Sulapac Selected as the Winner of the Best Impact Startup Award by ABIS

Sulapac was selected as the Best Impact Startup by ABIS, The Academy of Business in Society. With the award, ABIS acknowledges Sulapac for “positively contributing to sustainable development and inspiring others to do the same”.

ABIS – The Academy of Business in Society is a global network of over 100 companies and academic institutions, which aims to advance the role and support the long-term success of business in society through research, education and knowledge sharing. As part of their mission ABIS rewards “purpose-led startups which are finding creative ways to solve social and environmental problems while simultaneously growing their business”. This year Sulapac was nominated as the winner of the Best Impact Startup Award.

“We are extremely delighted for this recognition, as the award carries an important message that also reflects Sulapac’s philosophy. We are solving a major environmental problem and the principles of sustainable development are incorporated in everything we do. At the same time, we need to create profitable business”, says Suvi Haimi, Sulapac Co-founder and CEO.

The award was officially handed over at the ABIS Colloquium 2019, which took place in Berlin to celebrate the 30^thanniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The theme of the colloquium was “Business in Society: Measuring Impact and Creating Change”.

With a mission to save the world from plastic waste, Sulapac is after a major impact; It is fare from enough that the ‘sustainability champions’ adopt Sulapac’s innovation – Sustainable, microplastic-free materials must become the new normal. To make this vision reality, Sulapac has taken a very open, active and collaborative approach. “To find a way out from the plastic waste crisis, we need to join forces and get activated on all levels of society, across industries and disciplines”, states Sulapac’s Sustainability Director Maija Pohjakallio, who attended the Colloquium in Berlin.

According to ABIS, Sulapac is not only positively contributing to sustainable development, but also inspiring others to do the same. “This is something we are really proud of”, Pohjakallio says.

“Successful examples of how traditional, environmentally harmful materials can be replaced by a truly sustainable alternative without compromising usability is probably the most effective way to inspire others”, Haimi continues.

Those success cases have required some serious fighting spirit. As Sulapac has created something entirely new, the supporting institutions such as standards and certificates are not yet established, and the stakeholders need to be educated about the benefits and characteristics of the new material. Despite all obstacles, Sulapac is now in the state of scaling up its business. “Plastic waste keeps on accumulating, so we simply can’t wait for all the stars to align. We have to act now”, Haimi stresses. “It hasn’t been an easy road, but I guess that’s what beign a pioneer takes”, she concludes.

 

Read more about Sulapac’s solution to fight the plastic waste problem.

Find out more about ABIS.

 

Sulapac^® is a wood-based material innovation, which is a lot like plastic, yet it biodegrades fully leaving no microplastics behind. As a premium material that is safe and circular by design, Sulapac^® is the perfect fit for quality driven brands with genuine commitment to sustainability. Plastic product manufacturers can use Sulapac^® with their existing machinery making sustainability an easy choice. The company was founded in 2016 by Suvi Haimi and Laura Tirkkonen-Rajasalo and is based in Helsinki, Finland.