Green Alley Award 2018: ERP Italia's contribution to the search for circular economy startups

Erp Italia, among the first non-profit collective systems in Italy in terms of collection of waste electrical equipment (WEEE) and waste batteries and accumulators (RPA), is an Italian partner of the 2018 Green Alley Award, a European competition for startups that occupy of circular economy.

The award is aimed at all startups and young entrepreneurs who have developed a business model in the areas of digital circular economy, recycling and waste treatment.

Specifically, the tender is aimed at companies that are about to launch their products or services onto the market, or that are already in the growth phase or who wish to expand into other European markets. The only condition is that the business idea aims to satisfy the concept of circular economy and generate resources from recycling.

The Green Alley Award was born in 2014 by the will of Landbell Group with the intent of wanting to enhance and incentivize the transition to a circular economy. Founders and startups have the opportunity to present their innovative projects. Within 1 July 2018 you can submit your application to the GAA 2018 online via the website www.green-alley-award.com. The winner will be announced during the October final in Berlin, on the occasion of which he will have to present his project.

Many ideas for a common goal: a circular economy

"We are delighted that the Green Alley Award has reached its fifth edition this year," said Jan Patrick Schulz, CEO of Landbell Group. The company, active worldwide based in Mainz (Germany), is a leading provider of services and consultancy for international environmental and chemical compliance.

"In recent years we have come to know about many innovative and exciting business ideas that show in a special way how it is possible to gradually build a circular economy in Europe." In a circular economy, the value of products, materials and resources must remain within the economic cycle for as long as possible and, at the same time, generate as little waste as possible. "In our current linear economy, not all products are recycled at the end of their life cycle, thus wasting precious materials".

"We are very proud to be able to contribute to the formation of a European recycling culture, widespread and shared with local communities, bodies and associations", adds Umberto Raiteri, CEO of ERP - European Recycling Platform.

"Being an integral part of an important European platform allows us not only to transfer to the producers the benefits of experience and know-how widely validated internationally, but also to contribute to raising awareness among citizens and institutions towards issues of wide interest such as environmental protection and the importance of the circular economy ".

Whether it is to avoid plastics, the development of sustainable materials or the multiple use of products, the circular economy has enormous commercial potential, both for young entrepreneurs and for startups. Just look at the variety of ideas of the GAA winners of past years. In the 2017 the Finnish startup Sulapac convinced the jury with a sustainable alternative to plastic packaging. The two scientists, Suvi Haimi and Laura Kyllönen, had developed a wood packaging material, which was therefore biodegradable, but water-resistant, which retained the benefits of plastic waterproofing. Today that type of packaging is mainly used in the cosmetic industry. Another important innovation of the past few years is "Breathaboard" by Adaptavate, a transpirable and recyclable alternative to conventional drywall, or the reusable packaging for shipments of the Finnish startup RePack.

The aim of the Green Alley Award is to bring together the pioneers of the circular economy, work together on their business model and, ideally, make them known to potential companies interested in innovative projects. "We want to offer entrepreneurs a platform to present their ideas and develop them with us," says Schulz. "The finalists will have the opportunity to have an intensive exchange of ideas with our experts during the workshops."

How should we proceed?

Startups and interested entrepreneurs from all over Europe must submit their ideas by 1 July 2018. Among all the members, six finalists will be selected to participate in the GAA (communication will take place at the beginning of September). The finalists are invited to Berlin on October 18 to work on their business model in sessions of individual meetings with LBG professionals and external experts in the circular economy and startup. At the end of the day, the finalists will present their projects on stage, in a pitch of 5 minutes, in front of a panel of experts and an international audience. The jury is composed of representatives of Landbell Group and external experts including Alexis Figeac, creator of the European R2Pi project on business models of the circular economy, and Suvi Haimi, CEO and co-founder of the startup Sulapac, winner of the 2017 Green Alley Award .

The winner of the 2018 Green Alley Award will receive a cash prize of 25.000 €.

 

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Il Green Alley Award is the first competition for startups and entrepreneurs in the circular economy.

Our mission is to transform linear economy into circulation and revolutionize the waste and recycling sector as we know it today. The annual European competition was created in 2014 by Landbell Group, a leading global service provider, along with the pioneering German crowdfunding platform Seedmatch. Over time, other partners have joined: Bethnal Green Ventures, the English social business accelerator for startups that use technology to improve people's lives, and R2Pi, a European Horizon 2020 project on business models of the circular economy.

 

La European Recycling Platform was founded in 2002 in response to the introduction of the European Union Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). ERP's mission is to ensure the efficient and high quality implementation of the directive, for the benefit of its members and the environment.

In June 2014, ERP joined the Landbell Group, an international provider of chemical and environmental compliance services and advice. ERP and Landbell Group have collected more than 7 million tons of packaging, more than 3 million tons of electronic waste and more than 50.000 tons of portable batteries.

ERP is the first and only pan-European organization operating in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Norway, Poland, Portugal, France, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. By transmitting the benefits of multinational recycling operations to customers, ERP has proven to be the most competitive solution for companies in the countries in which it operates for the compliance of WEEE, batteries and packaging, as well as for collection services.

European Recycling Platform - ERP Italy, a non-profit consortium company, is a Collective System, one of the main WEEE Consortiums, which takes charge of management in accordance with WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment), RPA (Waste from Batteries and Accumulators) and waste from photovoltaic panels on the entire national territory. ERP fulfills the legal obligations of the Producers for the management of waste of EEE, Batteries and accumulators for recycling according to the European Directive 2012 / 19 / EU implemented in Italy with Legislative Decree 49 / 2014 for the EEE and of Legislative Decree 188 / 2008 for Batteries and Accumulators. ERP Italia is the Italian branch of ERP - European Recycling Platform.

Landbell Group is one of the leading providers of services and consultancy for international environmental and chemical compliance. From 1995, the company has helped 25.000 customers in more than 40 countries to implement their extended producer responsibility (EPR) and other requirements regarding products and packaging. In addition, Landbell Group supports manufacturers and traders as competent partners on the path to the circular economy. In addition to 35 collection systems for various waste streams throughout Europe, consulting and software are also part of the Landbell Group portfolio.

Green Alley Award 2018: ERP Italia's contribution to the search for circular economy startups