The 5 finalists (and 1 winner) of the Green Challenge 2017

The Dutch Postcode Lottery Green Challenge is a large, international competition focused on sustainable entrepreneurship. The winner and runner-up receive EUR 500,000 and 200,000 respectively to further develop their ideas, while the other finalists receive EUR 100,000. Yesterday (14 September), the winner of this competition of this year was announced. Below, you’ll find the innovative ideas of the 5 finalists of the Green Challenge, and who won.

Finalist: Ared
Ared, a Rwandan company, developed the Shiriki Hub, a mobile solar kiosk. It allows anyone with a smartphone or tablet access to the Internet and a place to charge their electronics. The device brings low-cost connectivity and energy services to millions of Africans.

Finalist: Glowee
Glowee is a French biotech start-up that uses bioluminescence, the ability of organisms to produce light, to create clean sources if light. Glowee uses a bacterial raw material to create a source of light with a low carbon footprint over the value chain of the product.

Finalist: Lightyear
The company Lightyear is a spin-off from the Solar Team of the Technical University Eindhoven in the Netherlands. The team built two award-winning solar family car prototypes, which are energy positive (producing more energy than they use). Based on these prototypes, Lightyear is trying to bring the solar car to the market. The Lightyear One is an electric car that charges itself and can be driven for months without charging.

Runner-up: Pond
Danish start-up Pond makes bioresin made from agricultural waste to create high performance composites using natural fibres such as flax, jute and hemp, rather than petrol-based composites that are impossible to recycle.

Winner: EarthEnable
Many people in developing countries live in dirt floor, a major cause of disease, discomfort and indignity. According to Rwandan company EarthEnable, the only viable alternative on the market is concrete, which is expensive and unsustainable.

EarthEnable provides an alterative earthen flooring, which is low-cost, sustainable, clean, and waterproof. They use locally sourced materials to build the floor, sealing it with a varnish from a plant-based oil, which makes the floor hard, durable, clean, and waterproof.

Photos: Green Challenge