Brisbane-based startup Uuvipak has won Nespresso’s inaugural Australian StartCup Challenge earning $50,000 in prize money.
The StartCup Challenge is a circular innovation competition where a panel assess entrants for their innovative thinking and potential for impact within the Australian circular economy.
The winning entry from the sustainable tech startup involves a new patent-pending edible material made from clean, upcycled organic food waste sourced from food and drink manufacturers across Australia.
Co-founders Dr Shafali Gupta and Andy Epifani claim the material is hot water resistant for more than 12 hours and is 100 per cent biodegradable leaving no toxic or harmful by-products.
“After noticing the amount of packaging that we accumulated every day in our households, we decided to look for a better alternative to soft and hard single-use plastics.
“Our products are made from 100 per cent upcycled clean organic food waste, without any chemical additives, and biodegrade naturally,” said the duo.
Nespresso’s MD, Jean-Marc Dragoli, described Uuvipak’s concept as a “remarkable circular innovation” that inspired both the jury and the public with its creativity and potential for positive impact.
Runners-up are the Gaia Project which created an Intelligent Crop Cultivation Module to improve farming and Tackle Lab’s Nogo Bin which created a bin to allow childcare centres to compost used nappies.
