The Postcode Lotteries Green Challenge finals will be held on 14 October, awarding an innovative startup with a €500,000 prize for successfully combining sustainability, entrepreneurship, and creativity.
A total of 574 green startups from the Netherlands, Germany, Great Britain, Sweden, and Norway (the five Postcode Lotteries countries) submitted their business plan for the 2021 Postcode Lotteries Green Challenge competition. The top 25 entries were announced over the summer, with the five finalists named in September.
Don’t miss out on this exciting virtual event
This year’s final of the Postcode Lotteries Green Challenge will be held on Thursday, 14 October from 11-12 CEST. This entirely online event will give each of the five finalists a chance to pitch the plans for their green business — and the entire world is invited to watch. Online registration is free and still open, offering attendees a one-of-a-kind opportunity to see what the future of sustainable business looks like.
What can they win?
For the five finalists in the competition, participation in the Postcode Lotteries Green Challenge can be a life-changing event. All five finalists receive over six months of expert coaching in addition to the financial reward — €500,000 for the winner, €200,000 for the runner up and €100,000 for the other finalists.
Meet this year’s finalists
The five finalists for the 2021 event are:
ChargeBnB: Norway’s finalist focuses on an increasingly prevalent issue for drivers of electric vehicles — a lack of accessible charging stations. While 54 percent of vehicles sold in Norway were electric, IEA estimates that 87 percent of electric vehicle charging stations are inaccessible to the public. ChargBnB aims to make these stations more accessible by creating what it calls the “AirBnb of EV charging.” Owners of private chargers can manage, share and monetize their stations by allowing other drivers to reserve and use their chargers.
Liion Power: The finalist from the Netherlands is focused on creating a more sustainable future for lithium-ion batteries, which are used in more electronic devices than ever before. Because regular chargers focus on fast charging rather than extending battery life, lithium-ion batteries degrade quickly, contributing to waste. LiionPower aims to alleviate this problem with a universal battery life extender that can be placed between the normal charger and the device for more sustainable charging.
Mimbly: Sweden’s finalist aims to address several environmental issues related to doing laundry with a single device. The company’s “Mimbox” is connected to washing machines to capture microplastics as small as 50 microns, which would otherwise be released into the local water supply during each load of laundry. The device also filters and recycles gray water to significantly reduce the water and energy consumption associated with using a washing machine.
The Tyre Collective: Great Britain’s finalist focuses on a commonly overlooked pollutant associated with passenger vehicles: tire wear. Micro-plastic tire wear particles are a leading cause of ocean pollution and a contributor to air pollution. To stop this problem in its tracks, The Tyre Collective has developed a device that is installed at the wheel to capture tire particles with electrostatics and airflow. The captured particles can even be reused to manufacture new tires.
Warmduscher GmbH: The German finalist has developed a product known as “Der Warmduscher,” which is a retrofit heat exchanger for shower water. The heat exchanger is placed on the floor of the shower, where it captures heat from hot wastewater. This energy is transferred to the shower’s cold water supply, helping to reduce energy costs associated with showering by 40 percent. The retrofit device also features a sustainable bamboo platform and can be retrofitted to an existing shower without the need for specialty tools.
Keen to see who’s taking home the €500,000 prize? Register now to join the finals on October 14 and find out!
Get the TNW newsletter
Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.
