The Greentech Heroes of the Greed Detox Revolution

The Shopping Conspiracy: How Israeli startups tackle the environmental consequences of corporate greed and overconsumption - by Frederic Eger - Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy, a Netflix documentary released on November 19, 2024, explores the environmental consequences of corporate greed and overconsumption. Directed by Nic Stacey, the film exposes the tactics used by major brands to keep consumers in a continuous cycle of purchasing, causing significant environmental and societal damage. The film highlights the growing problem of waste, including post-consumer wastes, with landfills overflowing with discarded goods. It also features insights from former employees of major corporations like Apple and Amazon, who discuss how these companies prioritize consumption over sustainability without considering the product's "end-of-life."

How are Israel startups addressing the issues raised Buy Now!? 1. Post-Consumer wastes. Israeli startups are tackling post-consumer waste by reducing the use of packaging materials like plastic bags, food wrappers, and cardboard boxes:

Melodea has developed a sustainable barrier coating that can replace traditional plastic packaging layers, ensuring food and cosmetics product integrity and reducing non-recyclable coating waste, thus reducing the need for traditional plastic packaging.

Co-Energy transforms plastic and organic waste into energy, promoting a circular economy and improving soil health. Their technology processes large volumes of plastic waste, generating energy for homes.

UBQ Materials has developed a bio-based material production process that uses municipal solid waste to replace conventional plastics, diverting materials from landfills and reducing plastic production's carbon footprint.

TIPA produces bio-based compostable packaging solutions, which decompose within 180 days under composting conditions, providing a sustainable alternative to traditional plastic packaging.

Wasteless is a grocery store strategy that encourages consumers to buy items near their expiration dates at reduced prices, thereby reducing food waste and addressing packaging waste from unsold products.

2. Household Wastes. Israeli startups innovating solutions old newspapers, empty containers, and worn-out clothing to address household wastes.

Fabumin repurposes aquafaba, the liquid leftover from canning beans and legumes, transforming it into a powdered plant-based egg substitute. This process not only reduces food waste but also provides a sustainable alternative for the food industry.

Daikawood utilizes wood waste, such as sawdust, to create a new natural material that can replace petroleum-based products. This innovative approach addresses the issue of wood waste while producing a versatile material suitable for various applications.

3PLW is a startup that converts food waste into biodegradable plastics through organic waste fermentation. Their goal is to lower bioplastic production costs while reducing food waste by producing building blocks for polylactic acid.

3. Electronics Wastes or e-Wastes. Israeli startups are tackling e-waste, containing hazardous materials like lead and mercury, by developing innovative recycling, reusing, and management solutions to address the built-in obsolescence of products. All Recycling specializes in recycling electrical and electronic waste using advanced technologies and a comprehensive production line, aiming for zero landfill waste and environmental compliance. M.A.I - Israel Electronics Recycling Corporation, is a government-licensed company that handles around 1,000 tons of e-waste monthly, accounting for 90% of B2B e-waste collection in Israel. The company operates under strict regulations and aims to increase recycling targets annually. Batte-Re, established in 2022, specializes in lithium-ion battery recycling, offering a structured process for collecting, sorting, and recycling batteries, thereby reducing environmental risks and promoting resource recovery in various industries.

The Israeli Government has implemented e-waste management initiatives, including stricter recycling regulations, public awareness campaigns, and manufacturers' responsibility to recycle their products, to support startups and companies in a structured environment.

The Pure Earth Project in Palestine is a collaboration between Israeli entrepreneurs and companies to formalize the e-waste recycling industry, advocating for regulatory reforms and best practices to enhance recycling processes and standards.

4. Food Waste. Food systems produce a significant portion of waste. Israeli startups are addressing food waste, including uneaten food and non-biodegradable packaging materials, which contribute significantly to landfill waste, due to over-purchasing and misunderstanding expiration labels. Evigence Sensors has developed a freshness management system that uses sensors and data analytics to monitor food product freshness in real-time, reducing food waste and ensuring products are consumed at peak quality.

