Six months after its launch, Softys Water Challenge presented its 10 finalist projects, who will participate in the closing evaluation during the month of August, where the winner of the initiative will be defined, who will receive a purchase order from Softys to implement their solution in a community lacking drinking water in Latin America.
The competition, developed by Softys together with the Anacleto Angelini Innovation Center of the Catholic University and the Amulén Foundation, selected the 10 best water innovation initiatives that improve access to this basic resource in vulnerable communities in the region.
Ideas ranging from condensing water from the atmosphere and recycling wastewater to desalination of seawater were among the initiatives that qualified for the final stage. This stage will take place next Thursday, August 20, when a distinguished jury will select the three finalists and the winning idea.
The jury is composed of Cristóbal Somarriva, Legal Manager of Softys Latam; Jorge Matte, President of Fundación Amulén; Conrad Von Igel, Executive Director of the UC Innovation Center; Ignacio Lira, Deputy Manager of Public Affairs at Empresas CMPC; Marcello Basani, water and sanitation specialist at the Inter-American Development Bank; Maria de los Ángeles Romo, Executive Director of Startup Chile; Hiroshi Wald, Executive Director of Austral Capital Partners; and Zoraida Sánchez, Director of Fundación Avina Perú.
Thus, after receiving more than 80 applications from 31 countries, Softys Water Challenge is preparing for the final where, through a Virtual Bootcamp, which will be streamed online, the winning solution of this first version of the competition will be revealed.
The Softys Water Challenge aligns with the efforts that Empresas CMPC and Softys have led in water efficiency, water-related risk management, and supply chain collaboration, among other areas. It is also directly connected to the "Empowering the Development of Local Communities" pillar of Softys' 2020-2023 Sustainability Strategy, which, in turn, is part of Empresas CMPC's Corporate Strategy.
According to Nicole Sansone, Personal Care and Sustainability Manager for Latin America at Softys, “this initiative strongly reflects our purpose of innovating for the care of people, which has been especially evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. In that sense, this is a contribution and recognition of those entrepreneurs who work to implement solutions that bring clean drinking water to communities that still lack it.”
The 10 finalist solutions:
About Softys
Softys is a leading Latin American company in the development of products and solutions for personal care at every stage of life, offering a diverse range of personal hygiene and cleaning products. The leadership of its brands—Elite, Higieniol, Nova, Babysec, LadySoft, and Cotidian—is the result of its talented workforce and its commitment to providing innovative and sustainable solutions for the hygiene and well-being of more than 500 million people in Latin America. The company currently operates in eight countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, its subsidiary in Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay.
Softys is part of Empresas CMPC, a conglomerate with nearly 100 years of history and a leader in the production and marketing of products from natural, renewable, and certified sources. To learn more about their products and initiatives, visit: https://www.softys.com/
About the Amulén Foundation
Amulén is a foundation that seeks to develop vulnerable communities through water, improving their quality of life through the use, management, and access to this basic resource. It has a sustainable project development model that generates a high social impact and aims to improve people's quality of life every day.
Impact: More than 1,000 direct beneficiaries of water access programs throughout Chile.
About the UC Innovation Center
Inspiring, connecting, and orchestrating innovation. It seeks to promote a culture and environment conducive to innovation and entrepreneurship at the university and throughout the country, through meetings, networking, and the promotion of joint projects between the university, the private sector, and the public sector. Part of the Vice-Rectorate for Research at the Catholic University, this initiative aligns with the university's commitment to excellence in knowledge creation and transfer, as well as in the development of individuals.