Digital Evolution Podcast: Sophie Walker

This year we’ve been working on many exciting new projects with a huge variety of clients, as well as our own in-house adventures too. One of these endeavours is a brand new form of content: the Digital Evolution Podcast.

We wanted to tap into our connections in the North West to create new conversations around technology, and ultimately how it can be implemented in various traditional businesses to promote growth. 

Businesses with long-standing legacies are often reluctant to take a digital approach now, with those that don’t likely to suffer in the future. In response to this, we wanted to bring innovators to the table who have seen success from implementing a digital strategy in their fields of expertise, and hopefully inspire traditional industries to think about the future of their businesses.

First up on the podcast is Sophie Walker, Co-Founder and COO of Dsposal, a start-up which uses technology to connect waste producers with licensed waste services. We loved hearing about Sophie’s experiences in setting up a digital business and everything she has planned for Dsposal. 

In case you missed the podcast, here’s an insight into the conversation which covered everything from digital transformation to sustainability in business…

Sophie and her partner Tom set-up the business in 2016 and launched in 2018, but it was during their cycling tour of North America when the idea came into existence. Tom was surprised by the lack of technology that could help people to manage their waste disposal in his industry, a common trait throughout many traditional businesses.

The pair were asking a crucial question: how can we use tech to help other companies to dispose of their waste in better ways? After 18 months of research and platform-building, the idea came to fruition and is already helping businesses move towards a digitally-driven sustainable approach to disposal.

Sophie said one of the key aspects of starting out was the power of what they wanted to achieve and Tom’s experience helped them to form that goal.

‘If you have a problem, and you’re solving a problem that really exists, it helps you to solve it in the best possible way.’

Whilst considering the needs of a wide pool of users, Dsposal were able to establish exactly what it is that people in the industry need. By keeping this as a priority for development, they were able to start off on the best foot possible with their main aim in mind: to put people first. 

In this way, the challenges Sophie mentioned in the podcast were very much similar to some we have also faced at J B Cole. The Waste Industry, like many other traditional industries, is reluctant to adopt technological change at the same rate that they have been implementing physical adaptations to their processes.

‘What we’re trying to do is bring not just new technology, but a new way of thinking about technology.’

We’d like to say a huge thank you to Sophie for being first up on the podcast and bringing such insightful thoughts about digitalisation and strategy to the table.

Check out Dsposal and everything they’ve been up to – they’re making some big moves in their industry which could change the future of waste in the UK forever.

Keep your eyes peeled for the next instalment of Digital Evolution where we’ll be talking all things Industry 4.0. See you soon!