hub.brussels News Greenlab: Public vote is open!
Greenlab 2020: public vote

Greenlab 2020: public vote

Circular economy
Sustainable economy
Published the 28 May 2020

Our accelerator programme for sustainable projects Greenlab continues despite the crisis! Coronavirus has encouraged the candidates to rethink or adapt their projects, and they have come back to us with even more forward-looking ideas. Vote for your favourite project!

The greenlab Grand Final will take place on 11 June 2020, online only. A jury consisting of industry experts will choose a winner from the 11 candidates. The finalists will be awarded 3 prestigious prizes, including the Public Prize. Which project deserves a trophy? It’s up to you to decide!

  1. Discover the 11 competing projects below
  2. Vote for your favourite project by 11 June.

Discover the projects
Greenlab 2020 :

1."Beanlife": delicious flexitarian tempehs

With Beanlife, Winnie and Noemi have risen to the challenge of adding choice and flavour to the flexitarian diet with their range of tempeh.

It can be hard to find plant-based proteins with a good taste and texture. Tempeh, an Indonesian ingredient made from fermented soy beans takes just 15 minutes to cook and is easy to use in salads, hamburgers, ragouts and noodle dishes.

Beanlife aims to create a community of fans who eat good protein: artisanal, plant-based, and made from local organic ingredients. They will help chefs, caterers and consumers discover different tempeh varieties (soya, black been and a soon-to-be-released “circular” tempeh).

Why Brussels needs this project: Beanlife is ideal for vegans, vegetarians and flexitarians, inviting us to transition to a more environmentally-friendly way of life. And there’s no compromise on flavour!

Discover the winners
1.

2."Brussels Craft Sake": artisan sake

Brussels Craft Sake began with the dream of producing sake in Brussels, using organic European rice.

Sake is a fermented, non-distilled alcoholic drink, traditionally from Japan (around 15% abv, similar to wine). It can be enjoyed hot or cold and goes well with all types of cuisine.

Junmai (pure rice) sake by Brussels Craft Sake is organic, vegan and naturally gluten free. It is made from just 4 ingredients: water, rice, koji (malted rice) and yeast. Compared to sakes imported from Japan, it has a small ecological footprint.

Be part of the #sakerevolution! Kanpai! (“Cheers!” in Japanese)

Why Brussels needs this project: Brussels Craft Sake takes great care to make its business sustainable. Notably, the sake lees (residue from sake filtration) will be reused to create unique food products.

Discover the winners
2.

3."Bubble Oil": sustainable soaps

Bubble Oil is a project within the local, circular and social economy, which aims to reduce oil waste in Brussels waters.

Bubble Oil offers cold process soap making workshops using recycled cooking oil. The project aims to raise awareness of the challenges of climate change in Brussels, particularly as a result of water pollution from waste oil.

Nothing is destroyed or created, only transformed! Participants are invited to bring used oil to the workshops and transform it into their own bespoke soap, giving them a beginning-to-end understanding of the process.

The aim? To create a Bubble Oil brand, allowing us to reuse oil waste on a large scale, by transforming it into liquid cleaning products (laundry and dish detergents and floor and surface cleaners) in existing soap plants in Brussels.

Why Brussels needs this project: Bubble Oil takes used oil you don’t know what to do with and transforms it into a desirable bespoke essential!

Discover the winners
3.

4."BUNCH": a local tart workshop

Bunch is one local foodie’s dream of bringing together a community of local producers and curious consumers, who share values of food sustainability.

Cooking is Amandine’s passion. She soon felt compelled to find a more respectful approach to cooking. She decided to train in eco-friendly cuisine and expand her horizons.

What she learnt gave her the idea for a project that would bring together a community of local producers and curious consumers, who share values of food sustainability. So she decided use her love of food for good! Today, that has led to the creation of BUNCH, a workshop creating gourmet, designer savoury tarts, locally.

Why Brussels needs this project: because sustainable food is just as tasty! BRUNCH proves it.

Discover the winners
4.

5."Freddy met Curry": zero-waste lunches

Freddy met Curry creates delicious zero-waste meals, delivered by bicycle at lunchtime to businesses all over the Brussels area.

Chef Jonathan and nutritionist Aurore offer a changing menu of healthy, organic dishes each week. The recipes are designed to use local, seasonal ingredients wherever possible.

Jérémie works to minimise the carbon footprint of Freddy met Curry by choosing suppliers carefully, optimising cycle delivery and informing customers of the origin of the ingredients in order to reconnect them to local producers.

Why Brussels needs this project: Freddy met Curry delivers healthy meals to suit all palates, straight to your office, while living their values and respecting nature!

Discover the winners
5.

