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~ We Are Pentagon ~

one side of the world to the other. way. Although Azneo is going to be a niche player, we are no
longer in the early adopter phase of shoppers wanting to do
Polina Valcheva, Head of Marketplace at Azneo picks up on the right thing. It is not only about considering the environ-
the point, “We won’t be able to solve this immediately. We will mental impact. The conscious consumer wants to know who
create a carbon footprint of our own. But by empowering small is making the products they buy and that they are receiving
artisans to sell directly to consumers we put more money in a fair wage. Companies must reinvent their business models
their pockets, which will increase investment in local com- to prioritise the ethical treatment of labourers and respect
munities and improve education. It is access to education that for the resources and the environment from which those
enables people to become agents for change in the world.” resources come.”

Azneo’s Retail Director, Zornitsa Dobreva, continues, There is little doubt that the Azneo business model is on-
“Thanks to our partnership with ZigZag Global, we are able trend. But its success relies on building relationships with
to manage returns on a local level. Additionally, in response micro businesses from around the world, which are the busi-
to the consumer-led growth in the secondary market, we are nesses that the company claim are at the heart of its proposi-
working on a model that will place Azneo at the heart of this tion. This is where Dilyana Gramadarova and Vitaliya Kaleva
circular economy. By facilitating the reselling, recycling, gift- specialise: both live in Asia and are responsible for recruiting
ing, swapping or reusing of products, we encourage sustain- suitable merchants for the marketplace. Dilyana heads up
able brands and resellers to extend the life cycle of garments. Strategic Partnerships from her base in Bangkok and Vitaliya
is Head of Services and
Research suggests this is resides in Singapore.
“WE’VE GOT BIG DREAMS,
more than just a passing
trend. A 2015 Accenture “We are lucky that we
report predicted that the have developed a regional
DREAMS OF MAKING THE
circular economy will footprint in Asia and can
generate an additional source directly from the
$4.5 trillion by the year countries here,” begins
WORLD A BETTER PLACE. the merchants that are
2030.” Kaleva. “I help to select
Azneo has backing from suitable for Azneo before
the We Are Pentagon giving them the tools and
Group, a global technology and services business that spe- training to help them succeed. A lot of our sellers are new to
cialises in online marketplace management. Pentagon CEO, e-commerce, so for them this service approach is invaluable.”
Laurence Guy explains why he is supporting this project,
“We work with seventy marketplace channels around the Gramadarova continues, “We have some great partner
world and none of them are addressing the issue of sustain- relationships in the region, especially with DHL Express.
able and fair trade sourcing in a compelling and authentic We are working with their seller communities in more

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