Fresh support for six sustainable start-ups
Six start-ups from Australia and New Zealand have received funding from Bupa to develop pilot solutions that positively impact the environment and people’s health through its Eco-Disruptive program.
The eco-Disruptive program gives a selection of Bupa’s people the opportunity to work with start-ups and social enterprises on innovative solutions across a range of industries to help improve people's health and the health of the planet.
Through the initial competition phase, the start-ups based in Australia and New Zealand have received approximately AUD$280,000[1] in total with around AUD$380,000[2] available to the winning team as part of a popular vote in the global finals.
The six Australian and New Zealand start-up finalists competing in the November Pitch-Fest include:
- XFrame: Have created a modular construction system that minimises waste. Made from natural, renewable materials which effortlessly clip together, eliminating the need for nails, screws, or adhesives.
- Office of Planetary Observations: A start-up that uses urban data to help people understand where greening is required and where extreme weather exposure is most likely.
- DiaperRecycle: A start-up that diverts used nappies from landfill and recycles them into other products.
- ClimateClever: The creators of an innovative dashboard that enables businesses to achieve their ESG (Environment, Social & Governance) goals by understanding and controlling their direct and indirect carbon footprint.
- CoolSan: Developers of ChillSafe which when placed in a cool room or fridge, absorbs water vapor from the air and keeps food fresher for longer.
- Medsalv: New Zealand-based start-up that aims to eliminate healthcare waste by creating safe, reusable medical devices.
Roger Sharp, Bupa APAC Chief Sustainability & Corporate Affairs Officer said the eco-Disruptive program has empowered its people to innovate and collaborate to create new solutions that will help make a healthier planet for healthy people.
eco-Disruptive is a vital program for us at Bupa because the healthcare sector has a significant environmental impact due to energy-hungry settings like hospitals, dental clinics and retail stores.
“We are extremely excited by the amazing ideas that our teams have come up with to solve complex environmental issues and we look forward to them competing against our global Bupa counterparts in December where an eventual winner will be crowned,” Roger said.
Along with funding, the winning start-up will also be given the opportunity to embed its solution within Bupa’s operations. Cassava Bags Australia, winner of the 2022 eco-Disruptive competition, is now in the process of rolling out its products across Bupa’s operations.
“We are in a hurry with our journey towards Net-Zero because our planet cannot afford decades of more complacency. Moving forward, we believe our relationship with the start-up community will grow even further to help us meet this challenge,” Roger said.
For more information on Bupa’s eco-Disruptive program visit here.
[1] £25,000 per start-up (or local currency equivalent)
[2] £200,000 (or local currency equivalent)
