Startups for the Future: Here are Europe’s best Circular Economy Business Ideas

A plant-based alternative to plastic coating for fruit and vegetables, a digital platform for circular fashion, a sustainable cushioning material, a plastic-like but ecological food packaging, a global platform for trading recyclable materials and a second life for electric car batteries – these startup ideas are nominated for the 2022 Green Alley Award and they are going to boost the circular economy.

Mainz, March 17, 2022. The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report leaves no doubts: climate change is real and mankind has only a brief window of time to avoid the worst. This is a call to action for European nations to meet their climate goals and implement innovative solutions.

“We need a circular economy to get to zero emissions and I am glad that Landbell Group supports this path by promoting innovations from circular economy startups,” says Jan Patrick Schulz, CEO of Landbell Group and founder of the Green Alley Award, an annual European prize for startups in the circular economy. “Waste prevention, recycling and reuse of products and materials are essential strategies to cut global greenhouse gas emissions. With the Green Alley Award, we can hopefully foster some circular solutions for various sectors and industries.”

Since 2014, Landbell Group, a global provider of environmental and chemical compliance solutions, has presented the Green Alley Award to startups whose innovative products, services or technologies help to make the most efficient use of resources and reduce waste drastically.

Six startups have now been selected from a total of 177 applications and will pitch at the Green Alley Award finals on April 28, 2022, live in Berlin. The winner of the finals will receive prize money of €25,000.

Here are the finalists

Climate change, pollution and littering do not stop at national borders, they are global challenges that need to be tackled internationally. Appropriately enough, the six Green Alley Award finalists are truly European, coming from Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the UK. From circular textiles and sustainable packaging to circular batteries and the digital circular economy, the startups address vital topics – and here are their outstanding solutions:

Agree (Italy) No more plastic wrapping: The plant-based edible coating, developed by Agree, protects fruit and vegetables, which increases shelf life and avoids food waste. https://agreenet.webflow.io

Atelier Riforma (Italy) Enabling circular fashion: Using AI technology and a digital platform, Atelier Riforma helps the fashion industry to optimize the reuse and resale of textile waste. www.atelier-riforma.it/en/

FlexiHex (UK) Eliminate styrofoam and bubble wrap: The FlexiHex plastic packaging alternative made of paper has a patented honeycomb design to protect fragile items. www.flexi-hex.com

MakeGrowLab (Poland) Biomaterial revolution: The coatings and films with plastic-like properties for food packaging can be recycled either like paper or biodegrade in your organic bin. www.makegrowlab.com

ScrapAd (Spain) Green marketing: ScrapAd provides a global platform for trading recyclable materials to counteract the lack of information in the recycling industry. www.scrapad.com

Voltfang (Germany) Extending the lifecycle of batteries: Voltfang’s green electricity storage system uses electric car batteries to provide clean energy at home. www.voltfang.de

All six finalists will present their business idea live on stage in Berlin on April 28, 2022. The jury will then ask them questions to determine the Green Alley Award winner for 2022. If you want to find out more about the startups and experience the award ceremony live in Berlin, register for the event here: https://green-alley-award.com/event-registration/

Press Contact Julia Linz, Marketing & Communication, Landbell Group Mail: j.linz@landbellgroup.com, Phone: +49 173 2924178

About the Green Alley Award The Green Alley Award is Europe’s only startup prize specifically for the circular economy. Its mission is to turn the linear into a circular economy and transform the waste and recycling industry as we know it today. The annual European prize was created in 2014 by Landbell Group, the leading supplier of global environmental and chemical compliance services, along with Germany’s crowdfunding pioneer, Seedmatch. For more information, visit: www.green-alley-award.com