Prince Williamis out and about in London for an eco-focused engagement.
On Thursday, the Prince of Wales, 41, visited Sustainable Ventures to learn more about the work of the environmental incubator. The organization is the largest climate tech hub in Europe, and helps sustainable startups scale up through investment, workspaces and business support. Sustainable Ventures has helped develop over 500 businesses since 2011, embracing commercial innovation to address climate change and resource scarcity.
The stop came with a special connection to theEarthshot Prize, which Prince William launched in 2020 to promote impactful approaches to the world’s most pressing environmental challenges through the next decade. The Prince of Wales met businesses based at the London hub including ENSO, a 2023Earthshot Prize finalistfor the “Clean Our Air” category. The tech company makes tires for electric vehicles which are more sustainable and reduce pollution, leading to a cleaner atmosphere.
Prince William visits Sustainable Ventures in London on Oct. 5.Kate Green/Getty
Kate Green/Getty
ENSO is amongfifteen finalistsin the running for the prestigious environmental prize. The five ultimate winners will be announced at the upcoming Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony in Singapore on Nov. 7. The international Earthshot Prize contest invites changemakers to submit solutions across five categories: Protect and Restore Nature, Clean Our Air, Revive Our Oceans, Build a Waste-Free World and Fix Our Climate. Those chosen will receive £1 million ($1.2 million) and support to scale their solutions to size.
Elsewhere during the Thursday tour, William joined a discussion with startups on their stories of scaling. The businesses included AirEx, which produced the world’s first smart air brick to reduce home energy bills, and Depop, an e-commerce platform for buying and selling vintage and second-hand clothing.
In another tie to the Earthshot Prize, Sustainable Ventures previously supported Notpla, the sustainable packaging startup and winner of the 2022 Earthshot Prize for “Build a Waste-Free World.“King Charles’ eldest son visited Notpla’s East London headquarters in May to see how the Earthshot platform has helped the startupaccelerate its progress. The Earthshot honor has enabled the business to expand its team and invest in machinery for research and development.
When previously speaking withPEOPLEabout what it meant to win an Earthshot Prize, Notpla co-founder Pierre Paslier described the accolade as a game-changer.
Prince William visited Earthshot Prize winner Notpla to see how the business has scaled in May 2023.Kin Cheung-WPA Pool/Getty Images
“Most importantly, the Earthshot Prize team is offering us some tailored support and will introduce us to a vast network of businesses, philanthropists and investors, that should boost scaling our commercialization,” Paslier told PEOPLE in December 2022.
Prince William’s latest engagement follows a busy visit to New York City for the second annual Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit, where heofficially confirmedhe would travel to Singapore for the third cycle of the Earthshot Prize Awards.
Kate Middleton and Prince William at the 2022 Earthshot Prize awards.Mike Coppola/Getty
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The Princess of Wales shared George’srelatable takeon tests at schoolwhile visitingFitzalan High School in Wales on Tuesday. Kate commented while chatting with sixth-form students (the American equivalent of 12th grade) about their various classes.
Kate Middleton met students at Fitzalan High School in Wales on Oct. 3.Chris Jackson/Getty
Chris Jackson/Getty
source: people.com