Prevera creates a natural antimicrobial protein derived from essential amino acids that protects food from pathogens. This innovation helps extend the shelf life of perishable items, thereby reducing spoilage and waste throughout the supply chain.

Bountica focuses on developing nature-based proteins that act as antifungal agents, helping to prevent spoilage in perishable foods and beverages. By extending the shelf life of these products, Bountica aims to significantly reduce food loss.

Neolithics has developed "Crystal.eye," an AI-powered software application that enhances quality control during harvesting and distribution, thereby reducing the discard of fresh produce and ensuring more fruits and vegetables reach consumers.

Agritask is an agronomic intelligence platform that provides farmers with data-driven insights to optimize crop management. By improving agricultural practices, Agritask aims to reduce food waste at the production level.

5. Single-use plastics & Excessive Packaging Wastes. Israeli startups are working to reduce packaging waste from non-recyclable materials, such as single-use plastics, which significantly contributes to environmental pollution in consumer products like straws, cups, and cutlery. MadeRight is a biotech startup that uses fungi to create eco-friendly packaging materials from organic industrial waste, reducing plastic reliance and promoting a circular economy by using waste as a resource.

W-CYCLE is a startup that aims to create compostable, plant-based materials to replace traditional plastic packaging. Their latest product, SPZero, is food-contact-approved and non-plastic, making it suitable for food service applications, reducing ecological impact.

Capsule Minimal  is a personal care and cleaning product that uses multi-use dispensers and paper-wrapped powder capsules. Consumers mix the capsules with water at home, reducing packaging waste and plastic use. This innovative model also minimizes carbon emissions from shipping.

Solutum has developed a sustainable flexible packaging composite material, enabling manufacturers to reduce material usage and minimize waste by down-gauging packaging films, offering an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional plastics..

6. Disposable Products Waste. Israeli startups working on solving the problems posed by disposable products, particularly personal care items like tissues and diapers

SuperBee offers reusable beeswax wraps made from organic cotton coated with beeswax, jojoba oil, and tree resin, reducing reliance on disposable plastic wraps for food storage and minimizing waste from disposable products.

Pika provides eco-friendly alternatives to disposable diapers, reducing single-use waste and environmental impact. Standard diapers now weigh 30g, replacing fluff pulp with fluid-absorbing material, from 1987's 65g.

Kandoo provides biodegradable personal care products like wipes and toilet paper, reducing landfill waste and promoting sustainable hygiene practices by breaking down quickly compared to traditional disposable items.

Bamboobies produces eco-friendly nursing pads and personal care items made from bamboo fabric, reducing waste and promoting a sustainable approach to personal care for new mothers by reducing single-use pads.

7. Unwanted Gifts and Impulsive Purchases. Israeli startups are addressing environmental issues caused by unwanted gifts and impulse purchases.

Gazelle (EcoAtm) an EcoAtm platform, encourages individuals to sell and recycle unwanted electronics, extending product life and reducing electronic waste, thus reducing the environmental impact of impulse purchases.

TextRe is transforming textile waste into new plastic products by combining synthetic fibers with other materials, a sustainable alternative to virgin plastics, addressing environmental challenges from fast fashion and impulse buying.

Trashie is a rewards platform that promotes the recycling and upcycling of unwanted clothing, aiming to reduce textile waste and promote a circular economy in fashion, thus reducing environmental impact.

Havie is a startup that upcycles military clothing into fashionable apparel, addressing textile waste in the fashion industry and promoting sustainable fashion choices by creating stylish products from surplus military gear.

Clariter has developed a chemical recycling technology that converts plastic waste into valuable industrial products like solvents and oils, while also addressing unwanted packaging materials, thereby reducing overall waste generation.

