“There aren’t many low environmental-impact options (materials, logistics) on the market for us in our industry” is what I hear a lot from businesses.
But after working at Innovate UK for nearly 10 years, I don’t think this is actually true. I just don’t think people know about them enough. So this is my small grain of sand to raise awareness about the amazing innovations that exist in the UK to help your business make your supply chain more sustainable.
The UK government has been funding solutions to solve social & environmental challenges since 2004 and it has funded 72,771 innovative solution projects in that time. These solutions are based on thousands of hours of conversations with traditional businesses, in the following sectors, to discover their challenges:
- Ageing society & health
- Agriculture
- AI & Data
- Digital & quantum
- Design & creative
- Manufacturing
- Materials
- Net zero (power, mobility, heat, built environment, green finance, circular materials)
- Semi-conductors
- Transforming services
- Urban systems
- Vaccines
GOLD DUST ALERT: You can see every solution that has been funded here: https://www.ukri.org/publications/innovate-uk-funded-projects-since-2004/
As I shared last week, innovation is something Innovate UK and B Corp have in common. So this is where my two worlds collide 😀
Here are my top 10 innovative tech Innovate UK-funded B Corps:
1. Switchee. A device that connects residents to social housing providers and provides real-time data and insights on energy efficiency, costs, and satisfaction.
2. Ananas Anam. The pioneers of innovative natural textiles from waste pineapple leaves.
3. Ella’s Kitchen. Organic baby and toddler food producer.
4. Virtuoso. A learning platform and community for people who love making music and never stop learning.
5. LettusGrow. An indoor farming technology provider based in Bristol
6. DAME. A sustainable menstrual brand
7. Bower Collective. Creates naturally derived personal care and household products in reusable packaging
8. Neighbourly. Helps businesses deliver meaningful and sustainable community investment
9. Kelpi. Harnessing the properties of seaweed to create compostable, marine-safe, low-carbon packaging
10. Grubby. The UK’s first 100% plant-based recipe kit.
The solutions are out there, sometimes you just need to know where to look. I hope this inspires you to explore, connect, and bring innovation into your supply chain, one impactful choice at a time.
#SupplyChain #ResponsibleBusiness #SustainableBusiness #GreenTech #ImpactInnovation
Encouraging social and environmental responsibility from your suppliers