Prince William is a “coalition builder” for green ideas

Prince William acted as a “coalition builder” bringing together fresh perspectives and innovative ideas to address global environmental challenges ahead of the Earthshot Prize ceremony on November 6.

This view is shared by several of the 15 Earthshot Prize finalists, who participated in workshops on social entrepreneurship, branding and finance to help them scale their innovative projects.

On Wednesday in Cape Town, South Africa, five of those finalists will be awarded $1.3 million in prizes each at a star-studded event that William’s team calls their “Super Bowl Moment”

Throughout Earthshot Prize week, all finalists participated in the Earthshot Fellowship program, gaining valuable insights, sharing best practices, and making connections to enhance their impact.

“We know that taking an idea from prototype to scale is a challenging leadership journey, and we are here to secure support where possible,” Hannah Jones, CEO of the Earthshot Prize, told reporters on November 3.

“This cohort is passionate about driving transformative change in the fight against climate change and sustainable development,” she added.

Earthshot Prize finalists include Welding of natural fibersan Illinois-based company pioneering plant-based, plastic-free materials used in everything from sneakers and polo shirts to bags.

Mary Allen, creative director of Natural Fiber Welding, showcased shoes from Purified, a London-based slow fashion brand that features innovative NFW Mirum alternative leather in its upper design.

“At the end of its life, it can be shredded and returned safely to the earth,” she says.

“We’ve partnered with 50 brands to date,” she says, noting collaborations with shoe company Camper and Ralph Lauren, which use their fabrics in some polo shirts. NFW is also working with BMW to integrate Mirum into car interiors.

“Earthshot fills a much-needed gap in providing visibility into disruptive solutions from around the world, across all different sectors,” she says of Prince William’s initiative. “Every founder’s story here is different. By bringing us together, it gives us the opportunity to learn, grow together, and cross-pollinate. The impact of this is difficult to measure, but it is invaluable. It was one of the most transformative weeks of my sustainability career.”

In addition to Mirum, the company produces Tunera, a plastic-free bio-based foam, and Clarus for textiles.

“The unifying philosophy is what we call ‘our ground rules,’” she says. “Start well, stay clean and end well, which means starting with plants, producing non-toxic materials and ensuring they can go back into the earth. Waste is a human invention and waste does not exist in nature.”

“Earthshot truly bridges the gap between the decisions of some of the most influential companies in the world,” she adds.

“Magic is the creation of a coalition. That’s what this week is all about,” she says.

Ninna Granucci, co-founder of another Earthshot Prize finalist, Enzyme’Uptells PEOPLE: “It’s amazing how (William) uses all the attention he can get to focus on the problems we need to solve and the solutions we can use to get there. I’m so grateful to him for bringing so many different people together with the same goal of finding solutions for our climate.”

Ferment’Up offers a solution for alternative ingredients that are “more sustainable and nutritious, while also reducing costs for the food industry.” The company uses brewery grains, tomato peels and apple peel powder, which can be alternatives to cocoa or tomato concentrate.

Granucci, whose company is based in Toulouse, France, adds: “On the one hand, we avoid waste by using the most nutritious part of grains and seeds, and preserve food as food. On the other hand, these ingredients can help in the production of a finished product, such as cookies or chocolate coating for cookies, or natural flavoring for tomato sauce.”

“In addition to meeting amazing people in a very personal way and finding solutions that inspire you despite the challenges, we see how to solve problems. Everyone is trying to see what might work for me or my company. Being able to talk to people to give you the push you need or introduce you to someone who could make a big difference. It’s about creating opportunities to take the idea and solution further,” she adds.

Kelly Adams, CEO Advanced Thermoelectric Systemswhich has developed the technology to capture waste heat and convert it into electricity, says: “We are the first company to develop it at this scale. The collected electricity will be used on site to generate future electricity. This also reduces the electricity the plant will use. This is a paradigm shift for the industry.”

He appreciates William’s ability to bring people together and spread a message that resonates around the world.

“This is an amazing opportunity for us. We are trying to go out to society and show that this is possible. When you’re at the forefront of innovation, it can take a long time,” he says.

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“We don’t have years to do this, so this week will be a big accelerator for all of us. Earthshot has a global reach and accelerates the education of society, decision makers and policy makers,” he adds. “So what we’ve been doing for months and years, we’re now doing for days and weeks because of what he’s doing online and getting people to look at the problem and understand what the problems are and that there are solutions.

“A lot of people say it’s impossible or it can’t happen, but in fact it is possible.”