6."JANINE": a circular bakery-brewery

Who’s hungry? Me! Who’s thirsty? Also me! See you at JANINE! This local bakery-brewery offers a feast of simple, high-quality products, and it’s completely circular.

Circular? Yes! JANINE makes artisan bread using the spent grain and yeast from the brewing process, and all of their beers are made using unsold bread, to fight food waste on a local level.

Crafty! And it soon adds up - 3 tonnes of bread and 3 tonnes of spent grain reused in 3 years - as easy as that!

But above all, JANINE is a family story: by naming it after their grandmother, the 2 brothers (Bertrand and Maxime) and their 2 partners (Carole and Morane) have created a gourmet concept that is both innovative and cosy. Still tempted? Grab a beer and a loaf and satisfy your hunger!

Why Brussels needs this project: this local, circular bakery-brewery is fighting food waste.

Discover the winners
6.

7. "Koti Sauna": a home sauna

Meet friends, family and neighbours in this Finnish-style local sauna where you’ll feel right at home.

Koti Sauna offers you a shared moment of relaxation in a cosy retreat in the middle of the city, while respecting the environment and our social needs. As well as a Finnish sauna, you will have access to a relaxation room, a garden with a cold plunge pool, as well as a small bar and restaurant serving local beers and seasonal, organic dishes. Various activities are planned to strengthen social bonds.

The idea is to build a sauna using local, eco-responsible materials, limit the waste produced, invest in a sustainable water management system, choose renewable energy sources and encourage non-motorised transport (cycling, walking) by setting up close to home.

Why Brussels needs this project: Koti Sauna allows you to build connections, relax and take care of your health, with a clean environmental conscience.

Discover the winners
7.

8. "Les Maraîchers": a micro-farm

Pick up tools on a beautiful site from Spring 2021, to grow vegetables in the shade of newly planted fruit trees.

Marie, Nicolas and Ivan’s market garden has excellent environmental credentials and is inspired by permaculture.  Its three creators will ensure that the land is well-maintained, a nice place to be and produces a variety of organic fruits and vegetables all year round.

The harvest is divided between members (up to 300 people), in exchange for an annual subscription. The work is also shared - it’s up to you to harvest what you need! You will benefit from ultra-fresh produce, pick your own basket to suit your preferences and gain an insight into the farming techniques used. 

Why Brussels needs this project: this genuinely sustainable and community-spirited initiative guarantees producers a fair, fixed income and offers members transparently and locally produced food. And it all comes with a smile.

Discover the winners
8.

9. "Many lives": a circular social second-hand shop

Many Lives is a second hand shop operating within the social, circular economy. Inside, you will find utensils and items for your kitchen and dining room, and even home decor.

Everything on sale is recycled and the shop is staffed by bubbly women from the NGO’s rehabilitation programme Many Lives. The shop works with its partners to create a virtuous circle that prevents waste and promotes reuse, to preserve natural resources.

Why Brussels needs this project: this shop creates employment in the Marolles district, forging links between the different communities that make Brussels what it is.

Discover the winners
9.

10. "MIKLØ Bodycare", a local, zero-waste cosmetics brand

MIKLØ Bodycare is on a mission to create artisanal, vegan products in the Brussels region, creating local jobs, while using European ingredients to minimise the impact of transport.

MIKLØ Bodycare arose from a gap in the market: the unavailability of a deodorant or balm made from natural ingredients, that has not travelled half way around the world, with practical, plastic-free packaging.

MIKLØ Bodycare products are made from sunflower wax and German rapeseed butter, Spanish olive butter and various European oils.

The Ø in the name represents the goal of zero plastic packaging. Today, the product is sold in recyclable paper tubes, but they are constantly searching for more sustainable alternatives to respond to the environmental challenges of tomorrow.

Why Brussels needs this project: made from natural ingredients, this range of Belgian cosmetic products respects your skin, and the environment!

Discover the winners
10.

11. "Natura Mater": an alternative for more sustainable construction

Natura Mater offers an alternative to conventional construction techniques by selling environmentally-responsible building materials.

Construction is responsible for 40% of all waste in Brussels. And conventional materials mean inert pollution. The company’s founders are on the search for safe, breathable, renewable materials.

Working with a network of producers, Natura Mater has created ready-to-use solutions that replace standard materials. These include straw-fibre insulation systems, a substitute for petrochemical based insulation materials.

Natura Mater advises project owners and architects on the most appropriate natural materials for their projects and supplies materials to the contractors at prices that compete with conventional materials. ​

Why Brussels needs this project: Natura Mater is on a mission to aid the transition to a greener construction sector: today Brussels, tomorrow Europe. Working for a more sustainable future, one site at a time.

Discover the winners
11.

The votes are closed!