Media

29.11.2024

What innovative ideas in Sustainable Chemistry can help mitigate and adapt to climate change? This is the central question posed by the International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Centre (ISC3) in the Innovation Challenge 2025. Start-ups and innovators from around the world are invited to apply with their solutions in the field of Sustainable Chemistry for this annual competition, which once again offers a total prize pool of EUR 25,000. The application period is open until the 3rd of March 2025.

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How can innovations in Sustainable Chemistry drive a more sustainable textile industry? Which factors play a role for investors and potential customers for successful sustainability-driven start-ups? And what are future promising trends in Sustainable Chemistry in the textile sector? These pivotal questions were at the forefront of the 6th ISC3 Investor Forum 2024, held during the Impact Festival on October 30th and 31st at Forum Messe Frankfurt. Answers were provided not only by international experts from various fields, but also by five start-ups who presented their ideas at the Innovation Challenge, which was once again one of the highlights of the Investor Forum. What they all have in common is that their innovations contribute to a more sustainable textile industry and are supported by the International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Centre (ISC3). But in the end, there could only be one winner: the Swiss start-up Dimpora with its groundbreaking PFAS-free textile membrane.

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As concerns grow regarding production methods, waste of resources and the fast fashion, consumers increasingly seek transparency about the origins of their clothing, the manufacturing processes involved and the materials utilized. Achieving seamless traceability from raw material sourcing to retail, along with effective monitoring, presents significant challenges for the textile sector. DNACottons’s groundbreaking DNABarkod technology offers a viable solution. This blockchain-based traceability system employs genetic labeling of products throughout various production stages. Each raw material is assigned a unique genetic identifier, enabling clear identification at any point along the value chain.

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What can attendees expect from this year’s Investor Forum of the International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Centre (ISC3)? Innovations range from leather alternative made from fruit waste in Mexico, to advanced textile recycling processes from Sweden, to PFAS-free textile membrane from Switzerland, to bio-based and biodegradable textile and leather chemicals developed in India, and to unique genetic identifiers for products developed in Türkiye. These outstanding ideas will be presented by the finalists of the ISC3 Innovation Challenge who are all focused on driving solutions in Sustainable Chemistry and Textiles.

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Most consumer goods made from leather are still traditionally of animal origin but are now often also produced artificially from crude oil. Today, both production processes face numerous challenges in terms of sustainability and the circular economy. They generally require a high amount of energy, often aggressive chemical treatments and recycling is hardly possible. With its next-generation material made from fruit waste, the Mexican start-up Polybion has developed an animal-free and ecologically valuable alternative. Importantly, the so-called next-generation materials can only have a significant impact as direct substitutes for conventional products such as leather, silk, fur, down or wool if they are affordable, competitive and available on a mass scale. And this is exactly what Polybion promises with its leather alternative Celium.

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Waterproof clothing is essential for anyone who spends a lot of time outdoors. Whether hiking, cycling, skiing, or simply going for a walk, the right gear can make the difference between an exhilarating outdoor experience and a wet, uncomfortable memory. However, in recent years, the waterproof properties of membranes in outdoor clothing have been heavily debated due to the use of PFAS [PFAS stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – also known as PFC (per- and polyfluorinated chemicals)] and solvents, which can be released into the environment during the production of the chemical and the use of the clothing. The main issue: most membranes are not recyclable because the chemicals and textiles cannot be separated. Additionally, PFAS do not occur naturally and are not degradable, which is why they are often referred to as "forever chemicals."

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The growing world population, not least in connection with fast fashion, has led to a massive increase in textile production and thus textile waste. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the fashion and textile industry is currently responsible for around 8% of all carbon emissions. About 8% of European microplastics released to oceans – globally, this figure is estimated at 16-35% – and 20% of all global wastewater are from synthetic textiles, as reported by the European environment agency. This means the industry has the second largest impact on environmental pollution worldwide. One way of counteracting this trend is recycling. However, there is currently no technology in the world that can fully utilize recycled polyester or cellulose fibers to produce new garments. The properties of the recycled fibers are often impaired, meaning that up to 50% virgin cellulose or polyester fibers must be added to meet the quality requirements of the fabrics. As a result, according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation 2017, the proportion of recycled fibers in the fashion and textile industry worldwide is less than 1%. This is even though recycling textiles is one of the most important solutions for more sustainable practices in the industry.

