As the world faces the reality of climate change, many businesses are taking action to address this pressing issue. Many start-ups, including ourselves, are making their contribution by providing sustainable solutions to combat the effects of climate change. Energy Elephant, PURE Clothing, Native Events and Your Retrofit are four additional innovative Irish start-up companies committed to creating a more sustainable future. These companies are actively making a significant impact in their respective fields.
Energy Elephant
Energy Elephant is an Irish start-up dedicated to combatting the effects of climate change and adhering to sustainable practices through its energy management solutions. They offer an all-in-one energy and sustainability management platform that helps organizations around the world to improve sustainability, reduce costs, and save time. By helping businesses to monitor and reduce their energy consumption, they are helping to lower carbon emissions and mitigate the impact of climate change.
Energy Elephant is also committed to operating as a sustainable company. They have implemented sustainable practices in their office, such as recycling and reducing energy usage, and have offset their carbon emissions through the purchase of carbon credits. In 2022 they won a 2nd place award for Finnovating Most Sustainable Startup.
PURE Clothing
Based in the West of Ireland, PURE Clothing is another Irish start-up dedicated to combating the effects of climate change through its promotion of sustainable and ethical practices within the fashion industry. Fast fashion poses a major threat to the environment and refers to the rapid production and consumption of inexpensive clothing, which is often quickly discarded and replaced. In recent years, there has been a growing awareness of the negative impacts of fast fashion, and consumers are increasingly seeking out sustainable and ethical clothing options.
PURE Clothing has a strong commitment to reducing its environmental impact, ensuring its clothing is produced in a responsible and sustainable manner. Using only eco-friendly materials and organic cotton within their production processes, their products are made to last. PURE Clothing’s efforts in sustainability saw them awarded the best project in Natural Environment at the Business Spirit Awards in 2020, which focuses on responsible innovation.
Native Events
Native Events is an Irish startup, which was established in 2017 in response to the lack of sustainable solutions available in the events and cultural sector in Ireland. The company is committed to combating the effects of climate change and adhering to sustainable practices by working with an expanding community of partners, including events, festivals, and cultural organizations, to ensure a systems-wide transition to sustainability and regeneration.
Native Events believes that transitioning the sector to a more sustainable and circular model is the pathway towards a more balanced way of being, thriving inside planetary boundaries. They offer a range of sustainable solutions, including solar-powered sound systems, small and large-capacity batteries, temporary solar solutions for outdoor events, sustainable and circular signage, reusable cups, and upcycled furniture and decor. Native Events is dedicated to providing sustainable and innovative solutions to power events, productions, and projects while minimizing their environmental impact.
YourRetrofit.ie
YourRetrofit.ie is a new technology start-up headquartered in Dublin, helping reduce the carbon footprint of homes and CO2 emissions by outlining solutions to improve your home’s energy performance. The carbon footprint of housing already represents around 20% of all global CO2 emissions. The residential sector, however, intends to become the most prominent electricity consumer by 2050. With the worsening energy crisis affecting consumers globally, utility bills are expected to soar further in the coming years.
YourRetrofit.ie is a free-to-use, unbiased, platform which identifies the specific energy deficiencies of your home based on the contents of your BER data. The platform condenses this complex information into simple-to-understand, tailor-made advice regarding the upgrade options suitable for your home and your budget. It presents unbiased options and empowers homeowners with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions which best suit their circumstances. As an added bonus, the platform partners with a number of businesses which can support individuals through their retrofit journey, offering valuable savings that can maximise the benefits of the retrofit.
Trustap
Trustap is helping to combat problems of fast fashion, overconsumption, excess waste and increasing GHG emissions by facilitating products in a second life cycle. Founded by Conor Lyden in Cork in 2017, Trustap offers a secure payment gateway for people to buy and sell second-hand items. Through their partnerships with preloved.co.uk in the United Kingdom and Malaysia’s largest classified marketplace, Mudah.my, Trustap is gradually becoming the desired payment solution for pre-owned products. Trustap additionally offers a peer-to-peer payment application, facilitating individuals in private exchanges, making it easy and safe for people to embrace the second-hand reselling market.
While speaking about his developed product, founder & CEO, Conor Lyden stated that “the current systems in place are linear and based on a throwaway culture, meaning that items are discarded at a rapid rate. Our payment gateway has helped accelerate growth within the classified marketplace space and is helping reshape the industry so that consumer-to-consumer purchases become more accessible to all”.
In recent years, there has been a growing awareness of the negative impacts of fast fashion and overconsumption. Online resale platforms such as Depop and Facebook marketplace are continually rising in popularity, indicating a repositioning in consumer trends to seek alternative sustainable and ethical options. By promoting the use of second-hand products, Trustap is helping to combat the effects of environmental degradation. Using these eco-friendly applications is not a complete solution in the fight towards sustainability. Nonetheless, it’s a step forward in the right direction towards a greener, more circular economy.
Overall, these Irish start-ups demonstrate how businesses can contribute sustainably to the environment. Through their innovative solutions, they are making a positive impact on the environment and encouraging others to follow suit. Their efforts are an inspiration for businesses worldwide, showing that it is possible to operate sustainably while also being successful. As we continue to face the challenges of climate change, it is crucial that more companies follow in their footsteps and work towards a more sustainable future.