.

His restaurant, for example, offers a menu that is not fixed, as the menu varies with the seasons. This can lead to frustration, as customers who have enjoyed a certain dish may be disappointed not to see it on the menu the next time they come back. We therefore need to raise consumer awareness. There are also higher costs: you can't buy products abroad where it's cheaper, because it's more polluting. Label fees are also expensive, requiring time and investment to acquire. 

But Fanny is happy to choose sustainability, which has enabled her to attract people like herself and create an ecosystem full of energy that " renews itself and a living structure that feeds itself in a virtuous circle for everyone and society."

The advice she would give to any woman wanting to embark on sustainable entrepreneurship would be to do your homework and know how to prioritize tasks, because you can't do everything. " You have to juggle the time you give to an activity with its efficiency. Being flexible is a strength, but you have to set limits. It's also important not to hesitate to surround yourself with the right people (family and friends who have lent a hand with the work) and to seek help for more specific advice. In the end, you have to keep a transversal and global vision of sustainability. 

Ana

BCorp certification for SMEs: the Foound example

August 14, 2023, 2023asemaphore-CSRinfluencers

There are many labels in the world of CSR, but one that has gained momentum is BCorp certification, to the point where even large companies have taken it up. This label demonstrates that " companies (...) meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and legal responsibility. ". These companies complete a questionnaire, the B Impact Assessment, which covers the areas of governance, employee well-being, consumer rights, the environment and the community.. If they obtain a score of at least 80 out of 200, they become certified and join the BCorp community. Despite the many advantages, one of the major obstacles to any certification is the workload required, which can put off smaller structures. I had the opportunity to discuss this with Fanny Arnaudo, founder of Foound who obtained this certification despite the fact that Foound is a small company with a limited team.

Hello Fanny, thank you for accepting this interview. Could you tell me why it was important for you to begin the BCorp certification process?

Foound is an independent, autonomous structure with both profit and non-profit activities. I've been keen to put sustainability at the heart of my organizational model, but I'm aware that it's a unique model that may not be understood by everyone. With BCorp certification, I show transparency in the way I operate, and it brings clarity to Foound's reading grid. The BCorp organization organized training sessions on our premises and the founder advised me to acquire the certification. That's how I came into contact with them.

What was the certification process like for you? What difficulties did you encounter?

It was time-consuming and costly. It takes extra time and effort. It's a real commitment to start a BCorp certification process, as you have to provide numerous accounting documents and fill in a long questionnaire. We can enlist the help of consultants trained to guide companies through the certification process. Their remuneration depends on our means, but certification itself costs me 1,000 Swiss francs a year, as it's based on sales. What's more, you have to score 80 points out of 200, and that's not easy!

Despite the cost of certification, has the label brought you any benefits?

As I explained, it brings clarity to the Foound reading grid. What's more, it is accompanied by points for improvement that help, for example, to optimize sustainability and employee well-being. There's also the opportunity to join the BCorp community and take part in training events and workshops. What's more, the questionnaire covers a wide range of areas and requires information such as sales figures, so it shows that we're transparent.

Following certification, what are the next steps?

Certified companies are audited every two or three years and have to repeat the questionnaire, but only for the last two years in order to keep the label.

What advice would you give to small businesses wondering whether they should get certified?

The BCorp label makes it easier to structure and self-assess, especially when you're a small organization and easily caught up in several tasks. There is no real corporate sustainability control body, so this label adds value to what we do at Foound and allows us to take stock. However, the certification process is time-consuming and sometimes requires costly modifications if you're not sustainable from the outset. We may have to make major changes internally, and that's expensive too. Nevertheless, I'm satisfied overall, as it has enabled me to develop partnerships and attract customers who share my values and are equally committed to sustainability. Finally, I'd say that certification adds credibility.

Thank you Fanny for these valuable tips. To sum up, here are the reasons why even small companies should get certified.

1. Certification brings clarity to the way you operate.

2. It's proof of your company's transparency and sustainability.

3. It forces you to structure yourself better and take stock of your responsibility and sustainability actions.

4. It promotes your sustainability actions.

5. It attracts partners and customers who share your values.

6. It forces you to do better in terms of responsibility and sustainability.

Ana