Ocean Innovation Africa: Plastics Innovation & Circulatary Challenge 2023

Plastics Innovation & Circulatary Challenge 2023/ With the support of the UK South Africa the OceanHub Africa called for Plastics Innovation & Circulatary Challenge (Tech Hub),  an initiative of the UK Government, SOLVE@Waterfront to address plastic issues in South Africa.

• Application Deadline: January 17, 2023
• Your startup is contributing to plastic circularity
• You are an incorporated for-profit and operate in South Africa ?
• You are a scalable service or product currently or soon to be available on the market
• Your product or service is clearly innovative and/or your business model is disruptive
• You are looking to grow your economic, social, and environmental impact

Ocean Innovation Africa believe that innovations led by science, technology, and entrepreneurship will provide the necessary leverage points to address the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG),  at the right pace and scale. By addressing the issues of sustainable Oceans economy and Oceans conservation, our event seeks to find solutions linking up to almost all SDGs in addition to SDG14 – Life Below Water.

This challenge is for you, If you are based in South Africa, and have developed an innovative business/technological solution to problem plastics, such as:

• Technologies/systems to increase the rate of plastic collection
• Technologies/behavior change to facilitate the separation of waste after use or at the source
• A solution to better manage low-value plastics (single-use plastics, multi-layered packaging) through reuse and recycling
• Digital technology to address plastic pollution (e.g. behaviour change, reduction of the use of plastics, collection/sorting, recycling, tracking system)
• And any other innovation that could stop the leakage of plastic into the ocean
• A prototype of any of the above, which you are ready to test.

PRIZES:

As the winning finalist of the plastic innovation and circularity challenge you will:

• Be awarded R175 000 to further develop your innovation and business
• Be featured on the partners’ websites and their social media channels
• Have a chance to pitch in front of investors and other stakeholders during the leading African event on ocean-impact innovation, Ocean Innovation Africa Summit,
• Automatically secure admission in OceanHub Africa’s 2023-2024 cohort, 1st Pan-African accelerator program designed to support blue entrepreneurs