The questionZERO Story
"The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it."
Having had the privilege to travel the world and now living in the UK for over 20 years, I constantly reflect on how fortunate we are to enjoy the beauty of nature around us and how easily it can all be lost. Growing up less than a mile away from a coal mine, I witnessed first-hand how that mine devastated everything around it — the beautiful forests, the lakes, and people's lives. I remember standing by a dying lake as a child and thinking, 'When I grow up, I will fix this.'
Tanya Larsen, The Boss
Coming from a small fishing town in Devon, UK, I have seen the negative impact our consumption can have on the local environment. From overfished species to pollution from fishing waste and destroyed seabeds, the fishing industry is just one of many that needs positive action to reduce the harm caused by human consumption.
George Baldwin, Big Data Wizard
I love bees! Businesses can learn many lessons from bees, especially in terms of working together, adaptability, and contributing positively to the environment. Without bees, we would not survive, and both bees and sustainable businesses need support to keep our planet running.
Graham Hutton, Beesiness Relations
I have seen the effects over-consumption has had on developing countries first-hand, both environmentally and socially. Nothing has opened my eyes more to the immediate need for a change and a dramatic reduction in the harm caused by human decisions.
Anna Taylor, Marketing Voice
As a student, the climate crisis is something I worry about a lot. It is hard knowing what is happening to the planet and not feeling like you can do much to help.
When the idea of questionZERO came up, I already knew how much of an impact it would have on my generation and many more to come. qZERO Sustainability Scores makes helping so much easier as it is a resource to make our everyday lives and necessities more sustainable as well as treating yourself to buy nice things climate guilt free.
Daisy Harrison, Social Media Guru
Sustainability is crucial at a time of rapid globalisation and constant growth in production. We overlooked the side effects of this growth, namely global warming, greenhouse gases, etc. Currently, when the world faces numerous problems such as wars, epidemics, and more, I have decided to devote my time to a project that I believe will help address the growing issues in the sphere of sustainable development and help to create that much needed real positive impact.
Eugene Soloviov, The Tech Guy
I have always been passionate about the environment, and since an early age have driven my friends and family mad by insisting on recycling everything from plastic lids to crisp packets! I am a keen runner and now having children of my own, I care about the environment more than ever. I teach my young children how to recycle, grow their own food, look after animals, using electricity minimally to ‘help protect the polar bears homes’ and understand the vital role that our insects have in the environment.
Miranda Coombes, The Deal Hustler
It takes a lot of hands to keep the sustainability wheel rolling: research, finance, accounts, legal, branding, tech, web design, client support, partnerships management, and business advisory - true teamwork!
Jason, Chris, Denis, Yao, Luke, Simon, Natalie, Gordon, Helen, Dale, Dasha, Nick, Kostya, Colin, Antony, Moreno, Sam, The Team
You can be a part of the unstoppable global force for change!
Welcome to the Team!
Tangible, positive, sustainability-focused impact is a fundamental value of questionZERO, the sustainability benchmarking platform focused on consumer engagement. Our business model adopts a holistic approach to sustainability, providing data, technology, and tools to promote and encourage sustainable consumer choices and business practices, thereby achieving measurable progress toward sustainability.
Founded with support from several local businesses, the University of Exeter, and SETsquared — a world-leading business incubator, as ranked in the Financial Times and Statista’s report on Europe’s leading startup hubs — the questionZERO platform represents a true collaborative effort. This initiative combines knowledge, experience, and a drive for innovation, aiming to lead the field in promoting sustainable business practices to consumers and creating a genuinely positive impact. But the main reason why we are doing this is because we really truly care. Yes, we do!
Addressing the Question Zero
The questionZERO headquarters is located in the beautiful Exe Valley of Devon, in the United Kingdom.
