For the first time this year, the European Social Innovation Competition also awarded a fourth ‘Impact Prize’ of €50,000. The Impact Prize was open to all semi-finalists from the 2015 Competition – ‘New Ways to Grow’. It sought the project that had demonstrated a significant measurable impact over the last year.
The winner was Love your waste, a French social enterprise fighting food waste. Love your waste works with canteens in companies, schools, and hospitals, collecting biowaste which is transformed into renewable energy. Since April 2015 they have recycled over 137 tonnes of food waste as well as carrying out extensive education programmes to help people understand and prevent waste. The judges were impressed by the double impact of the project – both environmental and social, as well as the organisation’s robust business plans.
The Impact Prize will open to all semi-finalists from the 2016 Competition – ‘Integrated Futures’ in early 2017.
