SWISSCAM is delighted to announce the winners of the first edition of the Swiss Sustainability and Innovation Awards, an initiative led by Embassy of Switzerland, SWISSCAM, Swissnex, Instituto Ekos and Swiss Business Hub, with the aim of promoting sustainable, technological and innovative business models, in addition to fostering cooperation between Brazil and Switzerland in the area of corporate sustainability.
After intense team work, in which SWISSCAM worked mainly in the areas of communication and the formation of work groups, we went through several stages from the conception of the award, the discussion with specialists, the formation of the technical council, the creation of a website, the process of evaluating and selecting companies, we finally arrived at the award ceremony.
The event took place at the Embassy of Switzerland in Brasilia on July 5th, with the distinguished presence of the Swiss Minister of Economic Affairs, Education and Research, Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin and an official delegation visiting Brazil, as well as the Interim Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation of Brazil, Luis Fernandes, who presented the prize to the winners in the categories “Swiss Company” and “Brazilian Company”. They are:
Hilti, a company that manufactures fixation devices for building, industrial maintenance and installation, was the big winner among more than 40 participating Swiss companies. Its strategic business plan is aligned with a strategic sustainability plan. And as an example of this, Hilti presented its “Circular Economy” project. By taking a 100% vertical approach to the power tools market (from research and development, sales, repair and even recycling), Hilti aims to lead the circularity industry, starting from a “REMOVE-MAKE-DISPOSE” format, to a model of material flows in cycles through the following actions:
· Fleet Management Service linked to a Productivity Consultancy, where the customer will have the optimized toolset for a project, without the need to purchase excessive products and, consequently, excess materials for disposal.
· Extension of tool life through Technical Repair Centers.
· Reuse of Fleet Management tools: loans, repairs and/or donations.
· Recycling of materials where reuse is not possible.
The Brazilian company Ambipar operates in several segments in the environmental area, such as waste management and reverse logistics. Through Ambipar RD Research and Development, the company demonstrated consistency in conducting its activities using a business model that has sustainability as a priority, in addition to proving the direct application of innovation for sustainable development, with the project “Biocápsulas Sustentáveis – transformando resíduos em árvores” (“Sustainable Biocapsules – turning waste into trees”).
We would like to thank Instituto Ekos Brasil for leading the process of evaluating and selecting companies, and the Technical Council made up of the following members: Frederic de Mariz (UBS), Heiko Spitzeck (FDC), Julianna Antunes (Sustentaí), Vanessa Boanada Fuchs (HSG) and Markus Real (Technopark Zurich).
As for the “Swiss Start-up” and “Brazilian Start-up” categories, an Innovation Challenge was proposed, whose process was led by Swissnex with the support of the Technical Council composed of Carolina Falcoski (Nestlé), Marina Cassino de Almeida (The Bakery), Mayra Castro (InvestAmazonia) and Marcelo Veras (Inova Ecosystem), which reached 3 finalists for each category. On the Brazilian side: Yattó, Sante Science, SuperOpa. On the Swiss side: LiYF Ltd, UpGrain, Groam.
During the ceremony, representatives of the start-ups had the opportunity to present their solutions and were evaluated by the judges, with emphasis on Secretary of State Martina Hirayama (State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation SERI), and by the public who also voted in real time on their favorite startup. Meet the winners:
Foams are everywhere, like in the interior of the car or in sneakers. However, light and bulky foams, especially those used in disposable packaging, are very difficult or impossible to recycle. The Swiss start-up designs lightweight sponge materials from food waste. These biomaterials have versatile applications, reducing waste and promoting sustainability in all sectors.
With more than 5 million tons of waste managed in Brazil, the Brazilian start-up is committed to the management of materials that are difficult to recycle, such as flexible plastic packaging, polystyrene packaging, used cooking oil and coffee capsules, as well as developing chains of reverse logistics, contributing to a more sustainable and circular economy.
SWISSCAM will offer to the winning start-ups one year of membership to expand their network of contacts.
Special thanks to event supporters:
Nestlé, Swiss International Air Lines, Zurich Airport Brasil, Ameropa, Elevadores Atlas Schindler, EBP, Logitech, Novartis Brasil, Associação Filantrópica Suíça, Berna, BOBST, Julius Baer, Richemont, Sika, UBS and Lindt & Sprüngli Brasil.
