Green Alley is looking for the best ideas on the topics of recycling, resource conservation and sustainability – Europe’s only startup prize in this field. Deadline for application is September 15th. Young entrepreneurs and startups can apply. Finalists will be invited to attend a mentoring workshop in November in Berlin with subsequent live pitch and award ceremony.
The Green Alley Award addresses a currently much discussed political issue. The EU’s Commissioner for the Environment Janez Potočnik has only recently emphasized the importance of the European Union’s transition from a linear to a circular economy. At the same time a study published by the London-based environmental organization CWIT highlights that only about one third of all electrical and electronic products is properly disposed of in the 28 EU countries.
Green Alley and its partners from the experience of the last award are aware, that the startup scene is full of good business ideas for changing the way we deal with waste – the greater involvement of consumers in collection and disposal, for example, or the reuse of raw materials or implementation of sharing concepts. Frequently, however, these business models are lacking public attention and financial support. That’s why the winner of the 2015 Green Alley Award will be provided with a total support worth up to €20,000, including expert advice, networking opportunities and co-working space in Berlin.
“We want to connect startups and entrepreneurs with great green ideas,” says Jan Patrick Schulz, CEO of Green Alley Investment.”We believe that linking London’s well-established successful entrepreneurial ecosystem with Berlin’s rapidly growing young startup scene creates high potential for significant innovation in Europe.”
The Award was launched in 2014 by Berlin’s green economy investor Green Alley in cooperation with the German crowdfunding platform Seedmatch. New partners have joined forces since, with the common goal to create a European network for innovations in the circular economy: the European Recycling Platform (ERP) UK and the London-based accelerator Bethnal Green Ventures. The Mainz-based disposal specialist and Green Alley mother company Landbell will support the partners in all matters of the circular economy.
