Circu Li-ion’s Counter-Intuitive Approach to Selling Sustainability: Start with Economics, Not Impact
Most sustainability startups lead with their environmental impact. For Circu Li-ion CEO Antoine Welter, three weeks of customer meetings across the U.S. taught him why this approach fails. In a recent Category Visionaries episode, he shared how reversing the traditional sustainability pitch transformed their sales conversations.
The Market Reality Check
Despite building a company inspired by environmental values – Antoine recalls his mother “teaching me anti consumption and take care of nature” – he discovered that enterprise customers have different priorities. “I traveled the US for three weeks visiting customers and investors in December, learned that in US, if you start a story with sustainability, no one cares, but you always need to start with money first.”
Flipping the Script
This insight led Circu Li-ion to completely revamp their sales approach. As Antoine explains, “The initial pitch, especially in economic or tough times, is we’re the cheaper solution for you to get rid of your battery economically and ecologically viable.” The environmental benefit became a bonus feature, not the main selling point.
The numbers made this approach compelling. Antoine notes they can deliver “anywhere above 40% less cost by using our service.” By leading with concrete cost savings, they transformed sustainability from a nice-to-have into a business imperative.
Building Proof Points
To make this economic-first pitch credible, Circu Li-ion invested in demonstrable results. “We’re not a paper startup,” Antoine emphasizes. They built their own facility where “customers come, they see their own classically, they do a bigger pilot project with us before they visit us, so that they can really see their own batteries being processed.”
Scaling Through Economics
Their focus on economics extended to their deployment model. Rather than building standalone facilities, they developed what Antoine calls “the McDonald’s of upcycling” – implementing their solution within existing infrastructure. This approach not only reduced costs but also accelerated adoption: “By using existing infrastructure, we can scale a lot quicker.”
Market-Specific Messaging
Antoine notes an important regional difference: “A little bit different in Europe, but I think at the end of the day, as I mentioned, especially in economic more difficult times, you always have to have an economical value proposition.” Even in markets more receptive to sustainability messaging, leading with economics proves more effective.
Lessons for Sustainability Founders
Circu Li-ion’s experience offers crucial insights for founders selling sustainability solutions:
- Lead with concrete cost savings, not environmental impact
- Make sustainability the supporting argument, not the main pitch
- Invest in demonstrable proof points
- Build a scalable economic model
- Adapt messaging to market conditions while maintaining focus on business value
Their journey shows that the most effective way to drive sustainable practices isn’t through environmental appeals but by making them economically irresistible. As Antoine’s experience demonstrates, when you can prove that being sustainable saves money, the environmental impact becomes a valuable bonus rather than the core selling point.
For technical founders building sustainability solutions, the lesson is clear: start with the economics, and let the impact follow. It might feel counter-intuitive, but it’s often the fastest path to achieving both business and environmental goals.