#13 - Sustainable transportation at breakneck speed
Start-ups in Sustainability
Is it possible to travel at the speed of an airplane while having the same convenience and ecological footprint as going by train? A technology that might make this idea become reality is the hyperloop, a transportation system in which levitating pods are propelled in tubes to reach a speed of more than 1’000 kilometres an hour. The EPFL-spinoff focuses on such systems and has developed a hyperloop vehicle. CEO and co-founder and his team won several awards in the hyperloop competitions hosted by SpaceX and are building a 1.6-kilometre track in Colorado to test their product in full...
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#12 - Supporting small companies with sustainability reporting
Start-ups in Sustainability
In 2022, the European Union changed the legislation on the sustainability reporting of companies. The new requirements expand the scope of businesses that are obliged to report on their environmental, social, and economic impact. Although this legislation has been in effect since early 2024, many small companies still face challenges in understanding and meeting the reporting standards. To assist these businesses, the start-up offers solutions that help them get started on sustainability reporting. In this episode, founder and serial entrepreneur shares the story of CSR Tools and his...
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#11 - A circular world of children’s toys
Start-ups in Sustainability
The children’s toy market in Switzerland is quite sizable with parents spending approximately 800 million Swiss Francs each year. Most of these toys are made of plastic leading to significant emissions during production and posing challenges for recycling. and her team at the start-up are addressing this issue by establishing a circular platform for children’s toys. The company collects toys from families, then sorts, cleans, and eventually offers them a new lease on life through its online store. This approeach results in a triple win: donating families declutter while...
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#10 - Upcycling and circularity in acoustic products
Start-ups in Sustainability
Acoustic panels and dividers help improve the atmosphere in rooms by absorbing sound and reducing noise. Normally these products are made of virgin materials and can be difficult to recycle at the end of their lifecycle. wanted to solve this problem and therefore co-founded Impact Acoustic . This start-up uses waste as a resource and designs circular acoustic products. Impact Acoustic’s latest product is entirely made of cotton fibres deemed too short to make yarn and thus were disposed of in the past. In this episode, Sven talks about why was founded, how they use recycled PET bottles as...
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#9 - Sustainable sips – redefining outdoor coffee
Start-ups in Sustainability
How can you prepare a good cup of coffee when you are outdoors – say on a mountain hike or ski tour – without bringing much equipment or creating lots of waste?
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#8 - Using the potential of seaweed to revolutionise packaging
Start-ups in Sustainability
Seaweed represents one of the most abundant biomass resources on earth. It also grows ten times faster than land plants, captures CO2, and produces oxygen for humans and other species. Despite being a renewable resource, the potential of seaweed is not used often in the production of goods.
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#7 - Tackling the taboo topic (in German)
Start-ups in Sustainability
Products for sexual health are not necessarily the first category that we think about when it comes to making the world more sustainable. For example, condoms were a taboo topic for a long time: many people bought them secretly and avoided talking about them.
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#6 - Circularity and responsible sourcing in watchmaking (rerun)
Start-ups in Sustainability
Many companies try to make their existing product offerings more sustainable and ecologically compatible. But only a few firms subject their product development fully and from the very beginning to the principles of complete circularity and responsible sourcing.
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#5 - Travelling as a mindful optimist
Start-ups in Sustainability
Today many travellers ask themselves which mode of transport they should use for their next trip. Airplanes are fast but have a large carbon footprint. Trains are more sustainable but feature only few overnight connections with which people can bridge the longer travel time by sleeping. And buses also do well in eco-friendliness but are less comfortable for overnight travel because passengers cannot lie down.
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#4 - The scent of sustainability
Start-ups in Sustainability
How can scents enhance our well-being and mental health in the workplace? And what role does 'ma' – the Japanese concept of negative space – play in this context?
info_outlineHow can scents enhance our well-being and mental health in the workplace? And what role does 'ma' – the Japanese concept of negative space – play in this context? These two questions are at the core of MĀ Moments, a start-up that offers curated essential oil blends for consumers, customised scents for companies as well as well-being retreats and corporate gifts for employees. The philosophy of MĀ Moments emphasises connecting with nature, the healing power of art and beauty in simplicity. Co-founder Esther Payerols talks about the inspiration behind MĀ Moments, their deliberate focus on well-being and how sustainability is incorporated into their products.