In 2014, Santiago Lefebvre joined an MBA at INSEAD, the equivalent of a bac + 5 degree in business management, recognized internationally. At the same time, he sees more and more solutions for the environment appear on social networks. In December 2015, he participated in COP 21 in Paris. A click. He then embarked on an ambitious goal: to create the first global event that brings together actors from 120 countries, stakeholders in concrete solutions for the planet. Bet won.
What is the genesis of Change Now?
SANTIAGO LEFEBVRE. With the other two co-founders, including my wife, we didn't know anyone in the ecological transition or events. For months, partners were canvassed, without success. Three months before the first edition, everything was ready, we had put all our savings to rent Station F, the Parisian start-up incubator, but still no funding. It's June 2017 and former U.S. President Donald Trump is coming out of the Paris Accords. A political time that triggers an interest in our project. It changes everything. French Tech becomes our first financial partner.
What has changed since the first edition?
The dimension of the event has changed a lot. The meeting with the Grand Palais teams in 2020 changed Change Now's adventure. We explained our project to them by presenting it as a universal exhibition, but for the planet. They agreed. We then went from a surface area of 2,000 m2 to 15,000 m2 and from 6,000 visitors in 2018 to 28,000 in 2020. Today, 30,000 to 35,000 visitors are expected for this 6th edition.
How would you present this year's event?
Today, Change Now is a way to reconcile people with a future that is not scary. We are going to talk a lot about biodiversity. With the climate, this is the greatest emergency. Who better to talk about threatened regions than the people who live there! Representatives of indigenous peoples will come to carry the voice of these territories where deforestation is rife. Innovations that contribute to their protection will also be presented. We seek to create bridges between these populations and the actors of change (political decision-makers, companies, investors), so that they can find the support they need.
"This meeting made it possible to include a new article of law stipulating the obligation to equip every new washing machine sold in France, from 2025, with microplastic filters. "
Santiago Lefebvre
What can be done at Change Now?
It is first and foremost an experience. For companies, opportunities for collaboration in terms of innovation on sobriety topics, but also more technical or social things. It is also the meeting between projects and political decision-makers, such as mayors or ministers. Saturday is open to the general public. Visitors will be able to attend lectures in French. A space dedicated to recruitment and training is also planned. A comedy show will take place on the theme of the environment. Children will be able to attend workshops but also a treasure hunt. Art also has its place, with a participatory work on display at the entrance, which invites everyone to reflect on an environmental topic and make a commitment.
Personally, what do you expect from this new edition?
I am waiting to see the concrete benefits for the solutions that are present at the summit. In the past, the Secretary of State for the Ecological Transition, Brune Poirson (since became Director of Sustainable Development of the Accor Group), met PlanetCare, a Slovenian start-up that develops a filter for washing machines that recovers plastic microfibers. This meeting made it possible to include a new article of law stipulating the obligation to equip each new washing machine sold in France, from 2025, with microplastic filters. Every year, we are surprised by the commitment of the actors and visitors, with a real desire to make things happen. On the other hand, there is a real need to speak to new audiences, to democratize the transition. We have a program with influencers like L'Écureuil curieux (315,000 followers on TikTok), WhySauceS (957,000 TikTok subscribers) or Charlotte Lemay (145,000 followers on Instagram). They come to discover what we do and it allows us to create new bridges with younger communities or communities far from the subject.
Change Now takes place on May 25, 26 and 27, at the Grand Palais éphémère, 2, place Joffre, in Paris (VIIth), from 8:30 am to 18 pm. Information and rates on www.changenow.world.