Named a finalist in the "On The Rise" Category of Fast Company's 2022 World Changing Ideas, sustainable ingredient company Okeanos®'s patented Made From Stone technology introduces a new category of materials enabling brands and manufacturers to immediately reduce the virgin plastic content of their products, and significantly lower their carbon footprint today.
MIAMI BEACH, Fla., May 4, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The winners of Fast Company's 2022 World Changing Ideas Awards were announced today, honoring clean technology, innovative corporate initiatives, brave new designs for cities and buildings, and other creative works that are supporting the growth of positive social innovation, tackling social inequality, climate change, and public health crises.
Named a finalist in the "On The Rise" Category, sustainable ingredient company Okeanos®'s patented Made From Stone technology introduces a new category of materials enabling brands and manufacturers to immediately reduce the virgin plastic content of their products, and significantly lower their carbon footprint today.
Okeanos has developed a patented low-carbon footprint compound using responsibly sourced calcium carbonate (CaCO3). This natural and renewable mineral is used to replace the majority of petrochemically derived plastic in traditional compounds with natural stone. Products Made From Stone can achieve up to 2/3 reduction in plastic content and an immediate reduction of carbon footprint by a similar amount.
Calcium carbonate has long been used as a filler in packaging but has been limited to small percentages due to processing and density issues. Okeanos has resolved both these problems, allowing the calcium carbonate to comprise most of the item, while allowing it to remain flexible, lightweight, and floatable. Since calcium carbonate is less expensive than oil- based or bio alternatives, Made From Stone is priced at the same or less than current plastic compounds, and is designed to be run on existing machinery, eliminating the need for costly new plants and equipment. Made From Stone is available for use across traditional manufacturing processes including film, thermoforming, and molding.
Plastic pollution and climate change are global problems which require global solutions. Okeanos has developed a robust network of international partners on five continents to source, process, manufacture, and distribute MFS, allowing companies from Miami to Mumbai to integrate the solution easily and affordably into their existing operations with minimal environmental impact. The Okeanos network includes partners in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Malaysia, South Africa, and the United States.
Now in its sixth year, the World Changing Ideas Awards showcase 39 winners, 350 finalists, and more than 600 honorable mentions—with climate, social justice, and AI and data among the most popular categories. A panel of eminent Fast Company editors and reporters selected winners and finalists from a pool of more than 2,997 entries across transportation, education, food, politics, technology, health, social justice, and more. In addition, several new categories have been added this year including climate, nature, water, and workplace. The 2022 awards feature entries from across the globe, from Switzerland to Hong Kong to Australia.
Fast Company's Summer 2022 issue (on newsstands May 10, 2022) will showcase some of the world's most inventive entrepreneurs and companies tackling global challenges. The issues highlight, among others, probiotics for coral reefs, easy-to-assemble kit homes for refugees or disaster survivors, a 3D printed vaccine patch, an electric truck, a system to heat homes from the waste heat of a name-brand factory, and prosecutor-initiated resentencing for overly long prison sentences.
"We are thrilled that Fast Company has recognized Made From Stone technology's unlimited potential to make meaningful reductions in plastic pollution through an innovative upstream solution," explains Okeanos CEO Florencio Cuétara. "From Cartagena to Cairo, our clients are immediately reducing the flow of plastic into the environment, and halving CO2 emissions. That's something to celebrate."
"We are consistently inspired by the novelty and creativity that people are applying to solve some of our society's most pressing problems, from shelter to the climate crisis. Fast Company relishes its role in amplifying important, innovative work to address big challenges," says David Lidsky, interim editor-in-chief of Fast Company. "Our journalists have identified some of the most ingenious initiatives to launch since the start of 2021, which we hope will both have a meaningful impact and lead others to join in being part of the solution."
About the World Changing Ideas Awards: World Changing Ideas is one of Fast Company's major annual awards programs and is focused on social good, seeking to elevate finished products and brave concepts that make the world better. A panel of judges from across sectors choose winners, finalists, and honorable mentions based on feasibility and the potential for impact. With the goals of awarding ingenuity and fostering innovation, Fast Company draws attention to ideas with great potential and helps them expand their reach to inspire more people to start working on solving the problems that affect us all.
About Okeanos: Okeanos® is the ingredient technology company behind Made From Stone ™, a new category of materials technology designed to reduce the plastic and carbon footprint of everyday items. Okeanos' global network of partners enables these solutions to be easily and affordably adopted around the world by brands, manufacturers, and consumers. Okeanos is headquartered in Miami Beach, with satellite offices on five continents.
Media Contact
Nicky Wyman, Strategic Communications Director, Okeanos, +1 9086124500, [email protected]
SOURCE Okeanos
Share this article