Rheiazymes makes the final of the Green Alley Award

Rheiazymes has been named as one of six start-ups to make the final of the Green Alley Award. This competition, which is now in its tenth year, looks for the best methods of avoiding waste and conserving resources across Europe, with the aim of establishing a functioning circular economy. This year, more than 300 start-ups entered the competition, according to the Landbell Group, which organizes the awards.

In the final, Rheiazymes will be the only Swiss company competing against other finalists from the UK, Poland, Spain and Italy. Based in Horgen in the canton of Zurich, the company has developed a method that allows blended fabrics to be broken down into their component parts using biological enzymes. Moreover, Rheiazymes is building up a yarn-to-yarn ecosystem.

At the final, which will take place on April 25 in Berlin, all six finalists will have the opportunity to present their projects, as the organizers write in a press release. AraBat from Italy will outline its approach to recycling spent batteries, while Carbon Cell from the UK has developed a carbon-neutral, biodegradable rigid foam on the basis of waste. The Polish start-up Ecoplast will showcase its technology for producing ecoplastomer, and Novapedra from Spain is involved in the manufacturing of ceramic alternatives using organic waste. Finally, another UK-based firm, PulpaTronics, develops with sustainable RFID tags, which are fitted with a transponder and used to identify objects. “Each of these startups embodies the spirit of innovation, entrepreneurship and commitment to sustainability that the award champions”, as Jan Patrick Schulz, CEO of the Landbell Group and founder of the Green Alley Award, comments in the press release. ce/hs