Out with the plastic and in with the eggshells at green business academy

Entrepreneurs embracing low-carbon ideas are able to access a top business accelerator programme

An alternative to plastic made from eggshells, a shower curtain made of hemp and a flatpack toaster are among business ideas being pursued by Scotland’s low-carbon entrepreneurs. Fourteen new companies have been admitted to the Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation to translate their low-carbon inventions into commercially viable products and services for a global market. Martina Zupan, Founder and CEO of Alterwaste, was accepted into the accelerator programme given her work on a new compostable material made from eggshells.

Ms Zupan, a product design graduate, wanted to tackle waste in the food and drink sector. She said: “Getting into the Climate-kic Accelerator programme is a big step for our business. Professional support and additional finance available inside the low-carbon community will help us develop our business further and speed up our growth to reach our goal of reducing carbon footprint sooner.”

Kasey Hou is bringing a flatpack toaster to the programme. She aims to increase the lifespan of electronic items and make them easier to repair. By building the toaster at home, it is hoped people will feel more able to fix it if it breaks.

Ms Hou said: “Running a startup business is like putting puzzles together, because it requires bits and pieces of different expertise. With support and resources from the Climate-kic Accelerator, I am confident that I will be able to put every piece of puzzle together and have a successful business launch.”

Climate-kic was brought to Scotland for the first time by ECCI last year and helped 17 start-up companies claim 14 awards and more than £400,000 in investment.

Ed Craig, ECCI’S Head of Enterprise and Innovation, said: “ECCI’S big ambition is to create a vibrant zerocarbon future. It’s hugely exciting to welcome this latest batch of low carbon entrepreneurs with equally big ideas onto our successful accelerator programmes.

“Scotland has a world-leading approach to tackling climate change and we’re looking forward to being able to offer our home-grown climate innovators the money and expertise to take on growing global markets.”

0 Eggshells expert Martina Zupan