The Green Alley Award is Europe’s first startup prize for the circular economy, established in 2014 by Landbell Group. Founders and startups are invited to submit their application for the 2022 Green Alley Award online at green-alley-award.com. The best ideas will be selected for a live pitch in April 2022.
The 2022 Green Alley Award targets startups and young entrepreneurs who have developed a business model in the areas of digital circular economy, recycling and waste prevention. The award sponsors are looking for companies that are about to launch their products or services or are already in the growth phase. They also welcome startups who want to expand into other European markets. The sole condition is that the business idea must help reduce waste or turn waste into resources.
‘We want to encourage new ideas and business models to save resources and reduce waste,’ says Jan Patrick Schulz, CEO of Landbell Group. ‘There are so many creative ideas around. Our aim is to foster and promote young founders and connect them to our vast network of circular economy experts across Europe.’
The Winners – a wide range of concepts
Whether it is the development of sustainable materials, ideas for waste reduction or helpful digital tools, the circular economy holds enormous business potential for startups. The diversity of concepts from Green Alley Award winners over the past years clearly shows this, e.g. traceless materials from Germany, which won the 2021 award for a patent pending technology that transforms agricultural industry residues into a sustainable plastic alternative. In 2019, Estonian startup Gelatex Technologies convinced the jury with their unique idea of an alternative to conventional leather made of by-product gelatin. In 2017, the Finnish startup Sulapac presented a wooden, biodegradable alternative to plastic packaging for the cosmetic industry. The winner of the first Green Alley Award in 2014 was the Finnish startup RePack. It provides reusable packaging service for the e-commerce industry.
The Application Process
- Startups are invited to submit their application by 23rd November 2021.
- A pre-selected number of startups will be put on the Green Alley Award website for a public vote. The startup with the majority of the votes will be automatically amongst the six finalists. The remaining five will be selected by our expert committee.
- On 28th April 2022 the six finalists will be invited to Berlin, where they will meet circular economy and startup experts in working sessions. In the evening each of the finalists will have the chance to pitch their idea live on stage to an expert jury and international audience.
