Startups have begun to take over the sustainability space in recent years as progressive thinkers identify the ever increasing need to provide people with products and services that allow them to live more sustainably.
In attempts to combat climate change and environmental degradation - some of the most pressing issues of our time - we have seen a whole lot of growth and innovation in the space of sustainable startups. These startups are creating real and meaningful change in their mission to make the world a better place with the support of an ever growing number of environmentally conscious consumers who invest in their products.
Here at EarthOffset, we love being able to share this mission of creating an environmentally sustainable humanity through creating products that promote sustainable living. We are so excited by and invested in what happens in the environmental sustainability space that we wanted to share with you some of our favourite startups who are doing good in the world.
Check out our top five favourite sustainable startups:
1. Impossible Foods
Impossible is addressing the huge sustainability problem of mass meat consumption. Animal agriculture occupies almost half the available land on earth, consumes a quarter of our freshwater and produces 15% of global gas emissions. This has devastating effects on our environment.
While vegetarianism and veganism is on the rise, the majority of us not only enjoy but LOVE eating meat. Determined to end mass meat consumption while still eating meat, Impossible Foods achieved the impossible; meat-free meat. Their meat substitutes have served a significant role in the transition to a more sustainable humanity enabling people to enjoy eating a sustainable plant-based diet without the loss of meat. The added bonus: meatless meat tastes pretty damn good.
2. Sprout World
Sprout World are the inventors of an extremely innovative technology called the Sprout Pencil. Available in over 60 countries across the globe, the Sprout Pencil is raising awareness while making sustainability fun for those involved. It’s the world’s first “plantable” pencil.
You write with it until you can’t write with it no more, then plant the stub in soil and watch the magic happen as the stub - containing the seed of either herbs, veggies or flowers - germinates into a fully fledged plant. It’s been such a success that the startup has introduced a line of Sprout Makeup Pencils, and Sprout Spoons for tea.
Not only are these innovations super cool but they are making sustainability simple, fun and inspiring.
3. WindCity
While we may all love the idea of wind powered renewable energy, the fact is that wind turbines are not that efficient. WindCity have taken this pitfall and turned it on its head with their innovative wind turbine design.
Their mission for economic, social and environmental sustainability has got them doing great things in the sustainable tech space and for our planet. With this venture truly underway WindCity has created another branch for itself harnessing energy from water as WaterCity.
4. Cora Ball
While the plastic pollution of the world’s oceans has been talked about a lot, we often think less about microplastics and what effect they are having on our global marine ecosystems. Most people don’t even know where microplastics come from. Well, one source is from your washing machine.
Every time we wash our clothes microfibres, including plastics, shed from our clothes and end up in our waterways. Trillions of these tiny plastics flow through the ocean. Cora Ball is a sustainable startup that has gone about preventing any more microplastic pollution through the invention of the Cora Ball, a next-generation laundry ball inspired by the filtration systems of coral. Just pop it in with your laundry and it collects the hazardous microfibres before they can escape into waterways and end up in the ocean.
5. Plenty
Improving the life of plants, people and the planet, sustainable startup Plenty has been pioneering indoor vertical farming as a solution to unsustainable agriculture. They create indoor vertical farms in urban spaces.
This method reduces the amount of water and land - both extremely precious resources we cannot afford to waste or degrade - needed to grow crops. Their location in urban spaces mean that fresh produce is only minutes away and can be harvested and delivered as quickly as within a day, making for fresher produce with longer shelf-life and shorter food miles.
Sustainability focused startups are quickly becoming the way of the future and it’s more important than ever that the everyday person support them in their mission. Know of any sustainable startups that are doing good in the world? Let us know in the comments!
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