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Aerogels freeze the costs of cold chain logistics
CategoriesSustainable News

Aerogels freeze the costs of cold chain logistics

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: An efficient cold chain is vital for ensuring maximum agricultural efficiency and reducing post-harvest losses, as well as for keeping delicate pharmaceutical products safe. However, refrigeration uses a lot of energy. In fact, according to the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the refrigeration sector is currently responsible for around 17 per cent of global electricity consumption. To reduce this, KrossLinker has developed what it claims is the world’s most insulating nanomaterial.

Earlier this year, the startup released its first commercial aerogel product, called Cryar Aerogel Board. This is a water-based, Silicon Aerogel composite board designed to reduce the energy needed to keep pharmaceutical and food products cold during shipping, with its nano-porous structure providing excellent thermal insulation.

The company’s aerogel is lightweight, non-toxic, and reusable. It is made using a novel drying technique that reduces the energy consumption of the finished product while speeding up production. KrossLinker claims that its product is made at half the cost of traditional aerogels.

KrossLinker has collaborated with a number of packaging logistic companies to accelerate the adoption of Cryar aerogel shipping containers. Beyond the cold chain, KrossLinker’s technology also has applications in the manufacturing of electric vehicles (EVs) and building construction.

The energy consumption of the cold chain industry is the subject of a number of recent innovations spotted by Springwise. These include solar-powered cooling for the livestock industry and the use of compostable materials for cold chain packaging.

Written By: Lisa Magloff

Reference

Predicting supply chain risks with AI
CategoriesSustainable News

Predicting supply chain risks with AI

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: Supply chain disruption is a huge cost for organisations around the world. In fact, one 2022 survey of more than 1,500 global supply chain leaders found that the average annual cost of supply chain disruptions to each organisation was $182 million. And within this, ESG-related disruptions alone cost companies, on average, $35 million (around €32.2 million) per year.  

The financial driver of disruption costs, combined with regulatory initiatives such as the German Supply Chain Act, is pushing companies to have better visibility along their supply chains. However, these supply chains are more complex than ever, which makes achieving visibility difficult. This is the challenge that Austrian startup Prewave hopes to address. 

The Vienna-based company has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) powered platform that enables brands to keep tabs on their suppliers by analysing millions of data sources from across the internet and social media. This analysis generates alerts when relevant issues with a supplier are detected – from disruptive events, such as storms and earthquakes, to cybersecurity breaches, and reputationally damaging CSR incidents. 

But what makes the Prewave platform particularly valuable for brands is the fact that its AI is predictive, which means it can forecast risk events before they happen. For example, the company claims that its technology was able to predict seaport strikes in Indonesia 18 days in advance.  

If a risk alert is received, the company can contact the supplier directly through the Prewave platform to ask for further information and to collaborate on resolving the issue. Employees can also assign the alerts to their colleagues.  

In May, Prewave received €18 million in a series A+ funding round, and the startup has already secured prestigious customers including Audi, ABInBev, and KTM.

As supply chains become increasingly complex, it’s more important than ever for companies to optimise them. In the archive, Springwise has also spotted a decarbonisation platform and the use of blockchain to enable supply chain transparency.

Written By: Matthew Hempstead

Reference

Introducing traceability to the cacao value chain
CategoriesSustainable News

Introducing traceability to the cacao value chain

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: According to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), around 1.3 gigatonnes of edible food is wasted each year — around $750 billion worth (approximately €667 billion). In developing countries, much of this is lost during agricultural production. Startup Cooko is working to change this by reframing the entire value chain, starting with cacao production.

Cooko, which means “source” or “wellspring” in the proto-Bantu language of West Africa, has developed a cloud-based commercial platform that adds traceability to artisanal food chains. The company starts at the point of harvest by inserting a digital click “at-source”, which embeds traceability data in each shipment.

Cooko founder Ferdi van Heerden emphasises that the company’s approach provides a “triple win”. Enhancing first-mile traceability helps farmers earn a fair price for their produce while traders have assurance that the cacao they receive is high quality. Cooko also uses its ‘source-fermented’ label to let consumers know that their product has been equitably sourced.

Van Heerden points out that Cooko’s methodology leads to: “better quality cocoa, higher yields for farmers, and less waste in the supply chain. All of this while supporting better-paid jobs for women and improved cash flow for the poorest farmers.” To date, the company has raised more than €1.7 million, including more than €800,000 in a recent pre-seed round.

Improving traceability is an important part of making supply chains more sustainable. Innovations spotted in the Springwise archive, such as using blockchain to ensure transparency and embedding traceability in finished products, are making a big difference.

Written By: Lisa Magloff

Reference

Creating a future-proofed cotton supply chain
CategoriesSustainable News

Creating a future-proofed cotton supply chain

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), cotton is the most widespread non-food crop in the world. Its production employs almost seven per cent of all labour in developing countries, with around half of all textiles being made from cotton. Yet, while the global reach of cotton is wide, current cotton production methods are environmentally unsustainable — involving high water use and contamination, soil degradation, and pesticide pollution.

To solve these issues, Materra has developed a pioneering method for growing cotton in climate-controlled greenhouse environments. Its method can produce up to four times more yield per surface area compared to conventional outdoor cotton farming. It also uses around 80 per cent less water, no pesticides, and produces around 30 per cent less carbon dioxide than chemically intensive cotton farming.

Materra’s approach is designed to ‘future-proof’ the cotton industry – which around 250 million people rely on for income. By using resources more efficiently, Materra’s system also acts as a form of climate change mitigation – transforming brownfield land into productive agricultural land. By using land more effectively, the company will be able to join forces with other impactful schemes that support biodiversity and carbon sequestration. Materra also highlights that one big advantage of their system as its flexibility, and ability to adjust the different parameters to produce the best outcome.

The fashion industry is one of the most wasteful on the planet. Every aspect of the fashion supply and consumption chain produces huge amounts of waste — 87 per cent of the materials and fibres used to make clothing will end up in either incinerators or landfills. Luckily, innovators the world over and now working to change this. Springwise has recently spotted improvements that range from creating clothing from a mycelium-based material to non-toxic, low-energy dyeing processes.

Written By: Lisa Magloff

Reference

A software platform for supply chain decarbonisation
CategoriesSustainable News

A software platform for supply chain decarbonisation

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: Supply chains are saturated with carbon. In fact, supply chain emissions are estimated to be 11.4 times higher than the operational emissions of an average company. Industries must cut these emissions drastically to meet worldwide sustainability targets like the Paris Agreement, but for many companies, this is easier said than done. Enter The Climate Choice, a climate-based intelligence software platform set to decarbonise industrial supply chains. 

By combining an assessment with its software, The Climate Choice can show companies how climate-ready they are before generating a specialised, cost-effective, action-oriented solution. The startup also invites suppliers to be a part of the solution too, offering its intelligence and guidance to meet net-zero needs. 

“There is still a large disconnect between the aspirational climate targets and the reality of actions taken – and yet every company now requires a clear and effective approach for reducing their emissions. Data-informed, streamlined processes are key for monitoring, tracking and engaging suppliers in their decarbonization journey for any large supply chain,” said Yasha Tarani, Co-founder & CEO at The Climate Choice. 

Earlier this month, the company announced $2 million (around €1.8 million) in pre-seed funding and is planning to use this to grow further and expand its Climate Intelligence Platform. 

Springwise has previously spotted other innovations that use computers for decarbonisation, including a software platform that makes carbon counting affordable for businesses and an AI (artificial intelligence) that helps high-polluting industries optimise cutting their emissions.

Written By: Georgia King

Reference