MADRID – Business Insider Spain came up with an overview of the most innovative Spanish startups of the moment. Companies that have found new ways to recycle, plant, play, buy or build, among other things.
Because there is no planet B. At least, not as far as we know. That is why it helps to reduce or at least compensate for our ecological footprint as much as possible. Therefore, for those who would welcome a little optimism, here’s our free translation of the article about these Spanish startups. Furthermore, all of them are fighting climate change and working to protect our environment.
Many projects aim to reduce the carbon footprint, find more sustainable materials, use less plastic or step up the accelerator towards renewable energy sources. Consequently, those projects are aided by the increased consumer interest in considering responsible brands. Furthermore, 66% would be willing to pay more. This is according to the Nielsen Global Survey of Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability.
eCoDeliver
eCoDeliver is the first logistics operator to offer 100% sustainable parcel delivery in the eCommerce sector. “By combining our fleet of all-electric vans with our community of ecoDrivers, parcel shipping will not generate additional CO₂ emissions,” they emphasise. Via the digital platform eCoDeliver, users who are already travelling to other cities can offer to take packages with them. “We then do the first and last distance within the cities with our fleet of 100% electric vans”. In this way, the routes are used, users travel more economically and those who make the shipment benefit from the space in a car that would travel anyway. Therefore, all this significantly reduces the ecological footprint of the shipment.
kidalos
Toys can also be durable and leave a smaller footprint. Kidalos rents and rotates toys through a subscription platform. This therefore ensures that children can learn more, engage in interactive activities and become less attached to matter. By avoiding the accumulation and constant consumption of toys, the environmental footprint of the industry is reduced. And, furthermore, variety and rotation are ensured for families, schools and nurseries. In addition, it saves budget, space and time. Founders Vanesa and Andrea Enríquez say: “We want to ensure that children of today can play in the best way. But without harming the needs of children of the future”.
With their initiative they solve several current problems around toys;
- forgetting toys (the interest usually disappears after 3 months of use)
- inappropriate toys
- pollution (toys produce 31 million tons of carbon dioxide annually)
Ecomodo
It is possible to transform 20 plastic bottles into a case for your smartphone or tablet. Ecomodo converts recycled plastic into textile fibres, technological products, stationery, bags, wallets and all kinds of accessories. The company started in 2019 and became the only one in Europe to recycle PET plastic bottles and convert them into different industrial products, at different stages of the value chain, in the same facilities. Design, functionality and fight against the plastic that is drowning the planet.
Designable
“Create your own home”. With Designable you will find your configurable, comfortable and sustainable new-build home. The startup focuses on 100% electric buildings, which save energy and have the most advanced technologies to reduce consumption or have strong thermal insulation. To arrive at your ideal greenhouse, enter the desired city and parameters such as the number of rooms, the interior and other details such as home automation or underfloor heating. Designable works as a crowd-building platform, co-creating neighbourhood communities and connecting them with available land and local architects to realise these sustainable, zero-emission buildings. Their custom-made homes meet the quality requirements of the BREEAM International Sustainability Certificate. This means they save 60% energy and 40% water.
Oscillum
The smart food labelling company from Alicante tries to reduce food waste using the most advanced technology: like a traffic light, the labels indicate the status of the product in real-time and continue to work even after the package has been opened. For example, yellow indicates that the food is still in perfect condition. The colour evolves to an intense blue when it can no longer be eaten and there is an overgrowth of bacteria. Consequently, in this way, labelling Oscillum would reduce the risk of food poisoning by 20%. Furthermore, the materials are fully compostable. The big advantage is that they can improve safety controls, logistics and internal processes in the food chain. Moreover, the prototypes have been developed for meat and fish and work is underway on labelling for fruit.
Pantala
Pantala is looking for solutions to stimulate responsible consumption and thereby make the fashion industry, the second most polluting in the world, more sustainable. Under the motto ‘when dressing new (and doing a lot of good for our planet)’ Pantala works like this: you choose your garment, pay for it in instalments and return it at the end of the period or buy it at a low price to pay the remainder. Therefore, it is a way to contribute to the circular economy and end the short life cycle of every garment. “We want to remove from your wardrobe clothes that you have only worn 2 or 3 times and that you have not used anymore. Our alternative is not to buy the garment that you know you will only wear 2 or 3 times. Enjoy with Pantala a month before the weather changes hands,” said the founders.
C02 Revolution
CO2 Revolution wants to save the world with drones and smart seeds. The company calculates the carbon footprint of institutions and companies and offsets their emissions with reforestation projects. With the help of big data and algorithms, the startup succeeds in launching intelligent seeds from the air in a short time and at a low cost using drones. They take into account all the variables of each ecosystem so that the process is as efficient and sustainable as possible. CO2 Revolution can sow up to 100,000 seeds per day and generate forest masses that absorb carbon in the atmosphere 100 times faster than traditional reforestation systems.
Reforestum
This startup helps you offset your polluting emissions by creating your forest. You acquire and monitor CO2 credits. Thanks to technology, you can manage, track, grow or even gift a forest. In this way, every individual, company or group can be climate neutral and help reforest the world. According to Crunchbase, Reforestum has raised €750,000 in funding so far.
CoCircular
Under the hashtag #AdiosVertederos, this startup was born to turn waste into opportunities and give rubble a new value. CoCircular provides services to construction companies, architectural firms and other institutions to enable circular waste management to avoid sanctions and meet European environmental requirements. One of the most notable tools is the 360º Advisor software. This allows the total circulation of waste to be traced and analyzed in detail. The program provides impact statistics and reports in real-time. According to the company, Construction and Demolition (RCD) waste makes up 32% of the total waste generated, producing more than 800 million tons per year in Europe. In Spain, 45 million are generated per year and only 25% are managed by good managers, although even 90% of these end up in a landfill.
Gravity Wave
Gravity Wave’s environmental campaign aims to contribute to a plastic-free ocean. The startup is cleaning up waste with the help of a network of 800 traditional fishermen in more than a hundred Mediterranean ports and turning the waste from fishing nets into design objects such as furniture. For example, Gravity Wave has already removed 24,425 kilos of plastic from the sea and encouraged 75 companies, such as Tiger, Sprinter, Kantar, Paradores or Sepiia, to help clean up the Mediterranean. To date, Gravity Wave has raised 100,000 euros in funding, with a starting round closing on January 18, 2021.
Nantek
The main goal of this Basque company is to produce fuel from plastic. It was selected by Lanzadera and Enagás in May 2021. Waste such as face masks is given a second life as a raw material for petrochemicals. Nantek has optimised pyrolysis to convert non-recyclable plastic into energy. With its technology, Nantek prevents waste from being landfilled or incinerated.
Nax Solutions
Nax Solutions specialises in precision farming, modelling crop data with artificial intelligence to improve decision-making, save water and minimize pest losses. The technology is applied to each crop in a personalised way, allowing the farmer to see real-time images and important reports to know where there are deviations, where more water is needed or in which areas additional fertiliser needs to be applied.
Also read: Tips on how to go green