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According to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the fashion industry is the second largest contributor to global pollution, accounting for 10% of it, just behind the petroleum industry. One reason for this is water-intensive production processes that use chemicals, leading to global warming and toxic wastewater. Reckless chemical design has resulted in non-biodegradable and toxic waste increasingly ending up in nature. According to SCHUTZEN, nearly every day a new toxic substance is discovered, but the startup's innovation from India aims to change that.

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An international jury consisting of independent reviewers, including representatives of the ISC3 partner organisations and external experts, especially from the textile sector, ensured a professional evaluation of all international submissions at a very high level.

"The large number of start-ups registered and the feedback from the start-ups we have already supported show that the ISC3 Innovation Challenge is a valuable opportunity for young companies in the field of Sustainable Chemistry. Visionary innovators should receive the support they need to realise their creative approaches and innovative solutions, because we as a society have the same goal: to contribute to a more sustainable future,"

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5 Start-ups, 5 Valuable Experiences for ISC3 and the Process Industry

“The success of the start-ups presented by ISC3 at ACHEMA 2024, particularly at the Pitch Slam, has confirmed that our Global Start-up Service offers a unique opportunity to advance Sustainable Chemistry innovations in the process industry,”

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Every day, five young companies will be presenting solutions for a more sustainable world at the booth(D2, Hall 6.0), some of which have already been awarded Start-up of the Month in the frame of the ISC3“Global Start-up Service” support programme. ISC3 is also organising the Start-up Slam together withthree partner organisations - Forum Startup Chemie, 5-HT (Germany) and Brightlands (Netherlands) - on12 June from 11.15 a.m.: Fourteen start-ups from India, Egypt, Austria, Spain, Switzerland, theNetherlands and Germany will present their ideas on the EY Green Innovation Stage (Hall 6.0).

Epoxy resins are a type of industrial plastic used in fibre-reinforced composites, coatings, and adhesives. Zila uses vegetable oils, like hempseed and linseed oil, to create a high-performance, drop-in bio-epoxy replacement for a number of different applications. Not only does Zila drastically reduce the carbon footprint of epoxies, their technology also enables recyclability of epoxy composites. Zila formulates its bio-epoxy resin systems, making it an attractive drop-in solution for manufacturers. For these reasons, Zila Bioworks has been chosen as the Start-up of the Month for May 2024 by the International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Centre (ISC3).

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“Sustainable Chemistry must scale by default, not in commercial scaling, but in material, biological and ecological scaling. Before a chemical is used in industry, we must know how it will behave worldwide under all conceivable climatic conditions. How many resources are required if only one part is produced but a million parts? What does this mean in ten, 50 or 100 years when the material ends up in the environment? What by-products are produced, and what effects do they have if disposed of improperly? In addition, Sustainable Chemistry also asks about social and ethical aspects,” says Prof Kümmerer with a view to the discussion. At the same time he will also take a look at the practice of science and present best practice examples that show the contribution that Sustainable Chemistry makes in various areas of everyday life.

Besides fixing CO2, the extraction process is green and following sustainability principles, as it does not include any heavy chemicals or solvents, thus protecting farmers and consumers and the environment. For these reasons, Neptunus Biotech has been chosen as one of the ISC3 Innovation Challenge 2023 finalists, and is featured as the ISC3 Start-up of the Month for April 2024.

To tackle the increasingly poor performance of crops due to environmental stress the start-up developed a set of bio-stimulants based on extract of microalgae from strains of different species. The specific formulations are applied to specific stages of development of the crop. The different solutions either focus on initial stages of plant development, plant growth, flowering or deficiencies in nutrition, that are also related to stress. This stress can be environmental, such as drought, extreme temperature or mechanical and chemical damage by machinery, synthetic pesticides and fertilizers.

