Celebrating sustainable start-ups
The Green Challenge is one of the world's largest competitions in the field of sustainable entrepreneurship. Since 2007 the competition has supported mind-blowing entrepreneurs – each one working to build a fairer, greener world.
Richard Branson has been involved in the competition since the beginning and has continuously encouraged all entrepreneurs with a great green idea to enter. According to Richard: “One smart, creative idea can make a huge difference."
From reducing pollution, to saving energy, to providing electric vehicle charging solutions – each idea has been designed to fight the climate crisis and each will be ready to launch upon receiving one final injection of support and funding.
The ChargeBnB platform offers a solution for the limited charging options for electric cars – and the rapidly rising number of electric cars in Norway. Owners of electric charging points can share them with their surrounding area by using the ChargeBnB platform.
Liion Power is a ‘Battery Life Extender’ – a solution that sustainably charges the batteries in rechargeable electronics such as a smartphone. In this way, the lifespan of the battery and therefore the device will be maximised.
Mimbly is a Swedish start-up that wants to make the world wash smarter. Mimbly has developed a patented technology that recycles up to 70% of the water, saves up to 30% of the energy in washing machines, and filters out microplastics.
Tyre wear is the second largest microplastic pollutant in the ocean, and a stealthy source of air pollution. The Tyre Collective is developing a retrofittable device, right at the wheel, to prevent these harmful particles from entering the ecosystem.
Warmduscher has developed a heat exchanger that combines convenience and sustainability. The residual heat from the warm shower water does not simply disappear down the drain, but preheats the cold fresh water, thus saving up to 40% energy.
The five finalists pitch their start-up to an international jury on 14 October 2021 during the online final in Amsterdam (which is open for everyone to join). The jury will decide who will receive the first prize of €500,000 and who will take home the runner-up prize of €200,000.
Learn more about the competition and this year's finalists by visiting the Postcode Lotteries' Green Challenge website.