Winnovart Explore – introducing Empower Norway. Disrupting the plastic-waste ecosystem with blockchain technology.
At Winnovart, we regularly promote organisations from Norway and Iceland (the Donor States of the EEA & Norway grants) – innovation champions and leading suppliers of novel technologies and solutions.
We are introducing Empower – a Norwegian award-winning disruptor in the plastic-waste ecosystem. Inspired by the Norwegian plastic bottle recycling system, the company tackles the plastic crisis by giving a value to plastic through a blockchain-powered Global Plastic Waste Deposit & Tracking System.
Empower was established based on the idea of using new technology to enable a circular economy and create a cleaner and better world. By giving financial rewards in return for the deposit of plastic waste the company can both stop leakage of plastic into the environment and cost-efficiently incentivize collection of leaked waste. The use of Blockchain technology ensures both transparency and traceability throughout the value chain.
Wilhelm Myrer, CEO & Founder:
“We are passionate about what we do at Empower because we believe that our solution using new technologies is making a real impact: by rewarding the act of depositing plastic, Empower incentivizes plastic waste collection in areas in great need, helps local communities overcome poverty by providing income opportunities, and uses blockchain to pave the way to a circular economy where plastic retains its value throughout various life cycles. Founded in February 2018, Empower has carried out pilot clean-ups in 11 countries so far and cleaned up over 20 tons of plastic waste.”
Empower has been featured in Forbes and The Independent and has won numerous awards such as: winner of the 2018 Xynteo Impact Maker Award, one of the 10 most innovative solutions on Challenging Plastic Waste in a competition run by the European Commission; the only Nordic initiative among the 25 development projects/ SDG solutions selected to be showcased at Expo 2020 Dubai’s Global Best Practice Programme; and also, holds a Seal of Excellence for its proposal in the framework of EU Horizon 2020. Moreover, these recognitions, along with the successful background in funded projects and initiatives, showcase that Empower understands very well the requirements and the process of such programmes as well as the plastic-waste ecosystem.
Under the EEA & Norway grants, Empower can be the ideal bilateral partner when it comes to innovative pilot projects related to tracking plastic waste, in collaboration with organisations from the Beneficiary States. The company aims to clean up 1000 tons of plastic waste by the end of 2020, and launch the Global Plastic Waste Deposit & Tracking System in over 20 countries. The EEA & Norway grants represent an opportunity for Empower to achieve a wider impact in Europe.
More details about Empower here …
You can contact us at any time for finding out about funding programmes supporting innovative investments in energy and green solutions under the EEA & Norway grants.
The EEA & Norway Grants 2014-2021 open upa great funding opportunity for investments green innovation projects across sectors, as well as in energy efficiency and renewable energy. With this financial mechanism, the Donor States Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway have allocated around 1 billion euro in grants- funding for enterprises across the 15 Beneficiary States.