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Their goal is to minimise the environmental pollution caused by greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the decomposition of waste in landfill sites, and to support local farmers and women in the informal waste management sector. For these reasons, Ecorich Solutions has been chosen as one of the ISC3 Innovation Challenge 2023 finalists, and is featured as the ISC3 Start-up of the Month for March 2024.

The technology developed by Ecorich decomposes food waste and thus reduces the number of landfills that release toxic gases into the atmosphere. Up to now, the start-up has reduced urban waste by 40% by collecting kitchen waste from households.

Read the full article here.

Their innovation not only reduces the amount of microplastic, therefore reducing the carbon footprint of many products, but the environmentally friendly production process also promotes the circular economy. For these reasons, Bioweg has been chosen as the ISC3 Start-up of the Month for February 2024.

Read the full article here.

Great honour for professor Klaus Kümmerer. The renowned scientist from Leuphana University Lüneburg (Germany) and Director of the Research & Education Hub of the International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Centre (ISC3) was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit on Ribbon yesterday in Hanover (Germany). Prof. Kümmerer received the highest award of the Federal Republic of Germany for the development of the benign-by-design approach, his decades of research achievements, the promotion of young talents in the field of Sustainable Chemistry and his commitment to raising public awareness of a sustainable future, for which he has been involved in several national and international committees for many years.

Read the full press release here.

23.11.2023

If South Mumbai is flooded in seven years, 20 million people will lose their homes. The number of cases of cancer in children will rise by 37 percent this year. The mountains of garbage in his homeland are getting bigger and bigger. As one of eight finalists in the Innovation Challenge 2023 of the International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Centre (ISC3), Raj Tanna highlights the consequences of increasing plastic production from fossil raw materials with three alarming facts: global warming, the release of harmful substances and poor end-of-life options. With his start-up, Schutzen Chemical Group, the founder is researching and developing biobased and biodegradable solutions with polymers from the fruit seeds of the tamarind tree, which can replace many fossil raw materials such as silicone, acrylates or polyurethane in certain industries. For this contribution to Sustainable Chemistry, the international expert jury of the Innovation Challenge honoured the start-up with the ISC3 Innovation Award 2023, endowed with 15,000 euros.

Read the full press release here.

Start-ups become changemakers - apply now!

Which innovative ideas in Sustainable Chemistry have the potential to improve the textile sector? This is the question posed by the International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Centre (ISC3) in the Innovation Challenge 2024. Start-ups and innovators from all over the world can now apply with their answers and solutions in the field of Sustainable Chemistry for the annual ISC3 innovation competition, which is once again endowed with a total of EUR 25,000. The application period started on 1 November 2023 and the ISC3 will accept applications until 1 March 2024.

"Sustainable Chemistry plays a crucial role in transforming the textile industry to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. For this reason, we want to address, reward and promote Sustainable Chemistry start-ups and their original solutions for the textile sector as part of this year's ISC3 Innovation Challenge,"

Read the full press release here.

With their innovative approach in green chemistry and sustainable agricultural production, Makabi contributes to the reduction of environmental pollution, mitigates climate change and increases the biopotential of produced food. For these reasons Makabi Agritech was chosen as the ISC3 start-up of the month for November 2023.

CHEManager International

Read the ISC3 News article here.

Read the ISC3 Start-up of the month article here.

Aquamet developed a device to measure water quality parameters crucial to aquaculture and an accompanying app to assist fish farmers in their daily tasks to ensure the best water quality at all times. For their innovative approach to minimize loss of fish and thus reducing the carbon footprint, while also having a positive social impact, Aquamet has been selected as ISC3 Innovation Challenge 2023 Finalist and the ISC3 Start-up of the Month for October 2023.

