Startups Driving Sustainability: Recap & March Event
Understory's February Spotlight Award Showcase
Incredible insights, compelling speakers, engaged audience!
Understory’s Spotlight Award Showcase event was on fire!
Our presenters wowed the Understory community with deep knowledge in a short time frame. Some of the key takeaways from these leading innovators include:
Reducing > recycling. We need to find ways to reduce consumption or create materials that can reduce (biodegrade) themselves. We can’t recycle our way out of the waste problem.
The 3 P’s: Process, Participation, & Product. Processes and systems that are put in place are just as important as the end-product.
Circularity is critical now. All businesses should seek to understand and adopt the model. Seek out ways to bridge any gaps in a circular model.
Accelerate climate action by embracing new business models, science, and technology.
Partnership is a key way to scale – customers, GTM partners, those that help facilitate innovation.
You can do good and make money at the same time.
A big thanks to all those that joined us for this inaugural event and to our Award Winners: Brian Reilly from Muuse, Sea Briganti & Karuna Rana from LOLIWARE, Mike Newman from Returnity, and Al Gerrie from ZigZag Global.
Don't miss our March Startup Showcase!
Understory invites you to a virtual showcase event highlighting the startup innovators making our world more sustainable.
CEO & Co-Founder of Lizee
Head of Operations at Cloverly
Founder of Tare Market
Chief of Staff & Sustainability at Rheaply
Hear about innovative products, business models, and key learnings along the journey to make sustainable impact.
Brookfield Asset Management to raise Climate Fund. Brookfield, one of the largest global investors in real estate, will raise $7.5 billion to invest in technologies such as renewable power and those that cut carbon emissions.link
Macquarie also raised a $2 billion fund to invest in renewable energy.link
New corporate Net Zero pledges align with the Paris Climate Agreement. Shell and Bank of America both pledge to be net zero by 2050. Shell will make investments in low-carbon businesses.link, link
Amazon buys more renewable energy in Europe. The company will power European operations after purchasing half the energy produced by Shell and Eneco's wind farm in the Netherlands.link
APIs are facilitating carbon offsets. Tech companies like Cloverly and Pachama (both Understory Spotlight Award Winners!) are automating the process to immediately offer carbon offsets via consumer purchases and other corporate activity.link
SAF = Sustainable Aviation Fuels. Airlines are experimenting with sustainable fuels to reduce their GHG emissions. Biofuel has gained the most traction (although it is still 4x the cost of traditional jet fuel) while e-fuel, hydrogen, and EV are also potential solutions.link
Startup creates tech to use natural gas without carbon impact. C-Zero, backed by Breakthrough Energy Partners, passes natural gas through molten salts to split methane into hydrogen and water, eliminating the carbon impact that comes from burning natural gas.link
Does the U.S. need a Fashion (Climate) Czar? The fashion industry generates 10% of global climate emissions, so is it time to combat this problem with a dedicated government official? This op-ed makes a strong case. And Understory agrees the industry is ripe for focused change.link
Worn Again Technologies
www.wornagain.co.uk
Worn Again Technologies is a circularity regeneration company, enabling materials to return to the supply chain after end-of-use.
The company uses advanced technologies to convert hard-to-recycle materials like polyester and PET plastic back into raw materials.
Understory is a global platform that helps organizations use technology and innovation to make our world more sustainable. We offer a variety of educational resources and events to make sustainability accessible, practical, and actionable.