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Tran Nguyen Duy Tuan from Airiot joint stock Company (center) receiving the prize of Vietnam Startup Wheel 2019 |
Nine entrepreneurs were selected and awarded in the 2020 Asia-Pacific Low Carbon Lifestyles Challenge. They developed green businesses in the categories of low-carbon energy, plastic waste prevention, and low-carbon mobility. Winners came from Bhutan, China, India, Pakistan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The two Vietnamese winners were Le Thuy Linh from AYA Cup Company and Tran Nguyen Duy Tuan from Airiot joint stock Company.
Linh’s reusable cup share system aimed at reducing 27 tons of plastic and Styrofoam generated by Vietnam’s food delivery and take-away industry every year.
AYA Cup Company will work with coffee shops to provide reusable cups for customers. After that, they will return it and get back the deposit (usually VND 50,000).
Tuan’s start-up Airiot targeted the hotel and homestay market in Vietnam, where guests tend to leave air conditioning on even when they’re not in the room. Airiot’s simple solution, already piloted in 500 rooms across Vietnam, has shown a 25-40% reduction in electricity usage each month with associated carbon emission reduction.
Besides the projects of Vietnamese representatives, many other entrepreneurs also made business initiatives, contributing to not only protecting the environment but also inspiring the community.
Sissi’s start-up from China REMAKEHUB coordinated with NGOs, fishing companies, and fashion brands to collect discarded fishing nets and then transform them into high-performance renewable plastic products. REMAKEHUB also worked with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to create upcycled sunglasses and prototyping furniture.
As Founder of The Green Road, Rikesh transformed plastic waste into road building material.
As the first effort of its kind in Bhutan, they have already recovered 400 tons of plastic waste from landfills and industrial space and have used the material to pave over 65 kilometers of road.
With 20 per cent of Bhutan’s 8,800km road network requiring surfacing each year, the potential demand for plastic waste is substantial.
Each winner received 10,000 USD, in addition to training, business mentoring and a technical analysis of their project’s environmental impact.
Source: TTO
Translated by Minh Anh