Read the article here:

CHEManager International

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CHEManager Germany

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I lost my elephant some days ago. Actually, it was an elephant keychain. This was a special present given by a Thai student who attended the Summer School on Sustainable Chemistry for Sustainable Development in July 2023, at Leuphana University, Germany, supported by the International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Centre (ISC3). This event focused on the foundations and applications of sustainable chemistry in tackling the climate crisis, a top priority requiring responsible and coordinated transnational actions on many fronts, including through high-level scientific knowledge. The chemical industry is fundamental for providing goods for other industries such as construction, pharmaceuticals, agriculture–food processing, and electronics, with a global material production capacity of around 2.3 billion tonnes in 2020 and sales of chemicals projected at almost $11.3 trillion annually by 2030. Such growth reflects the importance of the science and industrial applications, leading to remarkable opportunities to promote a better life for all, considering the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, there are also challenges and risks stemming from the energy demands, greenhouse gas emissions, and toxicity of many chemicals and their transformation products, as well as the lack of proper chemical and waste management programs in various countries.

[...]

"Science"

Read the ISC3 News article here.

What does it take to establish and maintain sustainability as a measurable value for companies? What conditions need to be created for ideas in Sustainable Chemistry to flourish? And which start-ups worldwide promise the greatest impact in this field with their innovations? These and other central questions about innovations for Sustainable Chemistry were answered at the Investor Forum 2023 of the International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Centre (ISC3). The fifth edition took place live as part of the 5th World Chemicals Conference ICCM5 in Bonn. International representatives from politics, industry, NGOs, science, environmental associations and investors met 18 international start-ups to talk about meaningful cooperation and to award the most innovative ideas and solutions in the field of Sustainable Chemistry at the finals of the ISC3 Innovation Challenge, which is endowed with a total of 25,000 euros.

Read the full press release here.

“The social dimension in international chemical management must be kept in mind in future SAICM processes for example by increasing the inclusion of marginalised groups such as indigenious, women, children, youth and disabled and that would be leaving no one behind as we understand it.”

“I was very impressed by the multitude of creative ideas of our start-ups today and the great interest from investors”

The Egypt-based start-up Plastale produces composite materials for different applications out of local plastic and crop waste. Their recycling process aims to be energy and cost efficient, and the start-up focuses also on creating social impact through collaboration with local communities and local waste collectors. For this reason, International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Centre (ISC3) features Plastale as the ISC3 Start-up of the Month for September 2023.

CHEManager International

Read the ISC3 Start-up of the month article here.

Read the ISC3 News Article here.

Leather made from microorganisms instead of animal skin produced in Peru. A material made from locally sourced starch as a sustainable alternative to single-use plastic packaging from Colombia. Sunglasses made from recycled chip bags in India. Skin and hair care products based on proteins extracted from fish waste from Ethiopia. These are four of the innovative ideas with which 18 Start-ups live on site and a total of 30 online are presenting their ideas and themselves at the Investor Forum 2023 of the International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Centre (ISC3).

What's unique about this year's event with Start-ups from Europe, Africa, Latin America, North America and Asia is that it will be held live as part of the 5th World Chemical Conference (ICCM5) on September 28th in Bonn.

Read the full press release here.

Read the ISC3 News Article here.

Click here for more information.

For further information on the ICCM5 and to register, please visit: SAICM.

Read the ISC3 News Article here

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Furthermore, on the basis of their presentation in the end of the pitch training, the selected finalists will be given the chance to compete to win EUR 15.000 and pitch on September 28th, 2023 during the upcoming ISC3 Investor Forum 2023 that will take place live in Bonn, Germany as an official side-event at the 5th World Chemicals Conference (ICCM5). The ISC3 Investor Forum will close with the Innovation Challenge Award Ceremony, where, in addition to the main winner, two additional solutions will be awarded for their Impact, each with EUR 5.000.

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CHEManager International

To read the whole success story of the ISC3 Start-up of the Month in July 2023, click here

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To read the whole success story of the ISC3 Start-up of the Month in June 2023, click here

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CHEManager International

To read the whole success story of the ISC3 Start-up of the Month in May 2022, click here

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CHEManager International

To read the whole success story of the ISC3 Start-up of the Month in May 2023, click here.

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CHEManager International

To read the whole success story of the ISC3 Start-up of the Month in April 2023, click here.

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CHEManager International

To read the whole success story of the ISC3 Start-up of the Month in February 2023, click here

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Contest applications will be accepted from 0:00 a.m. (CET) December 15th, 2022 until 0:00 a.m. (CEST) April 3, 2023 at the latest.

