Solar Impulse Label for eight Swiss cleantech startups

With the recent additions, the number of solutions that have received the Solar Impulse Label has grown to 157. The portfolio includes numerous cleantech startups from Switzerland. The following startups have received the Label this year.

reCIRCLE – Food Packaging as a Service
The Bern-based startup combines sustainability with customer-friendly eating pleasure. Already used in 6 European countries, reCircle replaces the disposable packaging of on-the-go catering with high-quality, washable, microwaveable, tight-fitting containers and cups with lids. The products are made of durable plastic and are recyclable after hundreds of uses, at the end of life. The innovation lies in the combination between networks, products and service. It is suitable for restaurateurs who want to pack their food and beverage in a stylish and sustainable way and for consumers who want to enjoy their food on the go without waste. It works like a deposit system and the products are returnable and exchangeable in all the restaurant partners.

Drinkpure by Novamem – water filter for standard faucets
Many people drink bottled water yet, plastic bottles are responsible for a large portion of the world's plastic waste problem, and it also takes 1 to 2 litres of clean water and other precious resources to make a 1-litre plastic bottle. The DrinkPure water filter solves this problem by removing contaminants in tapped water. Designed to fit standard faucets, the patented filter can effectively remove microplastics, pathogens, pesticides, odours and other impurities. This has been proven by accredited testing laboratories. One filter cartridge replaces 500 bottles of water.

Swiss Airtainer SA – smart air containers for pharma products
Founded in 2019, Swiss Airtainer is developing an intelligent and smart Container (Air Cargo) to transport life-saving pharma products. The solution aims at providing an eco-friendly, cost-effective, and intelligent temperature-controlled air cargo container so as to transport life-saving medicine in the safest and most sustainable way.

Novair by Regli Energy Systems AG
NovaAir provides a sustainable, energy-efficient and easily integrable heating system for private households as well as commercial buildings, that is economically superior over the course of its lifetime. By allowing the NovaAir to run on the natural refrigerant propane instead of widespread synthetic refrigerants, its emissions are up to 700 times lower than those of refrigerants in conventional heat pumps. When compared to a Single Family Home running on gas or oil heating, 3500-4500 kg CO2-equivalents can be saved annually.

Droople – IoT for water asset monitoring
Vendors & operators are unable to assess the performance, the need for maintenance and consumable replenishment of their water assets such as sanitary ware, filtration systems and appliances because they are offline. Droople is building the Internet of Water-based on IoT & AI connecting 100B+ assets to monitor them, predict their maintenance and enable water-energy savings for those operators and vendors via a hybrid business model based on hardware sales and software subscription plan. Droople's solution aims to reduce unplanned interventions, 24/7 monitoring of your assets in the field, increase your consumable sales and enable water-energy savings.

Freesuns SA – solar cells
has developed a range of solar tiles designed to maximize the photovoltaic cell coverage for any roof shape or style. The Freesuns Solution has maximum solar cell coverage for all types of roofs, particularly triangular or irregularly shaped roofs, generating maximum solar power. The tiles integrate into both traditional and modern architecture to ensure a stunning aesthetic result. The team provides a complete end-to-end solution including design, installation, commissioning, connection and monitoring.

FluidSoils Biocomposites– up-cycling organic waste streams into performance materials
With the aim of reducing global warming and plastic pollution, FluidSolids AG developed a technology to produce home-compostable and recyclable composites from residuals and waste streams. FluidSolids® biocomposites feature mechanical and ecological properties, making them suitable for use in countless application areas. The company aims at mass-producing parts entirely made from biomass.

Wepot – Ollas irrigation system
the Lausanne-based startup founded in 2020 brings back to life an ancestral irrigation technique called "olla" or "irrigation by jar". Placed next to any type of plant (in pots or gardens)., porous clay water tanks (ollas) have the capacity to self-regulate the plants in water for up to 10 days of autonomy by slowly and naturally spreading the water around them. This technique increases the productivity of vegetables and uses up to 70% less water than conventional methods.

(RAN)