Sustainable Switzerland Awards First 15 Sustainable Shapers

Bern - Sustainable Switzerland has awarded the Sustainable Shapers distinction to 15 individuals for the first time as part of its sustainability conference. These include Nathalie Agosti, Julia Carpenter, Pirmin Jung, Albin Kälin, and Walter Stahel. The NZZ Connect initiative recognizes their contribution to sustainable development in Switzerland.

(CONNECT) Sustainable Switzerland honored 15 people in three categories as Sustainable Shapers for the first time on September 2 at its one-day sustainability forum in Bern. They received this honor from NZZ Connect initiative for their exceptional commitment to social or ecological sustainability in Switzerland.

In the Leadership & Transformation category, Albin Kälin is among the award winners. The founder and CEO of epeaswitzerland is regarded as one of the world's leading pioneers of the circular economy. Christian Zeyer, as Co-CEO of swisscleantech, connects politics, business, and practice in favor of climate protection. Hans-Dietrich Reckhaus, CEO of Reckhaus AG, transformed his insecticide-trading company into a pioneer for biodiversity protection following an encounter with Swiss concept artists Frank and Patrik Riklin, and is now also CEO of Insect-Respect. Julia Carpenter, as co-founder and CEO of the start-up apheros, a spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH), drastically reduces the power consumption of data centers with an innovative cooling system.

In the Knowledge & Opinion category, Nathalie Agosti is one of five winners. She is founder and Managing Director of the consulting firm Outlive Advisory and positions topics such as mental health and equality as leadership responsibilities in business. Walter Stahel, who was also honored, founded the Institute for Product Duration Research. He is a professor, author, and member of the Club of Rome, pioneer and trailblazer of the circular economy, as well as honorary president of the Next Generations association. Other award winners are Simone Nägeli, co-founder and co-managing director of the educational network Acker Schweiz, Mathis Wackernagel, co-founder of the Global Footprint Network, and artist Ursula Biemann.

In the Vision & Innovation category, Aurélien Demaurex, CFO and co-founder of Ecorobotix, is one of the honorees. His ultra-precise field sprayer ARA saves up to 95 percent of plant protection products using computer vision and artificial intelligence. The jury also considers Philipp Furler, co-founder and CEO of Synhelion, a Sustainable Shaper. The company, which emerged from ETH, uses sunlight to achieve the necessary process heat for producing synthetic fuels. Founder and CEO Pirmin Jung sets new standards in timber construction with his PIRMIN JUNG Schweiz AG and projects such as the House of Wood. Nicolas Rochat founded the first plastic-free sportswear brand with Mover Plastic Free Sportswear and leads it as CEO. Finally, Vincent Vida received the Sustainable Shaper award as founder and CEO of UpGrain. His start-up, founded in 2021, upgrades spent grain into nutrient-rich ingredients for the food industry.

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