Application: ISC3 Innovation Challenge 2023 in Sustainable Chemistry and Agriculture (evalato.com)

Read the ISC3 News Article here

It is open access and can be downloaded here.

Read the ISC3 News Article here

ISC3 Investor Forum & Innovation Showcase 2022

What challenges do impact investors face when evaluating ESGs and investing in Start-ups? What roledoes the financial and regulatory framework play in West African Sustainable Chemistry Innovations?Which Sustainable Chemistry pioneers captured the hearts of the audience? And who are the winners ofthe EUR 25.000 ISC3 Innovation Challenge in Sustainable Chemistry and Waste? These were some of thekey questions of the International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Centre's (ISC3) Investor Forum2022 on November 9th and 10th, 2022. A total of 121 registered international guests from Start-ups,finance, industry, science, NGOs and politics took part in the virtual fourth International Investor Forum.

Read the ISC3 News Article here

Read the Factsheet to learn more about Biocide Leasing

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Read the ISC3 News Article here

Registration Link: Home – ISC3 Investor Forum 2022 (converia.de)

Investor Forum 2022 Agenda

Read the ISC3 News Article here

Read the Factsheet to learn more about Sustainable Chemistry for Climate Protection

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Read the ISC3 News Article here

With their work, Reverion and UP Catalyst are contributing to counteract climate change by reducing CO2 emissions. To achieve their goals, they plan to work closely together in the future as part of a strategic partnership.

“When supplementing sustainable electricity with our fuel cell system, we produce pure CO2, which UP Catalyst can use to produce very valuable carbon nanomaterials,”

says Stephan Herrmann of Reverion.

Read the ISC3 News Article here

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Reversible fuel cells for clean energy, bioplastics made from starch, and secondary raw materials by innovative recycling process of waste diapers – these are just some of the many fledgling ideas for Sustainable Chemistry being showcased by the International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Centre (ISC3) at ACHEMA in Frankfurt am Main (B73, 6.0/Green Innovation Zone) from August 22 to 26, 2022.

Read the ISC3 News Article here

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Prizes & Innovation Challenge Award Ceremony

All finalists will get access to the customized support of the ISC3 Global Startup Service (ISC3 GSS) in the form of an online pitch training. They will be featured via the ISC3 communication channels as a “lighthouse case study for Sustainable Chemistry innovation” in the ISC3 series Start-up of the Month.

On the basis of their presentation in the end of the pitch training, the selected finalists will be given the chance to compete to win EUR 15.000 and pitch on November 10th, 2022 late afternoon CET during the upcoming all virtual fourth ISC3 Investor Forum 2022.

Read the ISC3 News Article here

The ten finalists were officially announced by ISC3 in the frame of the virtual Roundtable India: Andvancing the Ten Objectives for Green and Sustainable Chemistry on May 11th, which kicked off this year’s Sustainable Chemistry Club series. For more information please see here

Please get in touch with Silvia Nikova if you'd like to learn more.

Read the ISC3 News Article here

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The ISC3 will host its own booth in the Green Innovation Zone in Hall 6. Every day, we will feature 2 start-ups from our Changemaker Community and you can look forward to a pitch event on Wednesday, August 24th as well. Come learn more about our current work, projects and programs. We are excited to meet you! Further information can be found here in due time.

Read the ISC3 News Article here

The ISC3 Corporate Challenge is the first Sustainable Chemistry Corporate Challenge with the aim to match industry partners and start-ups based on unique industry calls in the chemical or chemical-related sector. The goal is to find tailored-made solutions to critical problems, promote innovation and accelerate Sustainable Development.

