Department of Science and Innovation - Republic of South Africa

03/20/2023 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/20/2023 09:32

Environmentally friendly innovations the winner at GCIP-SA 2023

20 March 2023 Hits: 1

Environmentally friendly innovations the winner at GCIP-SA 2023

EWaste Africa, a small KwaZulu-Natal business specialising in electronic waste, scooped the coveted Global Cleantech Innovation Programme-South Africa (GCIP-SA) award on Friday, 17 March. The company is headed by CEO Pravashen Naidoo.

Zandile Magwaza (iSolar company), Robert Bosch (Rubber Nano Products) and Nkhanyiso Madlala (Hello Gugu) were the first, second and third runners-up.

The GCIP-SA is part of a global initiative aimed at promoting clean technology innovation and supporting entrepreneurs to grow their SMMEs and start-ups into viable, investment-ready businesses. It is managed by the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), an entity of the Department of Science and Innovation.

The programme offers training, mentoring, showcasing opportunities, access to capital and cash awards to innovators with clean technology innovations.

Friday evening's award ceremony celebrated 12 young finalists who made it through the rigorous selection process, all entrepreneurs who have excelled in the development of sustainable technologies.

Delivering the keynote address, the Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Buti Manamela, said the Department identified three societal grand challenges in its Decadal Plan, namely, climate change and environmental sustainability; the future of education, skills and work; and the future of society.

"Our Decadal Plan also recognises that the circular economy will bring new economic growth to South Africa. Cleantech will assist in the transition to a low-carbon economy and the sustainable use of natural resources in economic sectors," said the Deputy Minister.

He added that the Global Cleantech Innovation Programme resonated with South Africa's strategic priorities and this is why the Department of Science and Innovation was fully supportive of the TIA's participation in this programme.

"As you may be aware, South Africa is one of 15 countries that are part of the global GCIP programme," he said.

The Deputy Minister also stressed that the Department saw the SMME sector as a strategic sector and had developed a number of instruments to support SMEs.

The winning company, eWaste Africa, is a waste management company that focuses on the storage, collection, transportation, recycling and beneficiation of electrical, electronic and lighting equipment waste (electronic waste). The company operates two licensed waste management facilities in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, managing recycling and refurbishment, among other services.

The first runner-up, iSolar, is a start-up dedicated to increasing the provision of clean energy in low-income communities. The company designs, develops and provides turnaround strategies for informal settlements, an important sector of society that remains marginalised.

Focusing on old rubber, among other things, Rubber Nano Products, the second runner-up, is a chemical technology company, specialising in ionic liquid technology. The company's intellectual property allows them to vulcanise rubber with energy savings and eliminate toxic components. They are now able to re-vulcanise old rubber, so that it has similar properties to new material.

The lack of lighting in poor communities, which makes them vulnerable to crime, was the inspiration for Hello Gugu, the third runner-up. The company addresses the public lighting challenge with solar power, at the same time allowing homes to generate clean energy for internet connectivity.

EWaste Africa won R300 000, while the runners-up each received R100 000.

The winner and runners-up will attend the global GCIP forum in Vienna, where they will compete with other participating GCIP countries.