8. Landfill Overflow. Israeli startups are addressing landfill overflow, a growing issue due to increasing consumerism, which is causing landfills to overflow with non-biodegradable waste. GreenQ is improving waste management by integrating smart sensors and big-data analytics into garbage trucks, optimizing collection routes and schedules, reducing costs, emissions, and pickup frequency.

Nordsense uses smart sensor technology to optimize waste collection in municipalities. By analyzing waste generation patterns, they optimize collection schedules, reduce unnecessary pickups, and improve recycling rates, reducing landfill waste volume.

A.G.A.M Recycling is a company that recycles post-industrial and post-consumer plastic waste, processing PET bottles and HDPE regrind to create recycled materials for manufacturing. Their focus on recycling helps reduce landfill waste.

RecyclePoint is a startup that incentivizes recycling by offering rewards for proper waste disposal. It aims to increase recycling rates by making the process engaging and rewarding, contributing to reducing landfill overflow.

9. Pollution. Israeli startups are addressing improper waste disposal issues, which can lead to air, soil, water noise, light, plastic, thermal and radioactive contaminations, damaging Earth ecosystems and human health.

Zohar CleanTech has developed ZoharX, a patented waste-to-energy solution for treating unsorted residential waste on-site, aiming to prevent landfill overflow and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, thus mitigating the environmental impact of improper waste disposal.

Save It provides zero waste-to-landfill solutions for businesses and events by utilizing IoT technology and end-of-life strategies. Their data collection and tailored campaigns enhance waste separation, reducing landfill waste and environmental contamination.

HomeBiogas provides systems that convert food waste into biogas for cooking and organic fertilizer for gardening. This solution not only repurposes food scraps but also reduces the volume of organic waste that might otherwise contribute to soil and water pollution.

Clariter has developed a chemical recycling technology that transforms plastic waste into industrial products such as solvents and oils. By upcycling plastic rather than recycling it, Clariter helps reduce the amount of plastic waste polluting water and soil.

10. Resource Depletion: Israeli startup working on solving the problems posed by resource depletion, a continuous cycle of production and disposal that leads to ecological imbalance. WaterGen's technology extracts clean drinking water from the air, providing a renewable source in water scarcity regions. This innovation reduces reliance on traditional sources, conserves natural resources, and addresses global water scarcity issues.

Netafim a pioneer in drip irrigation technology, efficiently uses water for agriculture, resulting in higher crop yields and reduced resource consumption. This innovative approach not only conserves water but also combats resource depletion in arid regions.

H2Pro uses an E-TAC process to produce green hydrogen, efficiently splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen without carbon emissions, promoting a cleaner energy transition and reducing dependence on fossil fuels.

Phytech's IoT-based agriculture decision support system optimizes irrigation and crop management using real-time data, promoting sustainable farming methods and minimizing water usage, thus contributing to the preservation of natural resources.

Biotic is a company that aims to create sustainable automotive materials by transitioning from fossil fuel-based plastics to biological alternatives, thereby reducing reliance on non-renewable resources and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy has sparked significant conversation, particularly among younger audiences on platforms like TikTok, with critics critiquing AI-generated narration. Israel's greentech startups are paving the way for innovative approaches to managing household waste, recycling materials, and creating sustainable alternatives to traditional products. These startups represent the future of a profitable global circular economy and demonstrate the potential of Earth-synergetic non-fossil fuel energy sources like solar, wind, hydropower, geothermal, biomass, ocean, solar, hydrogen, magnetic and antigravity electricity generating systems, and nuclear fusion, to restore environmental damages caused by all Human activities since 1880, and use only clean energy.

Sustainable practices, including renewables, biodiversity protection, biodegradable materials, composting, and sustainable urban planning, facilitate resources conservation, mitigate climate change, and ensure social equity.

The environmental, social and economic benefits of sustainable practices in a circular economy outweigh the time spent on R&D and the slow time-to-market.

A circular economy ensures resources are available for future generations.

--Frederic Eger