Challenge plastic waste: Participate in the 2019 European Social Innovation Competition
The 2019 European Social Innovation Competition held in Ljubljana on February 28th, the challenge award was awarded by
Launched by the European Commission and partners to address the urgent challenge of plastic waste.
Recent data shows that only 9% of all plastic discarded since 1950 has been recycled and the rest has become pollution.
They will remain there for thousands of years in landfills, garbage dumps, incinerator emissions or in the ocean.
By 2050, plastic production is expected to quadruple. This has consequences: if there is no major intervention,
By 2050, plastic production will account for 15% of the global carbon budget.
The collection or recycling stage is threatened, especially when affluent societies in the United States or Europe export low-value plastics to Asia.
Esra Tat, our network and development coordinator for the Zero Waste City Program, participated in this year’s competition
The judging panel was jointly appointed by Mircea Ilie, IKEA Romania and Milena Glimbovski, Original Unpacked.
"In Zero Waste Europe, we do believe that innovation, society and local enterprises are very much needed in order to
Turn the vision of zero waste into reality. Public authorities and citizens can work until a certain point in time, but this is a business
Propose practical solutions to make it possible. "she says.
Therefore, part of our consumption and production work is to identify and share best practices or innovations,
Solve waste problems from the source throughout Europe. Some cities are already looking for their own solutions to deal with the garbage problem: Bruges
An ambitious food waste strategy was launched in 2015 to prevent the waste of 750.000 kg of food, and Freiburg
Decided to implement a deposit refund system (DRS) for take-out coffee cups to stop using disposable cups.
Developing these strategies can also simplify the development of new business models: we recently published a case study on Recircle,
A Swiss social enterprise that aims to end the proliferation of disposable food containers.
With this kind of document, our goal is to promote and encourage these initiatives, hoping that they can be copied and developed
The entire continent. These examples also show that zero waste is a successful strategy, not only to combat waste, but also as a
A systematic approach to resource efficiency, job creation, healthy environment, cleaner production and sustainable consumption.
This is why we invite entrepreneurs to apply to challenge the plastic waste competition. The three most ambitious projects
A reward of 50,000 Euros will be awarded to help turn ideas into reality. But this competition aims to provide more than
It's just a monetary reward. It includes a powerful mentoring component that not only benefits the winner, but also all semi-finalists and finalists,
They will be invited to participate in a 3-day event, including seminars, plenary meetings, and discussions with local dedicated coaches
And expert webinars. Apply here!
All images © Tina Ramijkic
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