One day, a group of friends gathered, sharing stories about their adventures - the blue waves of the ocean, sunny beaches, clean and clear waterfalls, and the green leaves of rainforests. They reflected on how lucky they were to live where they do - with the lush grass in Devon, flowers, bees, and the amazing fresh summer smell of the earth after rain. They talked about the taste of whisky on a cold day in front of the fire after a day out, and a honey gin made with local honey. All these things they loved and wanted their children and grandchildren to enjoy for generations to come.
Then, the discussion turned to the realisation of how easily we could lose it all. While enjoying the unique nature surrounding us, we recognized that it hasn't always been a privilege we've had. As a team with diverse backgrounds and life experiences, we've seen firsthand the negative impact of human activity on the planet. This has become more apparent in recent years.
So, how can we stop the devastating changes happening to our surroundings, and how can we preserve and enjoy what we have?
It was clear - this concern is something that keeps us awake at night. Simple complacency is no longer an option. Action is needed.
'Question Zero,' the fundamental question of sustainability, must be addressed: How can we meet the growing needs of the present without compromising the future of our children?
This is how questionZERO, a sustainability benchmarking and data communication platform, was created, born out of passion, drive, and a deep motivation to create a true positive impact and help preserve our planet for the next generations.
The Challenge
The Planet is running out of time. There is too much talk and not enough action. With the visible Climate Change acceleration and the fact that global Net Zero targets are already being missed, or put back to the later date; and the first 12-month period in which temperatures averaged more than 1.5°C (2.7°F) was recorded in January 2024, something has to be done right now beforer its too late.
Having been in the e-commerce as well as sustainability space for many years through other business ventures, we've noticed an overwhelming amount of talk but a lack of practical action to effect real positive change. What's more, the dialogue often seems one-sided. While global governments and regulators are making significant efforts to establish useful rules and reporting guidelines, with commendable support from various non-governmental organisations, we, as consumers, often find ourselves unsure about what is right and what is wrong. Similarly, sustainable businesses, especially SMEs, often lack sufficient opportunities to provide feedback on sustainability requirements, facing a challenging balance between planet and profit.
The Power of Collective Action
It's becoming increasingly clear that to spark a global movement for change, we need to unite in collaboration, pool our efforts, and amplify our force. Recognizing this, we brainstormed to devise a practical solution to amplify the voices of both sustainable businesses and consumers who care.
We wanted to find a practical solution and pondered what could be a quick and impactful driver for change? One that bypasses the need for parliamentary votes and protracted government decisions. One that doesn't rely on endless investment rounds or taxpayer money allocations. One that simply works because it is effective.
The answer is clear - it's us, as consumers, who can enact change swiftly.
As 4 billion consumers, we can be the immediate and much-needed Power of Collective Action for change.
We don't need anyone's permission to buy; we just need to know what is BETTER to buy and integrate it into our daily choices. By opting for more sustainable products, we have a powerful voice that businesses and government organisations, reliant on our support as buyers and taxpayers, will have to listen to. By altering our daily shopping habits, we can cast a vote for a better tomorrow with our wallets. Remember, it's us, as consumers, who keep the economy's wheels turning.
qZERO Sustainabilty Score
While it might seem complex, we realised our unique position to leverage our extensive business experience, technical expertise in e-commerce and sustainable finance, and academic collaborations to create a solution that is easily accessible and hassle-free for everyone.
We have developed a Sustainability rating system for consumers, akin to Trust Pilot ratings but based on solid data. Our qZERO Sustainability Score empowers consumer engagement in accelerating Net Zero through sustainable shopping choices by providing quantifiable sustainability data at the point of sale.
Collaborations
Working together towards the Sustainable Development Goals is critical for acheaving a tangible Net Zero impact, thats why while supporting United Nations Development Goals overal, questionZERO's main focus is on Partnerships for the Goals.
What's even more exciting is that e-commerce has no borders. The global consumer market is vast, and global Partnerships for the Goals can have a significant impact on addressing that highly important Question Zero regarding sustainability, accelerating Net Zero progress, and slowing down Climate Change.
Contact our team to discuss possible collaborations and help to make a difference.
Right now.
