Sign in to view
member only content

As always, ChangeNOW, the “world’s largest event for the planet,” will bring together some of the most innovative, collaborative ideas for saving our planet from around the world — and this year, it will take place completely online.

As an official media partner, Springwise is proud to endorse the fantastic work this summit does each year, in bringing attention to some of the most innovative ideas around the world.

You can get your tickets here, but if you want a sneak peak at some of the amazing innovations and innovators attending this year, check out our snapshot of what is to come below.

1. FRENCH STARTUP TRANSFORMS OLD BICYCLES INTO ELECTRIC BIKES

Incubated in 2019, French startup Teebike manufactures wheels powered by an electric motor and equipped with Bluetooth, which can be easily fitted on to the front of any bike in order to convert it into an electric vehicle. 

The Teebike project came to light when Laurent Durrieu was touring China. He came across an open-air bike cemetery with thousands of unused, abandoned bikes.

The electric motor can go up to 25km/hr, with the battery lasting between 50 to 80 km depending on factors such as road conditions, the weight of the rider, level of assistance used and the weather. Teebikes can also be used as a regular bike by turning the engine off. 

Read more about Teebike, or see them at this year’s ChangeNow!

2. PLATFORM ACCELERATES PATH TO SUSTAINABILITY FOR BUSINESSES AND CONSUMERS

The ZEI platform is a platform to accelerate the development of responsible citizens and committed companies.   

According to Noël Bauza, who created the platform, the problem is not a lack of will, but of information. Thus, for those who want to reduce their ecological footprint but don’t know how to, ZEI hopes to convey no more excuses. 

Through ZEI, consumers become fully aware of the environmental impact of their lifestyle and purchases. The platform also offers eco-responsible alternatives in many areas, including food, lifestyle and well-being, fashion, energy, transport and housing. There are also articles on the blog discussing eco-responsible actions in various areas of daily life.

Read more about the ZEI platform, or see it at this year’s ChangeNow!

3. INTELLIGENT POWER CONSUMPTION METER FOR THE HOME

In France, the average household wastes 25 per cent of its electricity consumption. That’s more than €8 billion worth of electricity wasted on a national scale. This number is shocking, but perhaps more alarming is that we often don’t even realise it’s happening. Aside from our light bulbs, we don’t often witness how much electricity our devices consume, which is why the task of tracking our energy consumption is so difficult. This is where Ecojoko comes in. 

The French startup Ecojoko has created a simple-to-install energy assistant to reduce household electricity consumption by 25 per cent. Unlike other meters on the market, Ecojoko tracks consumption in real-time, using algorithms which can differentiate between devices within the home.

Since 2017, the company has been developing a sensor which, when placed on the general circuit breaker, remotely identifies any variation in the current via the input wires, and communicates this information to the energy assistant in the form of radio waves. By using artificial intelligence, Ecojoko is able to detect the particular electrical imprints of different devices. In other words, it can tell if you’re wasting energy by leaving your TV on standby, or by forgetting to put the lid on a pan of boiling water. 

Read more about Ecojoko, or see them at this year’s ChangeNow!

4. SUSTAINABLE TRAINERS MADE FROM RECYCLED TYRE SOLES

French-based company, Off the Hook (OTH), is a unisex, sustainable, trainer brand. These unique shoes have soles made from recycled, world-travelled tyres. Moreover, each pair is tattooed with GPS coordinates referring to an unusual place.

One tyre is recycled for every three pairs of shoes produced by OTH. Ethical and ecological, Off The Hook produces its shoes in a workshop in Portugal and makes its leather in a tannery in Italy, in order to limit its carbon footprint. The leather is also obtained from scrap pieces from a garden glove factory. This 100 per cent European production ensures that labour laws are respected and that certain chemicals are avoided. In short, everything is done for the well-being of the planet.

Read more about Off the Hook, or see them at this year’s ChangeNow!

5. WASHING MACHINE FILTER CAPTURES MICROPLASTICS

More people seem to be waking up to the problem of microplastics. When clothes made from synthetic fibres are washed, millions of tiny particles of plastic are released into drains, through water treatment plants and out into our rivers, lakes and oceans, where they cause great damage. A Slovenian startup, PlanetCare, has come up with a way to remove microplastics before they go down the drains.

PlanetCare has developed a filter which can be attached to a washing machine, and which can catch around 90 per cent of the fibres shed from clothes. The cartridges need to be changed monthly, and the used ones can be sent back to PlanetCare, which cleans and returns them to customers. PlanetCare has plans to recycle the microplastics it collects in the cartridges, back into the backing material used in car upholstery.

Read more about PlanetCare, or see them at this year’s ChangeNow!

6. SMART FRAMES FOR GROWING PLANTS IN THE CITY

French company, Urban Canopee, has a vision for making cities greener. The company has developed lightweight, adaptable and flexible frames, which serve as support for climbing plants — both in isolation or in groups — and to create a verdant canopy. The company hopes the easy-to-use frames will be used to grow plants on the roofs of buildings and other public spaces.

The canopies are more than just flexible pots. The frames contain sensors that measure the hydration levels of the plants and the temperature under the canopy, and they can be monitored remotely using an app. The system also includes a solar kit and a connected irrigation system, which provides water to the plants autonomously. The pots currently hold 200 litres of water, and the company is also exploring ways to collect rainwater. 

Read more about Urban Canopee, or see them at this year’s ChangeNow!

7. FRENCH APP COMBATS FOOD WASTE THROUGH COMMUNITY AND INFORMATION

The aim of the Meal Canteen app is to reduce food waste. Through the app, users are able to book meals in advance of attendance. This allows catering staff at restaurants and schools to plan the amount of food they need in advance, ensuring a reduction in their food waste. 

The app also provides information on where products originate, how they were made and what allergies they may contain. The long-term thinking with this approach is that by giving consumers more information about the food they eat, their eating habits can be redesigned to choose only the food they will finish, thus reducing food waste.  

Read more about the Meal Canteen app, or see them at this year’s ChangeNow!

Written By: Holly Hamilton