Gelatex Technologies from Estonia has won the Green Alley Award 2019 – an annual prize recognising startups in the circular economy, which has been running since 2014.
The firm’s winning idea is a gelatine-based alternative to conventional leather, which is made from low-value gelatine waste from the meat and leather industries, such as skin and bones. In so doing, it is possible to get up to five times more material from the same animal. The textile is seemingly produced without the use of toxins and is “organic and biodegradable.” The ability to customise the thickness and texture makes Gelatex attractive for both the textile and automotive industry.
Jan Patrick Schulz, CEO of the award’s organisers, Landbell Group, said of the winner: “Making a new product from a waste product is fully in line with the circular economy and therefore worthy of the award.”
Märt-Erik Martens, CTO of Gelatex Technologies, explained the added value offered by the circular economy idea: “With Gelatex we want to offer an alternative to leather that is both more environmentally friendly and more affordable.”
The material comes on rolls to allow rapid cutting, and to minimise waste. Commenting on the blog of the award organisers, Martens said the team had begun working on Gelatex 3 years ago, when researching gelatin-based materials at the University of Tartu in Estonia. “Initially the focus was more on the medical industry but the idea of using the same technology for producing leatherlike textile came up in spring 2016.”
Another co-founder was a garment technologist doing an MBA and interested to know if anybody in Estonia was developing eco-friendly materials. “We already had an idea by then that we could develop our existing technology for making [a] leather alternative and in collaboration we started to talk to customers and [undertake] more research about the industry.” He continued: “We realized that our technology could enable [us] to make use of the abundant waste of [the] leather and meat industries while at the same time solving the problem of mass-fashion and automotive brands not having eco-friendly materials available in mass-scale.”
In the EU there is around 5 million tonnes of meat industry waste produced annually, which is simply burnt or buried, he said. “With our technology we can give that waste a new life.”
The Green Alley Award comes with prize money of €25,000 and the option of a crowdfunding campaign with Landbell Group’s partner, Seedmatch.
Runners-up included Flustix, a German firm that has invented a consumer trustmark to increase transparency and raise awareness amongst consumers. Differently coloured trustmarks indicate whether products and/or packaging are free of plastics and microplastics or are made of recyclates. Producers that want their products to be certified have to pass a thorough examination by an independent certification body. “Consumers need a reliable orientation, which is independently and transparently proven and awarded. Only Flustix with its established testing and license partners RAL, DIN CERTCO, TUV and the Wessling Group reliably offers this in the area of plastics,” said the firm, commenting on the Green Alley Award blog page.
And the firm Cellugy from Denmark presented its EcoFLEXY product, described as “a 100% bio-based alternative to conventional plastic packaging.” Made from agricultural waste, the cellulose foil can seemingly break down into fertile compost and is resistant to water and temperature changes. The translucent and flexible bio-sheets are eco-friendly and suitable for the food industry. The product seemingly relies on fruit waste, providing a useful destination for this form of food waste, and is expected to be priced more competitively than other bio-plastic solutions on the market.
LivingPackets from France was another runner up, with its sustainable packaging solution for online deliveries. “The Box” is an alternative to conventional cardboard boxes and can be reused approximately 1,000 times. Thanks to a built-in camera and scale, The Box can charge delivery fees automatically and it comes with an app which makes tracking possible and offers the opportunity to schedule a pick-up time.
Read more about the award winners on the Green Alley Awards blog.
