From left: Jennifer Hirst, Tony Pegg, Louise Norman, and Liam Rowe.
Envirowater wins recognition in Cummins Innovation Scheme
Halifax-based innovator Envirowater has been named as a winner in the Cummins Environmental Gateway corporate acceleration programme for their submission of their Free Flow Waterless Urinal Valve product which is designed and manufactured by Sannitree International in South Africa.
Envirowater submitted its idea after Cummins, the largest independent maker of diesel engines and related products in the world, called on innovators of all sizes to come forward with market-ready, sustainable innovations to help Cummins achieve their Environmental targets in the UK.
Launched in September 2016, the Cummins Environmental Gateway attracted more than 100 submissions in just 40 days. The ideas came from innovators, small businesses (SMEs) as well as corporates around Britain and the world.
Envirowater is the business behind the Free Flow Valve. They offer water-free solutions for businesses wishing to drastically reduce water consumption and save money by converting standard urinals to water free. It’s completely chemical-free, easy to clean, and simple to fit with no ongoing maintenance. There’s no smell, bacteria or blockages.
Envirowater’s MD Tony Pegg said: “We’re thrilled to have been recognised among a number of other successful innovators for our product, the Free Flow Valve, which is like no other in the market. We can convert bathrooms to become water free quickly and easily. Even if you are already saving water, our solution allows you to switch to 100% water free. It is chemical free and reduces bad odours and blockages.”
It is a worthy innovation not just due to environmental factors and cost savings. It also revolutionises the men’s bathroom experience. It is making such a difference to the environment and helping to save water one urinal at a time.”
Denis Ford, International Sourcing Leader EMEA, NE/SE Asia & S. Pacific at Cummins said: “We would like to congratulate Envirowater for making the Cummins Environmental Gateway Successful Innovators List 2017. We have been very impressed with the quality of Envirowater’s innovation, and even more with the potential for environmental impact and savings. Together we can do more for innovation and the environment”.
The Cummins Environmental Gateway, a first of its kind for Cummins globally, was launched in September 2016, in partnership with Marcela Navarro, CEO of Business Cubed (formerly responsible for the successful design and deployment of the RBS Innovation Gateway).
Unlike other corporate innovation programmes, the Cummins Environmental Gateway focuses on the adoption of sustainable innovations rather than on the ideation process, providing innovators with real opportunities to test their innovation in real life environment, accelerating their access to market and their opportunity to scale up.
Marcela Navarro, CEO Business Cubed, said: “With so many high impact solutions failing to reach the market due to perceptions of high risk and costs, genuine industry-level sustainable innovations are not able to scale up. The quality and the range of ideas selected as successful innovations, like Envirowater has been phenomenal.
“With the successful innovators selected, we can now say that the Environmental Gateway is real. The next step is about demonstration, with massive environmental and savings potential for Cummins and exciting scale up opportunities for innovators.”
Read more about Sannitree’s FreeFlowing Waterless Urinal Valve or contact us on +27 21 701 1266 for more information.
