Now, more than ever, it’s crucial that tech companies strive for sustainability in their operations, products and services, both for the future of the planet and for the success of their businesses. Not only are they critiqued by consumers for their branding and offering, but their commitment to environmental good, whether that’s counteracting their effect on the world, or better still, creating a positive impact. For technology companies that offer hardware (electronics, for example), putting the planet before profit is even more pressing – if that’s even possible – as throwaway culture means they’re contributing to disastrous landfill, too.
Sustainability efforts range greatly across companies, from an established global giant like Apple, whose operations run on fully renewable energy and products are designed with minimum waste in mind, to new Canadian start-up Facedrive, a sustainable ‘Uber’ where users can choose between electric, hybrid or gas vehicles to vary their carbon footprint and adjust their impact accordingly.
At Bray St., we’re passionate about partnering with brands driving positive change, whether that’s sustainability, diversity or innovation, which is why we’re proud to name BTV, Shipnet, Covetrus and For-Sight on our client list – amongst others. Here, we celebrate some of the most impressive sustainable tech companies to be inspired by, all of them doing something for the greater good.
It’s time to take a leaf out of their books.
Source
Billed as ‘the world’s first renewable drinking water system’, Source – founded and based in Arizona – is a truly groundbreaking brand with cutting-edge technology to back it up. Putting the sorcery in science, the innovative company conjures distilled drinking water from the sky as if by magic, using its patented Hydropanels to harness the power of the sun completely off-grid to extract precipitation from the air and condense it into liquid that’s collected in a reservoir. The water is then mineralised for composition and taste to create a quality product. Better still, the never-before-seen technology is optimised to work in a wide range of weather conditions, able to produce water in low sun or humidity, and even the most arid of environments. But the best bit? Its water is never packaged in plastic and for every litre sold a litre is given to an area in need.
SOLShare
Based in Bangladesh and founded in 2014, SOLShare is powerful enough to provide even the most vulnerable communities with access to pooled energy, enabling peer-to-peer trading between off-grid households that are connected to its advanced solar panels. In short, the innovative system means users can trade their surplus electricity with their neighbours, earning passive income and reducing unnecessary waste – more than one billion dollars in energy per year, in fact, when traditional solar panels reach capacity and energy goes unused. The technology works via a simple electronic unit added to a solar panel. Users can then transfer energy into a local ‘microgrid’ that’s shared with other SOLShare customers who have the option to buy what they need. In a region whose main energy resource is an increasingly-dwindling supply of natural gas, this renewable and revolutionary source is welcomed with open arms by the government, which continues to push for sustainable energy solutions across the country.
TakaChar
Here’s a frightening thought: every year, globally, we produce more than $120 billion of agricultural waste. Farmers burn what they can’t sell, with catastrophic consequences for both the environment and our health, as burning agricultural waste causes air pollution that – at least in some areas – has reduced life expectancy by a decade. That’s the problem. What about the solution? Founder Vidyut Mohan launched TakaChar to develop a portable technology in New Delhi that attaches to tractors and converts crop residues into marketable bio-products like fuel and fertiliser around the world. Not only that, but the sustainable innovation reduces emissions by a whopping 98%, putting an end to the pollution that is cutting so many lives disastrously short.
Coral Vita
We know that coral reefs cross the globe are dying fast. We also know that it’s by the hand of humankind that this damage is being done. But it’s not entirely irreversible. Thankfully, Coral Vita has invented a way to grow coral on land more than 50 times faster than Mother Nature, simultaneously improving their resilience to climate-change. This super-strength coral is then replanted in the ocean to flourish in its natural habitat. And we’re not talking a couple of coral here and there. We’re talking a commercial model that can empower ecosystem-scale restoration. Coral Vita’s first such project is based off Grand Bahama in the Caribbean, where the company has planted 6,000 coral and counting, with foundations also underway for their first land-based coral farm in the Middle East.
Imeko
Chile-based Imeko – born from ESG Labs by BTV – upcycles cigarette butts and transforms them into sustainable products. This can only be a good thing, as an estimated 15 billion cigarettes are still smoked everyday across the globe, with 70% of them ending up in the environment. This sparked the idea among a group of scientists to collect and convert the butts into products with value, such as coasters, planters and even ornaments. Naturally, the toxicity from the cigarettes is removed and the filters recovered, which are made of a non-biodegradable plastic (and not cotton, as it’s widely believed). Genius, right?
If you’re a sustainable technology company interested in partnering on building your brand, get in touch with Bray St. to see how we can help drive your change.