The start-up Ponera, based in Ticino, has won the SEIF Awards Tech for Impact for Responsible Innovation this year. The organization, founded in 2019 and with a product development site at EPFL Innovation Park Le Garage, in Lausanne, developed a modular industrial packaging system that replaces common wooden pallets and crates, which in many industries are used once then discarded. The SEIF Tech for Impact Awards target European impact entrepreneurs who develop or make innovative use of technologies to contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Ponera's vision is to transform one time use consumable industrial packaging material into intelligent assets, orchestrating an effective circular economy. Its system is made of robust recycled polymers that are 100% further recyclable. The easy-to-assemble modules can be linked together to create pallets and crates of any size. They can be equipped with sensors for seamless tracking of shipments. The jury of SEIF Awards highlighted "the potential (of Ponera solution) to positively impact companies' logistics and finances, as well as the environment."
One of the first partner companies to provide Ponera with a platform to test the sustainable packaging solution was Bühler Group. “I congratulate Ponera’s team on this deserved recognition. They really have a chance to disrupt the industry,” said Ian Roberts, CTO of Bühler Group. “It is a bonus and source of pride for us that Ponera announced this award whilst they were exhibiting at the Bühler Networking Days, in June. I remember early presentations of their concept during our internal innovation competitions, them being part of the MassChallenge accelerator in Lausanne and meeting them regularly in our CUBIC Innovation Center in Uzwil whilst they ran their proof of concept at Bühler.”
Matthew Reali, CEO of Ponera, said: "It is an honor and very humbling to be recognized by the SEIF awards as winners of the Responsible Innovation 2022. This prize, along with the awesome support we receive from our partners such as Bühler Group continue to motivate us to pursue our mission to facilitate circular logistics through our smart modular industrial packaging solution and accelerate the change towards a more efficient and sustainable world."
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