For more information and to submit your application, please visit: https://pro.evalato.com/4473

Read the ISC3 News Article here

The ISC3 Innovation Challenge aims to engage, award, and promote sustainable chemistry innovators and their original solutions, since the transformation of the chemical sector plays a crucial role towards achieving most of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

For more information and to submit your application, please visit: ISC3 Innovation Challenge 2022 (evalato.com)

Contact

Astrid Ewaz, Project Manager/Events, ISC3 Innovation Hub

astrid.ewaz©isc3.org

+49 69 7564-623

Frankfurt am Main, 9-11 November 2021 – This year’s Investor Forum 2021 took place in the frame of the very first "Global Sustainable Chemistry Week (GSCW)" hosted by the International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Centre (ISC3). A total of 170 international guests from start-ups, finance, industry, science, NGOs and politics took part in the virtual third international Investor Forum of the International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Centre (ISC3).

For further information on the competition, eligibility, and how to register your participation in the 2022 edition of the ISC3 see the Innovation Challenge site.

Contact

Astrid Ewaz, Project Manager/Events, ISC3 Innovation Hub

+49 69 7564-623, astrid.ewaz©isc3.org

The Investor Forum, held virtually for the second time from November 9th to November 11th, 2021, will connect founders, investors, and experts as well as decision-makers from industry, science, and politics, to explore these crucial questions. Its panel discussions will be matched by three pitching sessions, featuring 20 sustainable chemistry start-ups, additional innovation showcases of cutting-edge entrepreneurs, as well as speed dating and networking opportunities with international investors via a separate virtual platform solution. The featured start-ups profiles will soon be available for investors in a digitally available investor booklet. Beyond this, the Investor Forum will also again host the Presentations of the Finalists and the Award Ceremony of the global EUR 25,000 ISC3 Innovation Challenge in Renewable Energy and Sustainable Chemistry.

See the Investor Forum page for Information on the next Investor Forum:

To learn more about our ISC3 Innovation Challenge Award nominee’s, and to register for the ISC3 Investor Forum 2021, please visit www.isc3.org.

The ISC3 Investor Forum 2021 is a must attend event for international VCs and angel investors that are looking to invest in innovative sustainable chemistry technologies.

Astrid Ewaz
Project Manager/Events
ISC3 Innovation Hub
T +49 69 7564-623
astrid.ewaz©isc3.org

With over 960 international exhibitors from 38 countries and thousands of visitors from all around the world, Achema Pulse is one of the world’s biggest virtual exhibitions for the process industry, showcasing innovations from the chemical, pharmaceutical and biotech sector as well as well as energy and environmental services.

The ISC3 Innovation Hub is pleased to announce its participation in the Achema 2022 already!Stay connected, to learn more about our upcoming program please visit www.isc3.org.

Contact

Silvia Nikova, Start-up Relations and Communications Manager ISC3 Innovation Hub

silvia.nikova©isc3.org

Ideas Competition for Start-Ups based in Brazil

Dear Brazilian Start-Ups,

we just extended our Open Labs Brazil ideas competition submission deadline forinnovative business ideas from the field of sustainable chemistry to 27 July 2021.

Dare to apply! -Are you in it to win it?

Chemical Leasing Award - ISC3 member of Jury

Contact

Astrid Ewaz
Project Manager/Events
ISC3 Innovation Hub
T +49 69 7564-623
astrid.ewaz©isc3.org

Download as pdf.

Together with ISC3, the project is particularly focused on the Sustainable Chemistry field, which will be used as the pilot research field with more news to come in the next months! The project will offer knowledge, study cases and practical tools for better organising, sharing and advertising equipment and services at laboratories from universities and research institutes, making these more accessible to external users from the academic, industry and startup communities.

Download as pdf.

The ISC3 Innovation Challenge 2020/2021 addresses innovators from around the world which are active in developing Sustainable Chemistry solutions linked to renewable energies.

Contact

Astrid Ewaz
Project Manager/Events ISC3 Innovation Hub
T +49 69 7564-623
astrid.ewaz©isc3.org

The second edition of the Investor Forum, 21 – 23 October 2020, organised by the ISC3 and Think Beyond Innovation Accelerator™, explores how Sustainable Chemistry can support innovations in achieving the SDGs. Participants will discuss the role of frontier capital and blended financing mechanisms to secure the innovation pipeline, and the dynamics of the innovation eco-system.

