08/11/2022
In October 2021, the first ever Earthshot Prize was awarded to five worthy winners, each with ambitious goals to use their innovative solutions to repair and regenerate our planet (previously reported here).
Following a successful first year, the cohort of finalists for Year 2 of the Earthshot Prize have now been announced. Over 1000 nominations from 100 countries have been narrowed down to fifteen finalists, three in each of the five categories – the “Earthshots” – Protect and Restore Nature, Clean Our Air, Revive Our Oceans, Build A Waste Free World and Fix Our Climate.
The 2022 finalists represent a diverse range of solutions which are specifically focused on the most urgent environmental concerns, the “selection priorities”, and include issues such as fashion and textiles, single-use products, forest fires and blue carbon. Included in this year’s innovative line-up are a Dutch start-up who are using bubbles to trap and remove plastics from waterways, Phool an Indian company who are collecting floral waste from polluted rivers to create a sustainable alternative to environmentally damaging animal and plastic leather and more. For the judges, selecting a winner in each category from this year’s list of finalists is going to be exceptionally challenging.
Reddie & Grose are continuing our support of the Earthshot Prize through our involvement in a committee put together by the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA). Last year this committee provided support to both the Earthshot committee and the finalists themselves on IP matters. This year, CIPA are an Official Nominator of the Earthshot Prize and were able to propose entrants for the awards, three of which have been selected as finalists. CIPA’s nominated finalists are LanzaTech who’s gas fermentation technology traps carbon dioxide and diverts it into valuable products, Low Carbon Materials who have made OSTO, a carbon-negative alternative to aggregate, one of concrete’s main ingredients and Notpla Limited who have created Notpla, an alternative to plastic made from seaweed and plants. Unsurprisingly, every finalist has brought innovative solutions to seemingly unsolvable problems.
The 2022 awards ceremony will be held on 2 December in Boston, the birth place of John F. Kennedy who’s “Moonshot” goal inspired the creation of these prestigious environmental awards. At the ceremony, five new solutions, one in each category, will be awarded a prize of £1 million to help scale their ground-breaking technology to solve the environmental challenges facing the planet. Those shortlisted for The Earthshot Prize are also given support and opportunities to help develop and accelerate their work.
Reddie & Grose urge innovators to use IP to protect their innovations so that they can be utilised effectively and to ensure that the motivation to continue innovating remains. If you would like any advice relating to IP protection for your inventions, please get in touch with one of our patent team.
This article is for general information only. Its content is not a statement of the law on any subject and does not constitute advice. Please contact Reddie & Grose LLP for advice before taking any action in reliance on it.
