Institute for Sustainability searches for innovative solutions to help cut the lighting bill or water use of a major supermarket chain

The Institute for Sustainability is partnering with the Climate Knowledge and Innovation Network (Climate-KIC) and supermarket chain Sainsbury’s to launch a competition to identify new solutions to sustainability challenges while helping innovative businesses get their products to market.

The Institute is looking for market ready and close to market solutions for real world challenges identified by the retailer. Competition winners with market ready solutions will have the opportunity to demonstrate their innovation at a Sainsbury’s supermarket with the potential to roll out their product across stores in the UK. Qualifying winners and runners up will be able to showcase and develop their products with the support of the Climate-KIC network of close to 100 partners from leading organisations across Europe.

The Chief Executive of the Institute for Sustainability, Ian Short, said: “The market in climate change adaptation and mitigation innovations is still young and a lack of confidence in new approaches, restricted opportunities to trial innovations and concerns about risk and reward are acting as barriers to take-up.  By working closely with potential buyers to understand their issues and requirements better, we hope to stimulate suppliers, innovators and researchers to respond with innovation that solves real world challenges.”

Although a wide range of initiatives to minimise environmental impacts has already been implemented in new and existing Sainsbury’s stores, the retailer has identified two areas where it is still looking for optimal solutions: lighting and water use.

Full details are available on the competition website, www.cmacompetition.co.uk.
The closing date for entries is 1 August 2012 and the winners will be announced in September.