Press release

Local Low Carbon Businesses Win Place On Challenge

You may have noticed Wellington’s own car share program Mevo, or a cargo bike delivery service called NoCarCargo around your streets. But did you know they are both alumni of a program called the Zero Carbon Challenge? Now, our next wave of low carbon generating businesses have been selected to grow and change the city for the better.

Six early-stage businesses have been selected for Wellington’s own Zero Carbon Challenge, a civic innovation accelerator starting in June 2019. The teams represent the areas of reusable food packaging, plastic recycling, urban farming, locally made ingredients, and tech solutions for building.

They are:

Yum Jar is a small food business with a big vision - to eliminate packaging waste and carbon emissions from food delivery so consumers can still enjoy the convenience and excitement of takeaways, but without the waste.

Whare Hauora use smart home technology to measure temperature, humidity and electricity data to take care of your family, your home, and our environment.

The Tiny Plastic Factory has a vision to help recycle Wellington’s plastic waste and create future solutions for responsible and sustainable plastic use.

Froth Tech is on a mission to reduce the carbon footprint and raise the quality of beer in NZ by growing fresh yeast varieties in Wellington.

GrowSpace Wellington is focused on helping more people to grow food in Wellington. The team brings together skills in food growing, permaculture, landscape architecture, environmental and health science, system change and community-building.

Reusabowl is a reusable takeaway container system that replaces single-use packaging with a ‘Reuse-a-bowl’ alternative which can be returned, washed and reused in a circular loop.

The successful businesses were chosen on their capacity to reduce carbon emission in the Wellington regions through their activities, and their feasibility and potential to scale (both in business and impact). They will participate in a series of workshops and networking events in June and July to grow their business and prepare them for a crowdfunding round in August. The purpose of the Zero Carbon Challenge is to build thriving businesses working to reduce carbon emissions in the areas of Housing and Building, Energy, Waste, and Transport, and is sponsored by the Wellington City Council and Callaghan Innovation, and delivered by Pledgeme. Past participants have included Mevo and Nocar Cargo.

Past participant Olie Body of Wā Collective says: “The Zero Carbon Challenge gave us such a solid grounding and boost, not only in the eco-system of Wellington start-up, but within New Zealand. Through passionate, skilled mentorship and experiential learning, our team was met with the support and challenge we needed. I couldn't speak of this venture highly enough and recommend the Zero Carbon Challenge to anyone wanting to really make a difference in this space and level up their business game”.

The Wellington City Council’s Te Atakura - First to Zero blueprint has stated that to stay in the climate safe zone, the city needs need to cut emissions by half in the next 11 years, then to net zero by 2050.

ZCC Program Director Rebecca Stewart says: “We are so excited to welcome the next big things in Wellington ethical business onto the Zero Carbon Challenge journey. These ventures show that a double bottom line, where both profit and planet are considered, is not only possible but is becoming mandatory in today’s competitive consumer market. Carbon emissions must also be drastically reduced in the next few years, and our businesses are innovating towards this goal”

Ends

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