Goodbag, a startup based in Austria, has proposed a solution for reducing the use of plastic bags and thereby protecting the environment, and it won the second Build Up!, the open innovation initiative through which Ferrovial launches challenges in innovation to the startup world at the national and international levels.
On Thursday, November 22, in the N@ave Boeticher, the final session of the second edition of Build Up! took place, where this year’s 5 finalist startups presented their solutions to a jury of experts. The challenge of this second edition was focused on finding solutions that drastically reduce the use of LAG (Liquid, Aerosols and Gases) bags in airports. That is, those bags that we have to put liquids in when we fly with carry-on bags. This challenge, proposed be the Centre of Excellence for Sustainability at Heathrow Airport, aims to reduce the environmental impact of these bags as the number of bags used every year is greater than the number of passengers taking off and/or landing at Heathrow.
Specifically, the 5 finalist startups, chosen from a total of 24 proposals that were received, presented for 10 minutes with their solutions responding to the challenge, “How can the impact of disposable plastic bags used to store liquids, aerosols, and gels (LAG) in carry-on luggage be reduced?” to a jury composed of:
- Matt Prescott, Director of the Centre for Sustainability of Heathrow Airport
- Tom Holyford, Security Programmes Mananer for Heathrow Airport
- Gonzalo Velasco, Portfolio Management Director for Ferrovial Airports
- Valentín Alfaya, Quality & Environment Director for Ferrovial
- José Luis Muñoz, Climate KIC Spain Director
- Rafael Fernández, Innovation and Digital Strategy Director for Ferrovial
After deliberations, the jury decided that the winning startup was the Austrian startup Goodbag, which proposed a solution that aims to incentivize passengers to act more sustainably through the gamification of the user experience. Now, Goodbag will have the opportunity to try out this solution through a pilot project at Heathrow Airport.
The other finalist startups that presented their solutions were:
- Relicta, an Italian startup that proposed manufacturing bags using a water-soluble material made from industrial waste from fish.
- Yased, a Spanish startup with a novel solution that uses dissolution in its process for recycling all types of polystyrene.
- Combustión ECO, a Spanish startup that develops materials that respect the environment and at the same time have very special qualities.
- Precious Plastics, a global community of hundreds of people that are working to find a solution for plastic contamination.
