Leading business into sustainability

Ilea Buffier wants to help people lower their carbon emissions and save money at the same time.

What is your company name?

Evalue8 Sustainability

How would you explain your company to a toddler?

Empower all businesses and organisations to do their part to reduce our environmental footprint and making it easy for them, plus they will probably save money. Any good plan needs a starting point, a goal, and to track progress – that’s what we are helping them with.

How would you explain your company to an investor?

Evalue8 Sustainability is a Clean Tech, B2B, SaaS business. We are unlocking the power of business to move quickly towards a zero-carbon future.

By linking carbon and financial accounting software, Evalue8 provides businesses with clear visibility of emissions and energy-saving opportunities. The software provides tailored solutions and links directly to energy and emissions reduction service providers, allowing businesses to lower their costs and provide their customers with lower or net zero emissions goods and services.

What made you start your business? Was there a turning point that helped you take the leap?

Since I was a teenager, I have had a strong belief that business is a valuable tool to help address climate change. In 2002 my dad won a United Nations environmental award for assisting organisations to reduce their energy and water use. I wanted to make this repeatable, the only problem was I didn’t know anything about business. So, in 2003 I bought Ninetwofive Interiors (then called Canberra Contract Furniture), and in 2005 I invested in Carbon Planet and started Ninetwofive Sustainability, which offered Carbon Planet’s and other businesses sustainability services. When this was starting to take off, there was the repeal of the carbon price and the GFC, and everything halted. I continued to build my governance skills as a Non-Executive Director and focus on my family. Now the time is right, and I’m keen to put everything I can into building Evalue8 into something that can have a global impact.

What part of being in GRIFFIN are you most excited about?

Receiving the input from the amazing mentors. I feel so privileged to be able to get a perspective on the world from their viewpoint and expand my horizons. The supportive and encouraging team is great as well, and the learning tailored to when we need it.

What part of GRIFFIN are you most scared of?

I’m a recovering perfectionist, so showing rough work widely is not something I’m very comfortable with yet.

What do you expect to achieve and learn in this program over the next 12 weeks?

How to identify and demonstrate the information that investors will focus on. Learning the art of listening to customers and how to incorporate their feedback without losing focus on the business’ core purpose.

Which movie or television character best describes your business personality?

Captain Planet. His catchphrase was “the power is yours”, which ties in with another quote I like from Robert Swan, “the greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it”.

How can we find you on social media?