Congratulations to all the winners of the Earthshot Prize 2022! The Earthshot Prize is a global award, designed to support environmental entrepreneurs and innovators in their work tackling climate change and pollution. The winners were announced in Boston on December 2nd 2022, with each winner being awarded a £1 million prize to take their initiatives forward.
The 2022 Winners
The prize has five winners across five categories: protect and restore nature, clean our air, revive our oceans, build a waste-free world, and fix our climate. If you would like to read more on the prize winners from the last two years, details of all 30 finalists and winners from 2022 and 2021 can be found here.
Protect and Restore Nature Winner: Kheyti
Kheyti are an Indian start-up who product the Greenhouse-in-a-box farming tool. The Greenhouse-in-a-box is designed is intended to help small farms with the extreme weather events brought on by climate change. Plants in the greenhouse require 98 percent less water than those outdoors, and yields are seven-times higher. The Greenhouse-in-a-box also reduces the need for pesticides, and its 90% cheaper than a standard greenhouse. The Earthshot Prize will help Kheyti to expand their production.
Clean our Air Winner: Mukuru Clean Stoves
Magayi founded Mukuru Clean Stoves with the hope of replacing traditional charcoal cookstoves that are used across Kenya with a cleaner, safer alternative. Mukuru Clean Stoves use processed biomass fuel made from charcoal, wood and sugarcane which creates 90% less pollution than an open fire and 70% less pollution than a traditional cookstove. With the support of the Earthshot Prize, Magayi hopes to develop an even cleaner stove that burns ethanol, and expand Mukuru Clean Stoves across Africa.
Revive our Oceans Winner: Indigenous Women of the Great Barrier Reef
The Queensland Indigenous Women Rangers Network use ancient knowledge, passed down from generation to generation, with most modern tools, like drones that monitor coral changes, in order to protect the Great Barrier reef from coral bleaching and climate change. The network runs a program that has trained over 60 women in new conservation approaches, who then go on to work in conservation in Queensland and elsewhere. The support of the Earthshot Prize will allow the Queensland Indigenous Women Rangers Network to share their knowledge across the globe.
Build a Waste-Free World Winner: Notpla
Notpla are a London-based start-up making plastic alternatives from seaweed. Notpla is natural and biodegradable, and the seaweed used captures carbon twenty-times faster than trees. The packaging itself can be used in packaging, including for food containers and for holding liquids, meaning less plastic ocean waste. Meanwhile, seaweed farms can help boost fish populations. The Earthshot Prize will allow Notpla to continue its research and develop new products to help replace single-use plastics.
Fix our Climate Winner: 44.01
44.01 are working to remove carbon from the atmosphere by storing it as peridotite. Peridotite is a naturally abundant rock in America, Europe, Asia and Australasia, but naturally can take years to form. 44.01 pumps carbonated water into seams of peridotite underground, in order to mineralise it in under 12 months and permanently capture the carbon without the need for long-term monitoring or insurance. 44.01’s first project will mineralise 1,000 tonnes of locally-captured CO2 every year until 2024, and with the support of the Earthshot prize 44.01 are hoping to expand its operations internationally.
What can the Earthshot Prize do for me?
Nominations for the 2023 Earthshot Prize are now open! Beyond receiving a global platform and public recognition, each winner of the Earthshot Prize will receive a £1 million prize to support their projects and tailored support including IP advice. IP specialists across the globe, including those of us at HLK, contribute to the Earthshot Prize selection process. If you are a business or enterprise attempting to solve environmental issues and are looking for additional support, the prize might be able to give you access to the support you need.
Intellectual property is one of many factors evaluated when choosing a winner for each category, and can help set a nominee apart from the rest. Our Green Tech team can provide a free initial consultation to anyone interested in obtaining a patent for innovations in the environmental sector, and can help you formulate a strategy for protecting your intellectual property that suits your needs. You can find more details on the Green Tech team here, including contact details to arrange a free initial consultation.
