Home office, closed factories and shops - our production, consumption and mobility behaviour have changed significantly in recent months due to Covid-19. In many places, the current situation is reflected in reduced CO2 emissions. In order to avoid falling back on our previous pathway that is leading into a climate crisis, we need to change the way we do business. 27 Swiss start-ups from the Circular Economy show that doing so is possible.
The concept of the Circular Economy is not new. In contrast to the linear economy that has prevailed until now, the Circular Economy focuses on the reuse, repair, resale and recycling of products. Negative effects of our production and consumption patterns on the climate can thus be minimized.
27 Swiss start-ups with such circular principles and business models have further developed their solutions over the past five months as part of the “CE Incubator” support programme. Among them are startups from the areas of food & farming (co-kitchen, Eco Foodie Co, EDAPRO, Low Impact Food, Hopvrac, WePot, TicInsect), smart cities, industry & procurement (Neustark, ICE, Resili, Exnaton, iCeep / Innovopolis), fashion & consumer goods (r-5 Fashion circle, TEIL.Style, Oïoïoï, Loopi, Whering, Treasures of Nature, Do you speak Lingerie, Les couches Rebelles, ID Watch) as well as sharing platforms (Swishi, RemotelyGreen, Help’n’Trade, Lyfa, CINE.EQUIPMENT, ecco.eco).
”Despite the challenging circumstances with Covid-19, most of the CE Incubator participants continued working on their solutions and some of them even faced an increase in demand for their services”, says José Silva, programme lead of the CE Incubator. “Traits of their offers, for example the focus on local supply chains and on services instead of products seem to be economically beneficial in current times, and also ecologically desirable in the long term.”
Anyone wishing to explore the potential solutions of the Circular Economy will have the opportunity to do so on Monday, 18 May, when all of the 27 teams will present their innovative solutions at a virtual demonstration event.
For more information, please contact:
Viktor Vogt
Communication Lead Circular Economy Transition & Impact Hub Switzerland
+41 77 529 66 91
viktor.vogt@impacthub.ch
About Circular Economy Transition:
Circular Economy Transition is a pioneering initiative that aims to accelerate the transition of Switzerland to a Circular Economy. It currently takes place in 5 Swiss cities – Basel, Bern, Geneva, Lausanne and Zurich. In close collaboration with Impact Hub Switzerland, sanu durabilitas and with the support of MAVA foundation, UBS and Movetia, this initiative contributes to drive the circular thinking for the future of business, policymaking and society. Apart from the Incubator program, Circular Economy Transition organizes monthly community events on the topic of Circular Economy and operates the Business Lab, a platform for corporates and SMEs that supports them in identifying circular business potential, optimizing their value chains and prototyping new solutions and products.
Website: www.cetransition.ch
About Impact Hub Switzerland
The Impact Hub Switzerland association was founded in May 2019 by the five Swiss Impact Hubs with a total of seven locations in Basel, Bern, Geneva, Lausanne and Zurich. The Swiss-wide community of around 2,000 members consists of entrepreneurs, creatives and techies who can benefit from the services of the Impact Hub network throughout Switzerland. These include coworking places, meeting rooms, events and start-up support programs. The association’s activities focus on entrepreneurship, sustainable development, innovation and new forms of work.
Website: www.impacthub.ch
Publish your content with EB Publishing
It's about who you reach. Get your news, events, jobs and thought leadership seen by those who matter to you.
