The team

Tim Lee

Co-Founder and CEO of Utilitarian. Technical Editor at TexSPACE Today.

Why I started Utilitarian

I started Utilitarian because we have been calling for a circular economy for decades and the economics have not allowed it to happen.

The status quo will not change unless brands and retailers play a more active role in shaping consumer behaviour at end-of-life. They are the only players close enough to the customer to do that.

Technology and data now make a different model possible.

Background

Tim founded Utilitarian in 2022 and leads the company from Rotterdam.

Prior roles

National Sales and Business Development Manager, Health, Veolia Australia and New Zealand (January 2018 to July 2022). Commercial sales and operations leadership inside a regulated waste-and-resources business at national scale. Direct exposure to the contractual, infrastructure, and compliance realities that retail take-back lives inside, on the side of the operator rather than the brand.
Founder and CEO, Utilitarian (August 2022 to present). Built the platform, ran the Netherlands pilot, and signed the public partner set: INTERSPORT, Runnersworld, EK Sport, FastFeetGrinded.

Credentials

Master of Business Administration, Sustainability Studies and Strategic Management, University of Technology Sydney. The combination that drives the editorial line on this site: take-back as a commercial channel first, sustainability outcome second.
Bachelor of Science, Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Sydney.

Connect with Tim on LinkedIn

Technical Editor at TexSPACE Today

Tim is Technical Editor at TexSPACE Today, the textile and apparel circularity trade title, appointed 6 May 2026. The role carries a bi-monthly column on the operational realities of circularity, take-back economics, and the data and systems work that closes loops at commercial scale.

Recent contributions:

The bin in the home is the enemy. You cannot trace your way out of that. (21 April 2026). Why product-level traceability is downstream of the participation decision the customer makes at home.
The overlooked problem in fibre to fibre textile recycling. (28 March 2026). Why fibre-to-fibre recyclers can have the technology, the buyers, and the funding, and still fail without a collection infrastructure that delivers the right feedstock to the right plant. Renewcell as the case study.

Full archive on Tim's TexSPACE Today author page.

In the press

Coverage of The Loop circular concept store opening with Runnersworld in Eindhoven, August 2025.

FashionUnited, 26 August 2025. Runnersworld opent circulaire winkel met meubels van gerecyclede schoenen.
Marketing Tribune, 26 August 2025. Runnersworld start circulair concept: 22.000 schoenen verwerkt in winkelinrichting.
RetailTrends, 25 August 2025. Deze retailer verkoopt sportschoenen en maakte zijn winkel ervan.
Duurzaam Ondernemen, 26 August 2025. Runnersworld richt winkel in met gerecyclede hardloopschoenen.
Fonk Magazine, 27 August 2025. Runnersworld richt winkel in met gerecyclede hardloopschoenen.

All five pieces are coverage of the pilot rather than profile pieces on Tim. Named voices in the coverage are Danny Pormes (owner of Runnersworld Hoorn and founder of FastFeetGrinded) and Ron Bruinenberg (Manager Retail and Expansion, EK Sport).

Get in touch

For media, partnerships, or platform questions.

Talk to us → Read the Netherlands case study →