I’m Mark Howells, founder of Anti.

I originally studied Industrial design at university back in the 90’s and secured a place via a series of upcyled designs. I graduated from the product design world very disillusioned with the ‘take, make, dispose’ principles that were at the time still enforced as the right way to design and fuel consumption.

I came away from design and began my career in engineering, moving into environmental engineering and then surveying for many years, eventually as a board level director at a successful surveying firm. In the background I had continued to design and became obsessed with the Circular Economy and how to successfully apply CE principles to a successful business. I had reached a crossroads in my career and needed a completely new challenge and was also acutely aware I could be using my time and skills to focus on something more ethical. 

What inspired you to launch your business and what is the end goal?

Us humans produce such vast and varied waste streams that have many other uses opposed to landfill or incineration.  In the short term, I believe designers hold the key (and the power) to finding alternative uses for much of the waste we produce. I wanted to create a business that could highlight the issues relating to existing waste streams and provide immediate solutions that are scalable via innovative design. It was also very important that the business had circular economy principles embedded in everything it does.

How do you set yourself apart from other businesses in your industry?

Our first products are focused on using discarded broken umbrellas. There are one billion umbrellas produced every year. They are not designed to last and they are not designed to be recycled. They have valuable metals, plastics and nylon that can be reused. We produce two innovative lamp designs using the umbrellas components. I love these designs, but I do not want to be building them in 10 years’ time.

Instead, I’d love our designs to highlight the issue, make the waste circular until the problem is solved at source by an improved design, a different system or both. Changing the design at source is also something we look at from the beginning when working with a particular waste stream.  If the umbrella waste problem is solved, then there are plenty of other waste streams for us to focus on.  

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt so far as an entrepreneur?

Trust your instinct and don’t listen to the naysayers.  Care about what other people think and you’ll always be their prisoner.

With all the success stories around entrepreneurship and how innovative people have to be to take the leap. How do you think you’ve innovated your sector and why?

It’s still very early in our journey since launch but I would say ‘honesty’ is critical to what we are doing.  Designing a product based 100% on circular economy principles requires a huge amount of honesty and is definitely more challenging than designing a linear lifecycle product. 

For example, if you are utilising existing waste streams (as we are), are you genuinely solving a problem that needs solving.  Throughout the design process it would be very easy to shortcut to a solution by using a component, material or process that doesn’t meet circular economy principles. To be honest, 99% of the time no one would even know any different, but we would.  It has to be all or nothing to really make the circular economy work.  

What are your thoughts on failure?

Sometimes it’s necessary.  It never feels like it at the time, but we all have examples of how we evolved following a failure.  Use it, instead of letting it use you.

Do you have a morning routine or ritual to get your day started on the right foot?

I have a daughter who’s one and half, so mornings are all about her.   

What plans do you have for Anti over the next two years?

Release one more product line that utilises a different waste stream.  We are starting to work with businesses that have come to us with a waste problem.  The B2B side of the business is something I would like to develop. I am also keen to commit more time to sustainable design at the academic level.  Designers hold the solutions. 

How did you conquer those moments of doubt that so often affect entrepreneurs or stop many with great ideas – what pushes you through?

I remember the bigger picture behind the reason for doing this and then the plan that I put in place to achieve the business goals.  Focus on achieving the next steps don’t try to do everything at once. Ultimately ‘trust the process’!

Any moments where you thought you’ve bitten off more than you can chew

There have definitely been periods when it’s been harder than I thought it would be.

Any new product launches we should know about?

I’m currently working with a large construction contractor that has a plastic-based waste stream. Our role is to understand the waste in detail and how best to transform into new circular products