Our story
Our mission
Homie strives for a cleaner world
Appliances are becoming increasingly short-lived and are discarded quickly. Sustainable alternatives are often expensive, causing many households to continue using old and inefficient machines. This only increases the negative impact on the environment.
The European Union and the Dutch government are aiming for a fully circular economy by 2050. This requires smarter use of raw materials, a longer product lifespan, and more conscious consumer use.
Homie is taking the quest for a cleaner world one step further. In collaboration with the manufacturer, we have developed our own energy-efficient and affordable appliances. With our Homies, we make sustainable appliances like washing machines accessible to everyone. Good for the environment and your wallet.
Why Homie
Product-as-a-Service
Homie was founded on the question: how can we encourage the sustainable use of household appliances?
Homie contributes to a circular economy by offering its appliances as a service (product-as-a-service) and by encouraging efficient use. The end user rents the appliance, and Homie remains the owner and responsible for it.
This means you never have to buy an appliance again, we promote sustainable and efficient use, and we encourage manufacturers to develop appliances that last longer. This extends the lifespan of appliances and reduces energy consumption and CO2 emissions.
Our impact
Homie encourages efficient usage
Many people don’t realise it, but most of the environmental impact of a washing machine comes from how it’s used. That’s why we provide insight into your usage and encourage efficient behaviour. For example, choosing a cold or ECO program costs less than hot inefficient cycles. This makes sustainable washing easy and affordable.
Social impact
Clean clothes for everyone
Homie also provides appliances to people who are struggling, because we believe everyone deserves clean clothes. For example, we donate washing machines to the Ontmoeting foundation. Founded in Rotterdam in 1988, this organisation helps people who have become stuck in life to get back on their feet.
Our history
About Homie
Homie was founded in 2018 by Dr. Nancy Bocken, Hidde-Jan Lemstra and Colin Bom. What started as a sustainable initiative with a full pay-per-use model has grown into a subscription service for household appliances. Today there are more than 6,500 Homie users and we continue to grow steadily.
How we contribute to circularity
1. We extend appliance lifetimes
We provide energy-efficient machines with long lifespans and encourage manufacturers to build appliances that are more efficient, durable and easy to repair. By carefully refurbishing and redeploying our appliances, they last much longer and fewer new machines need to be produced.
2. We influence sustainable consumption behaviour
Research shows people want to choose sustainable options when appliances are accessible and affordable.
3. Shared use of appliances
Besides serving individual households, we also support shared use of appliances. In modern sustainable housing complexes, not everyone owns their own washer or dryer anymore. Sharing Homie appliances is cheaper and better for the environment.
4. Social contribution
Homie appliances with remaining lifespan are donated to social organisations.
5. We reduce electronic waste
Together with Wecycle we recycle components and old Homie and non-Homie appliances that can no longer be reused.
