Kari: There are various challenges we face as human beings, and that is why BIOVATEC seeks to contribute to the development of sustainable and eco-efficient solutions. We do this with a scientific-technological base to promote innovation through projects that tackle environmental problems. We also highlight the opportunities that biotechnology offers us and that new things can be created from very basic or complex problems. This is actually how we developed NoPlastic, one of the main projects at BIOVATEC, with the aim of combating plastic pollution and food waste. We also offer support and collaboration with different sectors to generate social, environmental, and economic benefits.
Laís: Did you know that one billion people live without electricity in the world, and in Brazil, there are two million people in this situation? Working in all five regions of the country, Litro de Luz Brasil brings solar lighting to communities that don’t have adequate access to energy. We provide solar street lights, solar hand lights, and solar internal lights, composed of simple materials such as plastic bottles and PVC pipes. We also provide solar panels, batteries, and LEDs. We also teach the residents how to build and maintain the technology. Our mission is to improve people's quality of life through sustainable lighting solutions and empower transformation agents.
Raeed: Mass production of plastics, which began just six decades ago, has accelerated so rapidly that it has created 8.3 billion metric tons of waste, out of which only 9% has ever been recycled. It’s estimated that Fiji, a small Pacific Island country with a population of fewer than one million people, produces 168.4 tonnes of plastic waste each day! 136 tonnes of this plastic waste is mismanaged. So in 2019, my friends and I formed Precious Plastic Fiji, a youth-led social enterprise that adopted the principles of a global movement to provide a solution to solve the plastic pollution problem. We apply commercial strategies to maximize improvements in financial, social, and environmental well-being, by turning plastic waste into commercially viable products.
