Auum, a Solar Impulse-Labeled Solution
- May 28, 2021
- 3 min read
For almost a year now, Auum has been one of the 1,000 solutions awarded the Solar Impulse Foundation label. It is a great recognition of the energy we put into developing a sustainable and environmentally friendly solution to combat single-use products.
What is the Solar Impulse Foundation? What does the label involve? And what does this recognition mean for Auum? Here’s everything you need to know!
What is the Solar Impulse Foundation?
The Solar Impulse Foundation created one of the first labels dedicated to companies working to have a positive impact on the world.
Founded in 2003 by André Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard, the Solar Impulse Foundation is a non-profit organisation best known for completing the first round-the-world flight in 2016 using an aircraft powered entirely by solar energy.
The foundation was created to highlight solutions that are both environmentally friendly and economically viable. Since 2017, its “Solar Impulse Efficient Solution” label has been awarded to 1,000 solutions that are both profitable and beneficial for the planet.
The “Solar Impulse Efficient Solution” label
The Solar Impulse “Efficient Solution” label aims to highlight environmentally friendly solutions designed to improve our quality of life.
To obtain this label, companies must meet the following criteria:
Be members of UNESCO’s Global Alliance, which is free to join.
The proposed solution must be either a physical product, a technology, an industrial project or a service.
It must already be available for purchase or ready to be commercialised.
The proposed solution must have reached a sufficient level of maturity, with at least one viable prototype already developed.
Companies wishing to obtain the label must also contribute to one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, including:
Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation
Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
To select the projects that receive the label, the Foundation then assesses three criteria:
Project feasibility: the proposed technology can be developed and is based on a scalable model.
Environmental benefits: the solution provides a genuine environmental benefit when its entire life cycle is taken into account.
Economic viability: the proposed solution must not be more expensive than other solutions already available to the general public.
Auum awarded the Solar Impulse label
Since June 2020, Auum and its auum-S cleaning solution have been among the 1,000 solutions awarded the Foundation’s label.
This label is a major recognition for us and provides an additional guarantee of quality for our solution.
Why is auum-S a sustainable and environmentally friendly solution?
The auum-S cleaning solution contributes to Sustainable Development Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.
With auum-S, we are reinventing smart and environmentally friendly cleaning.
No more dirty mugs or bins overflowing with disposable plastic cups in the workplace. Our machine provides a genuine alternative to single-use products. It cleans, disinfects and dries glasses instantly, without using any chemicals.
In addition to being environmentally friendly and easy to use, our solution is also economically viable for companies. With a subscription costing €180 per month, auum-S costs no more than disposable cups.
After three years of R&D, we are finally completing our prototyping phase and preparing to launch mass production of the machine, with market launch scheduled for early July 2021.
