Impact entrepreneurship was one of the main focuses at VivaTech in Paris, but measuring environmental impact will be a challenge for green tech, experts say.
advertisementToo Good To Go, a waste prevention marketplace that allows 95 million global users to enjoy cheap unsold food, has unveiled a new artificial intelligence (AI)-based solution at VivaTech designed to help grocery retailers avoid food waste.
“There’s a lot of food and we have a lot of data on it – price, consumption patterns, location, seasonality – and we process that data to make sure the food is in the right place, at the right price and at the right time,” Julie Johansen, chief commercial officer at Too Good to Go, told Euronews Next.
The Denmark-based company touts a “win-win” approach: money for users, profit for the company, and benefits for the planet.
a United Nations Environment Programme Report Earlier this year it was revealed that by 2022, households around the world will waste more than 1 billion meals per day.
“We are increasingly becoming an AI and technology company. We are looking at dynamic pricing and analysing more consumer data to make our packages more relevant to consumers,” she added.
Too Good to Go has around 160,000 partners supplying food to consumers in 17 countries across Europe and North America, and will soon be expanding into Australia.
Heavily funded, but at risk of greenwashing
Climate and green technologies are currently one of the most funded systems, according to Adrien Chartier, co-founder of French innovation financing platform Eldorado.
“We know we need new types of businesses that aren’t based on rapid growth and have criteria we don’t yet understand, which will create new jobs and attract other kinds of talent,” Shaltiel said.
At VivaTech, many companies present their solutions to reduce carbon emissions and promote biodiversity, but the risk of greenwashing remains high.
“As the green tech sector matures, one of the challenges will be to standardize the measurement of environmental impact,” Shaltiel said.
“This is much more complicated than numbers-based finance.”
Other startups looking for green solutions
Tenchijin, a startup that specializes in AI processing of satellite data, is on a mission to prevent water waste instead of food waste.
The company uses space images to analyze the environment around water pipes, such as humidity, temperature, and crustal conditions, and compiles information about the pipes and their leak history.
Deep learning technology allows Tenchijin to assess the condition of water pipes, and the company claims that its mainly urban Japanese customers have significantly reduced inspection costs.
“Reduced losses mean less need for drinking water,” says Yuhei Urabe, global business development manager at Tenchijin.
According to Urabe, the average leakage rate from water pipes in France is 20 percent.
This year, French energy giant EDF is sponsoring a 1,500-square-meter space called “Impact Bridge,” which will bring together start-ups and NGOs offering environmental solutions.
The large hall is home to Bioteos, which makes microalgae-based air purifiers for use in cafeterias and subway stations.
advertisement“The algae grow by feeding on volatile organic compounds and store fine particles. It also helps to reduce carbon dioxide peaks. The air coming out of the machine is completely unpolluted,” said Jamil Benabou, Bioteos’ machine manager.
After three years of research and development and having just raised its first round of funding, Bioteos is currently offering its solution in the Lille region and plans to roll out machines across France.
“It benefits everyone, everywhere.”
Large companies were also promoting green technology at VivaTech. Chinese technology giant Huawei France’s French subsidiary is promoting environmental protection through its TECH4ALL initiative, which brings together technological projects in favor of humanity and biodiversity.
“We feel it is our responsibility not only to generate profits but to bring those benefits to everyone, everywhere,” said Mingan Zhang, vice president of Huawei France.
In Norway, Huawei is working with partners to protect wild salmon populations, whose numbers have been halved by the proliferation of invasive Pacific salmon.
advertisementUnderwater cameras equipped with recognition technology can identify invasive species and direct them towards the tank with mechanical barriers, preventing them from migrating upstream to breed.
Other projects include protecting cetaceans in the Irish Sea and coral reefs in Mauritius.
