World Alliance Summit 2023: Presentation of the Pioneer Awards 2023 (Paris, November 13)

Celebrate Adopters that have Successfully Implemented Efficient Solutions

The Solar Impulse Foundation is presenting the "Pioneer Awards” to celebrate organisations that have successfully adopted Efficient Solutions. These solutions are processes, technologies or services that modernise industries by reducing their impact on water, energy and raw materials. By implementing these innovations, these organisations have demonstrated their commitment to a cleaner and more qualitative economy in the mobility, agrifood, building, and industry sectors. These awards shine a spotlight on the pioneer spirit needed to accelerate the implementation of clean and profitable technologies.

Six years after its inaugural session at COP23 in Bonn, the World Alliance for Efficient Solutions (WAES) - created by Bertrand Piccard after his world tour with the solar-powered plane Solar Impulse - continues bringing together more than 4,500 members including main actors of clean technologies to facilitate matchmaking between solution providers, clients and investors while showcasing clean and profitable solutions that have the potential to address today’s environmental challenges.

The awards and the Summit aim to highlight the results coming from the close and impactful collaboration with several international institutions, states, and cities around the world; the benefits of a structured international governance and the proven success that lies behind the leaders of this dynamic ecosystem - including innovators, adopters, promoters, experts, and investors. All of them carry the pioneer spirit and dare to question the status quo.

"Far too often, human beings spend their efforts resisting change and keep on doing what they have always done. This is why we need pioneers in every field, from start-ups to businesses and governments, in order to showcase the advantage of change. If we want a culture of disruption, we need to analyse what we deeply believe and try something else. Always be allowed to criticise the status quo and do something new, something better, something different. With these awards, the Solar Impulse Foundation aims to highlight the crucial contribution of innovating pioneers to the ecological transition,” said Bertrand Piccard, President of the Solar Impulse Foundation.

The careful selection of successful case studies empowers the journey of multiple clean technologies that have been able to produce impact as well as prove their likelihood of being replicated or adopted in any other part of the world. After analysing twelve finalists, four independent experts will choose one winner per category. Each Pioneer Award will be given to both the innovator and the adopter of solutions. The latter is considered essential for successful implementation.

"Here at Wind Groep, we don't just dream about creating a better future; we think strategically and, most importantly, we act on those dreams. Our commitment and ambition to sustainability is at the core of our mission. By integrating Hydraloop's cutting-edge greywater recycling solutions into new homes, we are not only reducing environmental impact but also empowering our residents to lead more sustainable lives. This step not only aligns with our commitment to sustainability but also exemplifies how innovation can be the cornerstone of our strategy, making our developments truly forward-thinking and eco-conscious. It's a testament to our 'dream, think, act' ethos in action,” said Rik Kooistra, Project Developer of Wind Groep

Find below the complete list of the finalists:

Agrifood: Presented in collaboration with EIT food

IKEA adopted Winnow (UK) - a technology connecting commercial kitchens to the cloud to reduce food waste by monitoring what's discarded, promoting profitability and sustainability. Implemented Globally
Silal adopted Desolenator (Netherlands) - a solar-powered distillation system for sustainable desalination of complex water supplies. Implemented in the UAE
EDEKA adopted Wasteless (Israel) - a proprietary dynamic pricing algorithm for products with a limited expiration date, allowing retailers to deploy Artificial Intelligence (AI) to mark off prices. Implemented in Germany

Mobility: Presented in collaboration with Movin’On

Procter & Gamble adopted AELER’s smart container (Switzerland) – a smart container that reduces transportation costs while providing real-time monitoring for both the container and its cargo. Implemented Globally
Suez Consulting adopted WeNow (France) – a technology that measures vehicle CO2 emissions and offers real-time coaching to drivers, assisting them in saving fuel and reducing emissions with their existing vehicles. Implemented in France
GAPAS adopted V'LEASE (France) – a solution that provides individual mobility to all employees at the cost of public transport subscription. Implemented in France

Building: Presented in collaboration with WBCSD

Optic2000 adopted Celsius Energy (France) - a solution that provides a low-carbon alternative to gas boilers and refrigeration units for heating and cooling buildings, based on renewable and consistent underground energy. Implemented in France
Burger King adopted Lepido (Sweden) – a self-cleaning recovery coil, adapted for restaurant ventilation, which allows restaurants to benefit from their ventilation instead of wasting energy. Implemented in Scandinavia
Windgroep adopted Hydraloop (Netherlands) - an IoT-connected consumer-friendly water recycling system that reduces water consumption by 25-45 percent in buildings. Implemented in the Netherlands

Industry:

McDonald’s adopted UBQ’s thermoplastic material (Israel) - a biobased thermoplastic made from 100% unsorted landfill-destined waste that can replace oil-based resins. Implemented in Brazil
H&M Move adopted Lanzatech’s Carbon Recycling solution (US) - a technology that turns carbon waste into a feedstock for new products, reducing crude oil usage and significantly lowering global CO2 emissions. Implemented in the US
L’Oréal adopted Carbios’s PET biorecycling solution (France) - a world-first enzyme-based process enabling infinite recycling of PET plastics and fibres. Implemented Globally

In front of numerous entrepreneurs, investors, researchers and users of clean technologies, the winners of the 4 categories of the Pioneer Awards will be announced during the first ever World Alliance for Efficient Solutions Summit from 13H 30 to 16H CET at the recognised museum Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie in Paris.

To discover the portraits of all the finalists and know more about the World Alliance for Efficient Solutions click here.

In addition to delivering the Pioneer Awards, the Solar Impulse Foundation will announce the recent signing of an open collaboration with CDP, an organisation that runs the global disclosure system for investors, companies, cities, states and regions to manage their environmental impacts. The new partnership aims to combine respective skills, resources and strategic positions to advance sustainable solutions, clean technologies and help transition society onto an alternative trajectory into the future. While SIF works as a broker suggesting realistic and proven solutions to decision-makers, CDP works with +23000 businesses and +1100 cities which use its global disclosure platform in order to report their environmental data and impacts. In this way, their actions will complement each others’ work. In the non-binding agreement, both organisations will be implementing collaborative outreach to reach a larger audience, sharing knowledge of recent data on cities and companies, participating in joint public and private events to promote sustainable practices and success stories, and increasing possible cross-sector collaboration and investor outreach.

"With this collaboration, we will build bridges by bringing cities and businesses that are committed to environmental action together with those who have the solutions to help them achieve their objectives. At CDP, we believe that partnerships of this kind are the foundation of impactful action to tackle the climate and nature crisis. Change needs to happen now - and it cannot happen in silos,” said Maxfield Weiss Executive Director of CDP.

About the Solar Impulse Foundation

The Solar Impulse Foundation is a non-profit organisation founded by explorer and clean technology pioneer Bertrand Piccard. Following the success of the first round-the-world flight in a solar aircraft, its mission is to accelerate the adoption of solutions capable of protecting the environment in an economically viable manner. It thus reflects the unifying and realistic approach of its founder around "Qualitative Growth". Demonstrating that it is possible to address environmental challenges without undermining economic development, the Foundation achieved its first goal in April 2021 of identifying and labelling 1000 "Effective Solutions", assessed as clean and cost-effective by independent experts. While continuing to grow its portfolio of solutions, Bertrand Piccard and the Foundation seek to facilitate the emergence of these technologies on the market by advocating for the modernisation of the legislative framework and by publishing guides to accompany political and economic decision-makers in their ecological transition.

Kontakt: Solar Impulse Foundation, Daniela Diego | aniela.diego@solarimpulse.com | www.solarimpulse.com

Technik | Energie, 05.11.2023

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