We love seeing innovative brands and start-ups making their mark, so following the close of COP26 we’ve pulled together a list of inspiring SMEs, greenpreneurs and start-ups doing their bit for the climate crisis.
As our team watched COP26 (The 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference) play out on the news cycle, our conversations were dominated by climate change too. As an innovation and SME obsessed team, we soon also realised everyone has discovered, used or endorsed innovative green products or services lately.
We’ve compiled some of the best and most interesting below to share with our network:
1. Notpla
Producers of edible, biodegradable packaging made from seaweed, Notpla’s liquid-filled sachets are designed to replace the vast amounts of single-use plastics we consume, including the 8 million tonnes of plastic dumped into the ocean every year.
The product was trialed successfully at the London Marathon a couple of years ago, as runners were handed the sachets for a mid-race pick-me-up.
We’re blown away by their product Ooho, a tiny capsule made from Notpla, a material made from seaweed and plants that disappears naturally. This packaging innovation is one to watch, with the potential to reduce plastic waste in years to come.
2. Mum & You
The husband-and-wife duo behind Mum & You, Rajiv and Anu Chandra, design recyclable and sustainable nappies, and eco-friendly baby wipes that are 100% bio-degradable. This business wants to make an impact on one of the greatest landfill pollutants today, disposable diapers. Thinking about the generations to come, they made a conscious choice to produce their own fully recyclable diapers to give more sustainable options for parents.
The founders have commented, “There’s no reason why, in our industry and beyond, everyone shouldn’t be switching to plant-based materials in products and packaging.”
Mum & You have now sold over 1 million packs of their plant-based wet wipes through Amazon and their website – with demand only increasing.
3. Panda
Bamboo products have been sprouting up in the market offering an alternative to cotton and other manufacturing materials. Panda is a bamboo bedding company on a mission to educate the UK on the benefits of using bamboo as a sustainable material for our bedsheets.
We’ve learned from Panda that bamboo is the world’s fastest-growing plant, needing much less water to grow than cotton, and can grow up to almost a metre a day. Even better, the plant can absorb greenhouse gases, releases lots of oxygen into the atmosphere, and the overall production is healthier for the environment too as it doesn’t require harmful chemicals.
4. Too Good To Go
The movement against food waste is very visible especially in cities like London, with many apps now available to help share extra, unwanted food or grocery services providing organic produce that’s deemed unfit for commercial supermarkets. The danger of food waste is that when it goes to landfills it produces a large amount of methane gas. This powerful greenhouse gas traps heat in the atmosphere and hinders attempts to slow global warming.
Too Good To Go is preventing food waste and encouraging sustainable food shopping by allowing people to purchase unsold leftovers from a range of restaurants at a discounted price.
With 7 million active users and almost 16K businesses selling their surplus food on the platform, TGTG is raising awareness and encouraging people to think differently about how wasting food is negatively impacting the environment.
They’ve certainly inspired us with their contribution to the global food waste movement, and as they say on their website, ”It’s only when we all come together to fight food waste, that we’ll be able to generate a positive change in society.”
5. Pollution Solution
We know it’s a little cheeky to include a THPR client – but we couldn’t stop ourselves. Pollution Solution is the brainchild of Tom Delgado – a serial entrepreneur with a big dream to clean up traffic air pollution via a unique air filter designed to suck up vehicle emissions. Two years ago we worked with Tom to raise awareness in media outlets such as The Times and BBC and now – we are VERY excited to announce – we are working with him again and a big new announcement. STAY TUNED!
Did you enjoy this round-up of climate change start-ups? For other inspirational content, read about the fashion innovators driving positive change.
