Large participation and prototype applications in the 1st Innovation Marathon for a Greece Free of Single-Use Plastics held on 11–13 December 2020.
SUP Free hackathon: The largest Greek action of applied technological, entrepreneurial and social innovation to protect the environment.
It started with the SUP Free hackathon, continues with a 5-month support program for the distinguished teams and applications and is evolving into an ongoing network of technological innovation.
On 11–13 December 2020, SUP Free hackathon, the first innovation marathon for the development of solutions and applications in the context of the national campaign for a Greece Free of Single-Use Plastics, was held with great success and unprecedented participation. The SUP Free hackathon was conducted remotely via innovative collaborative tools and digital media.
The SUP Free hackathon is the first open innovation action within the national campaign “Greece, Free of Single-Use Plastics”, held with the support of Lidl Hellas, in collaboration with the A. C. Laskaridis Charitable Foundation, with the technological and organizational support of the Greek innovation company Crowdpolicy and under the auspices of the Hellenic Ministry of Environment and Energy.
SUP Fee Hackathon attracted the interest of teams and startups from all over Greece, as well as individual participants. Startups, developers, researchers, groups of students from universities of the country, professionals, as well as business executives participated. During the hackathon, more than 100 online meetings were held between the participants and the mentors from Lidl Hellas, the A. C. Laskaridis Charitable Foundation, Crowdpolicy, as well as academics and market executives.
The participants developed their applications and proposals in 48 hours and on Sunday, December 13, they presented them to the evaluation committee. Out of a total of 34 teams that took part in the pitching session, some of which were formed during the hackathon, 5 were distinguished and awarded with cash prizes, gift vouchers from Lidl Hellas and AWS Cloud Services Credits, while securing their entry into the 5-month business acceleration program SUP Free Innovation Lab.
The Innovation Marathon started on Friday, December 11, with the kick-off meeting, which was remotely attended by more than 300 participants, contestants, teams, mentors and supporters.
The kick-off meeting started with short greetings by Mr. Iakovos Andreanidis, Chairman of the Board of Lidl Hellas, and Ms. Evi Lazou, President of the A. C. Laskaridis Charitable Foundation, as well as Ms. Anna — Michelle Assimakopoulou and Mr. Nikos Androulakis, members of the European Parliament.
Mr. Georgios Karamanolis, Co-founder, CTO/CIO of Crowdpolicy, briefly presented the objectives, thematic areas and process of the SUP Free hackathon.
More than 60 teams and 300 contestants expressed interest in participating in the hackathon, while on Sunday, December 13, the pitching that was held via video-conference lasted for about 3 hours.
During the competition, more than 100 mentoring sessions were held, more than 500 communication channels were created and over 13,000 messages and calls were exchanged between participants via a collaborative communication platform.
On Saturday, December 12, a side event — innovation workshop was held by Ms. Angeliki Kosmopoulou and Mr. Kostantinos Sfyrikidis on the topic: “How can you better present your idea in front of an audience?”.
We would like to thank the evaluation committee consisting of the following members:
- Vera Alexandropoulou, Thalassa Foundation, Vice President, VA law firm, Founder
- Vassilios Vescoukis, Associate Professor, Geo-information Systems and Software Engineering, National Technical University of Athens
- Kelly Dovletoglou, Corporate Responsibility Consultant, Lidl Hellas
- Christos Kalloniatis, Associate Professor, University of the Aegean
- Konstantinos Kalogerakis, Chief Innovation Officer, Crowdpolicy
- Georgios Karamanolis, CTO/CIO & Co-Founder, Crowdpolicy
- Angeliki Kosmopoulou, Executive Director, A. C. Laskaridis Charitable Foundation
- Dimitris Kouletsis, Head of Operations at The People’s Trust
- Evi Lazou, President, A. C. Laskaridis Charitable Foundation
- Peggy Xirotagarou, Program Coordinator, A. C. Laskaridis Charitable Foundation
- Marinos Xynarianos, Chief Digital Officer, FintelioX Director, Crowdpolicy
- Dimitris Papastergiou, President of KEDE and Mayor of Trikala
- Aggelos Tsakanikas, Associate Professor of Economic Evaluation of Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Systems at National Technical University of Athens, Scientific Advisor to FEIR
- Yannis Charalambidis, Professor of Digital Governance Head, Digital Governance Research Center Director, Aegean University Innovation and Entrepreneurship Unit
Out of the 34 teams that pitched their idea, the evaluation committee selected 5 teams that were awarded with cash prizes worth a total of € 6,000, gift vouchers of € 500, 400, 300 from Lidl Hellas for each member of the first three teams that were distinguished, entry into the 5-month business acceleration program SUP Free Innovation Lab and AWS Credits up to $ 25,000 to implement and advance their idea.