Registration Link: Investor Forum 2020 and Innovation Showcase
Link to Agenda: Catalysing Innovation through Investments in Sustainable Chemistry

Contact

Astrid Ewaz
Project Manager/Events ISC3 Innovation Hub
T +49 69 7564-623
astrid.ewaz©isc3.org

Taking pollution and increasingly scarce raw materials into account, the chemical industry must shift its products and processes towards a circular economy. This implies that waste must be primarily avoided, and products need to be developed in a way that they can be reused or recycled. In their article in the renowned journal Science, Prof. Klaus Kümmerer, Director of the ISC3 Research and Innovation Hub and Professor of Sustainable Chemistry and Material Resources at the Leuphana University, Prof. John Clark, University of York, and Prof. Vânia Zuin, University of São Carlos, put forward guidelines on how to rethink chemistry to facilitate a circular economy. Clark and Zuin are also members of the ISC3 Scientific Board.

Original Publication: Klaus Kümmerer, James H. Clark, Vânia G. Zuin, Rethinking chemistry for a circular economy, Science, January 24, 2020, Issue 6476, pp. 369-370, DOI: 10.1126 / science.aba4979/ (restricted access)

Do you have the knowledge of the innovation ecosystem and own a network in your region? Do you see the enabling role of Sustainable Chemistry to achieve the goals of the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development? Enter our Spiderweb Network and join us in supporting innovators for a global breakthrough of Sustainable Chemistry! Contact our team with the following email: innovation@isc3.org.

The Innovation Challenge is a flagship initiative under the ISC3 Global Start-up Service, the world’s first programme supporting innovators in the sustainable chemistry-related fields globally. The Global Start-up Service targets entrepreneurs along the entire innovation chain and offers them a wide range of services tailored to their needs.

For more information about the ISC3 Innovation Challenge and how to apply, visit the Innovation Challenge

Heredia has developed a process to produce biochar from agribusiness biomass wastes to improve stressed soils. The prize consists of a cash award of 25,000 EUR plus the onboarding at the ISC3 Global Start-up Service and was awarded on 6 May 2019 at the 4th Green and Sustainable Chemistry Conference in Dresden in Germany.

The new collaboration builds on an existing Challenge partnership between the Elsevier Foundation and Elsevier’s chemistry journals with first and second prizes for €50,000 and €25,000 for sustainable chemistry projects addressing challenges in the developing world focusing on energy, water, waste reduction, agriculture, and medicine. ISC3 will contribute an additional €25,000 3rd prize for entrepreneurial spirit bringing a broad industry and policymaking network to the Challenge.

Reference sheets for each award winner with a more extensive biography and description of their work are available upon request.
Reporters wishing to attend the pitching event or award ceremony may contact Domiziana Francescon at +31 61 021 5901 or d.francescon©elsevier.com.>Read more about the Green & Sustainable Chemistry Challenge:

• 2019 Top 5 Finalists
• 2019 Judging Panel

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) outlines the role of each organisation and proposes long-term collaboration in the following areas: research agenda development, fostering breakthrough innovation, education & skills development and stakeholder dialogues on Sustainable Chemistry. Through this agreement, both parties aim to maximise the impact of relevant activities, build on synergies and complementarities, and create added value for their members.

During the course of the event, attendees took part in networking activities and listened to inspiring start-up pitches and discussion panels centred on advancing new business models, designs and technologies that keep plastics in the economy and prevent them from becoming waste. A highlight of the event were innovation showcases, during which 32 start-ups introduced their ideas in the areas of new product delivery models, sustainable chemistry and new materials for circular economy in front of top-tier investors.

Read more here:

Press release

To celebrate the successful first year of the International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Centre (ISC3) as well as to present our upcoming activities, the ISC3 will host an anniversary event on 17 September 2018 in Bonn. The event will introduce you to the emerging concept of sustainable chemistry as a game-changing contribution to sustainable development and invites you to join the work of the ISC3.

Invitation & Programme
Press registration: media©isc3.org

Press release 11 June 2018: Sustainable Chemistry: Reinventing a 150-year-old industry for the greater good

Press release 11 June 2018: A successful start into a new era of Sustainable Chemistry – the International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Centre (ISC3)