Sustainable technology innovations awarded at Young Inventors Prize ceremony

Last applause for our inventors.

Thanks for being here.

Here are the winners of the Young Inventors Award 2025.

Presented by the European Patent Office, it aims to highlight innovations that contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The textile industry is responsible for 8% of CO2 emissions worldwide.

American scientists Nika and Leila Machouf drew inspiration from nature to develop enzymes that convert industrial CO2 emissions into biodegradable cellulose.

A tree breathes in CO2.

It starts from a seed and is able to use that carbon to grow its trunk, branches, and leaves.

We're basically mimicking that process, taking carbon and making these essential materials but without needing to harvest the trees.

So we mimic this process in chemical reactors that are simple and low cost and we can make cellulose materials, which is our target product, in minutes instead of decades and without harming trees.

Food waste is responsible for 10% of CO2 emissions according to the FAO.

Ugandan entrepreneurs Sandra Nambuzo and Samuel Maisa have developed a bag that extends the shelf life of fruit.

Kapalax is basically a sachet that we place in fruit boxes during storage or delivery and it releases an active ingredient that inhibits enzyme phospholipase D that is responsible for sinuses or membrane deterioration in fruits.

Marie Perrin, a Franco-American chemist, has developed a process for recycling the rare earths found in electronic waste.

Marie Perrin, a Franco-American chemist, has developed a process for recycling the rare earths found in electronic waste.

Marie Perrin, a Franco-American chemist, has developed a process for recycling the rare earths found in electronic waste.

Marie Perrin, a Franco-American chemist, has developed a process for recycling the rare earths found in electronic waste.

Marie Perrin, a Franco-American chemist, has developed a process for recycling the rare earths found in electronic waste.

Marie Perrin, a Franco-American chemist, has developed a process for recycling the rare earths found in electronic waste.

Marie Perrin, a Franco-American chemist, has developed a process for recycling the rare earths found in electronic waste.

Marie Perrin, a Franco-American chemist, has developed a process for recycling the rare earths found in electronic waste.

Marie Perrin, a Franco-American chemist, has developed a process for

But their production by mining poses big geopolitical and environmental issues.

And so recycling is actually kind of like the magic solution to both the geopolitical and the environmental impact.

The People's Choice Award went to a team of Spanish researchers who developed a label that changes color when a food item is out of date, thus preventing food poisoning and waste.