01 September 2020
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British start-ups Jiva Materials and SoluBlue have been awarded a place in the final for the 2020 Postcode Lotteries Green Challenge. The two start-ups, working to tackle some of the most challenging types of waste pollution, have won at least €100,000 each and are now in the running for the €500,000 grand prize.
Over 650 planet-saving start-ups from across Britain, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, and Germany applied to this year’s Postcode Lotteries Green Challenge.
Jiva Materials has been recognised for its work tackling the fastest growing waste stream in the world, electronic waste. The start-up has developed a flax-based printed circuit board (PCB) called Soluboard which can be separated in hot water. This enables rare and precious metals to be efficiently and safely extracted from electronic devices for new purposes.
SoluBlue has made the final for its work eliminating food and plastic waste.
Through their patented seaweed-based packaging, SoluBlue prevents food from rotting and instead enables it to gradually dry out over time by absorbing excess moisture. This hyper biodegradable packaging can transform the shelf life of food and opens up new opportunities for the dried food to be used in cooking and animal feed.
Clara Govier, managing director at People’s Postcode Lottery, commented: "This year has been an especially important year for environmental entrepreneurship and creativity as the world looks to build back better from the impacts of coronavirus.
"I am delighted that Postcode Lotteries Green Challenge is playing a unique role in propelling some of the world’s most innovative technologies based here in Britain to tackle the unsustainable use of resources. I wish the best of luck to Jiva Materials and SoluBlue as they prepare for the Grand Final!"
The competition, hosted by People’s Postcode Lottery and its sister lotteries in Europe, is one of the world’s largest annual sustainability competitions. The awards champion start-ups that successfully combine sustainability, entrepreneurship, and creativity to help tackle some of the most pressing environmental challenges.
The six finalists are guaranteed to be awarded at least €100,000 and a place on a bespoke accelerator programme. Each will now pitch their business models to the international jury for the chance to be crowned the overall winner of this year’s competition and win €500,000. The runner up will receive €200,000.