Watch the video of the results here:
The team FeelTheCup won first place, a cash prize of € 3,000, gift vouchers worth € 500 for each member of the team, their entry into the 5-month business acceleration program SUP Free Innovation Lab and Amazon Credits for AWS Cloud Services up to $ 25,000. The team proposed the creation of a platform based on circular reusable cups for a network of contracted coffee shops in conjunction with a reward program.
The team MS won second place, a cash prize of € 2,000, gift vouchers worth € 400 for each member of the team, their entry into the 5-month business acceleration program SUP Free Innovation Lab and Amazon Credits for AWS Cloud Services up to $ 25,000. The team presented an automatic site cleaning service using artificial intelligence and robotics for waste identification and collection.
The team ECOCup won third place, a cash prize of € 1,000, gift vouchers worth € 300 for each member of the team, their entry into the 5-month business acceleration program SUP Free Innovation Lab and Amazon Credits for AWS Cloud Services up to $ 25,000. The team introduced a mobile app that works as an ecological loyalty system and rewards the user when he buys his drink in his own reusable container.
The team SquAthonHackD won fourth place, their entry into the 5-month business acceleration program SUP Free Innovation Lab and Amazon Credits for AWS Cloud Services up to $ 25,000. The team presented an application using a loyalty scheme with additional rewarding gamification systems to encourage users to use alternative products instead of disposable plastics.
The team AnalogProgrammers won fifth place, their entry into the 5-month business acceleration program SUP Free Innovation Lab and Amazon Credits for AWS Cloud Services up to $ 25,000. The team presented a platform for sorting and recycling disposable plastics with the aim of creating raw material for 3D printers for custom design products through 3D printing.
On Sunday, December 13, the following 34 teams presented their ideas:
N-yform: An original method for recovering raw material from a difficult-to-manage single-use packaging waste and converting it into construction and insulation material or particle boards.
Green HUA: Environmental footprint from disposable plastics.
Wastebusters: An application that finds you shops (delicatessen, groceries, pet shops) where you can buy products in bulk resulting in less packaging plastics.
MS: Automatic site cleaning service using artificial intelligence and robotics to identify and collect waste.
Orderstate: Through order tracking and supply chain, their proposal helps the fashion industry manage recyclable materials and provide the end consumer with information about the digital journey of a piece of clothing and its environmental footprint.
AnalogProgrammers: Sorting and recycling disposable plastics with the aim of creating raw material for 3D printers for custom design products through 3D printing.
ChemEng: Green Social Network with the aim of raising awareness and promoting rewarding recycling at economic and social level. At-source sorting of plastic items based on the existing numbering and their utilization by the cooperating body, thus achieving a circular economy.
Η Άλλη Μεριά: Reuse of recyclable plastics (recycle, reform, reuse, repeat) to create food containers in the context of the circular economy. The main touch point between the service and users is the application “All Time Plastic”.
SquAthonHackD: The application uses a loyalty scheme with additional rewarding gamification systems to encourage users to use alternative products instead of disposable plastics.
Eco-RestoRATE: An application for the reduction of disposable plastic items used in the food and beverage sector (restaurants, beach bars, coffee shops, delivery), thanks to a system of evaluation and reward by consumers and involvement of local communities, municipalities and restaurants with a capacity building and active citizenship approach, starting from the Greek islands with the aim of spreading to the rest of the country.
Green urban logistics: Green Urban Logistics focuses its activity on all stages of urban mobility and connects customers with suppliers and professionals, and develops strategies and digital tools for interconnecting products and services that are economically competitive to the end consumer.
Ethical Paths: An application that aims to strengthen the cooperation of civil society with waste management agencies, while enhancing environmental responsibility in educational institutions.
Inova Plastics: Development and production of food packaging using: a. PET — rPET (Polyethylene terephthalate), and b. Bioplastics (Biodegradable — Compostable).
The design, construction and final production of their products is conducted taking into account their lifetime, reuse and recycling, as well as the reduction of the packaging weight.
Vongrid: bloomonde is an educational platform that utilizes gamification techniques to inform, motivate and educate on recycling and the environment through online games and interactive multimedia.
The Reusables: A platform for locating the nearest trash can and using AI to map them, while providing rewards.
Multitank: Reusable and returnable box for the packaging, storage and transfer of products in bulk between companies and supply chains.
In Rotation: Α B2B, B2C and B2B2C digital platform which serves as a meeting point and promotes suppliers — businesses to consumers who opt for environmentally-friendly practices and materials in their daily lives.
Green Bee: Scanning the barcode of each plastic package to be recycled and identifying what type of plastic it is, while the consumer deposits in the right bin the packaging that will be automatically turned into plastic flakes ready for industrial processing.
Kythira non-plastik: Construction of a crusher turning plastic waste into pellets that will go through an extrusion machine creating a plastic line. Then, through an injection machine, they will be heated and passed into a mold in order to recreate objects.
FeelTheCup: A platform based on circular reusable cups for a network of contracted coffee shops in conjunction with a reward program.
EV Loader: Rewarding customers who reuse glass packaging with discounts on electric car charging stations.
Greek eco Cafe: An application helping users find eco-friendly certified cafes to get their coffee with a reward.
Biocredit: Development of a rewarding recycling model through the creation of green facilities.
Recyclebook: Collecting environmental footprint data and making it available for use by the local government in order to increase the recycling rate.
Plastitup: Innovation in the processing of single-use plastics that turns them into industrial products through mild heat treating.
Hermes: An application for self-service in retail stores and gas stations. Thus, user experience is improved and the use of plastic is reduced.
Z-composter: Manufacture of the first rotating compost bins in Greece with reusable plastic barrels.
re great: A comprehensive smart reciprocal recycling system, consisting of smart bins, mobile apps and IoT technologies.
The Green Corner: Green corners inside supermarkets, promoting their brand in bulk, with reusable packaging that can be scanned. Points are collected in the customer profile that bring economic and environmental benefit.
PLANETICA-X: An application visualizing the data collected for the customer.
ECOCup: A mobile app that works as an ecological loyalty system and rewards the user when he buys his drink in his own reusable container.
NABLE SOLUTIONS: Assistant Volunteer is a digital service aimed at the optimal management and coordination of volunteers and actions by organizations, government / local bodies and companies, to enhance communication, interconnection and promote environmentally-oriented synergies.
ZERO WASTERS-GR: Establishment and operation of an innovative business consulting company exclusively for environmental issues and recycling management.
Sealvage: The sealvage website will be used for marketing/outreach purposes, communication with customers and partners, and finally, the e-shop of the company.
Finally, we would like to thank all the participants and supporters of the event.
SUP Free hackathon
The SUP Free Innovation Lab, which is supported by LiDL Hellas, aims at disseminating new disrupting technologies in matters of sustainability and environmental protection. It includes the organization of the SUP Free hackathon followed by a 5-month cycle program providing support in order for the teams to turn their prototype applications into productive solutions.
The aim of the SUP Free hackathon is to create prototype applications and solutions for a life free of single-use plastics through technology tools, innovative ideas and methodologies that can be applied to the campaign actions, daily life and operation of businesses.
SUP Free hackathon Stories | Episode 03
The SUP Free hackathon was held with the support of Lidl Hellas, the A. C. Laskaridis Charitable Foundation in the context of the national campaign “Greece, Free of Single-Use Plastics”, and under the auspices of the Hellenic Ministry of Environment and Energy.
The event was organized by the innovation and digital technology company Crowdpolicy.
Find out more at crowdhackathon.com/sup-free
