KARACHI: Google is launching a circular economy startup accelerator to help startups and non-profit organisations in Pakistan, Asia-Pacific, and North America.
Asia-Pacific, the world’s most vulnerable region to the effects of climate change, is an excellent place to begin innovating and developing circular economy solutions.
Only ten rivers, eight of which are in APAC, contribute 90% of all river-borne plastic in the ocean. Asia is expected to account for 40% of global consumption by 2040.
Global resource demand is expected to be 1.75 times what the earth’s ecosystems can regenerate in a year by 2022. And the majority of the resources we extract and use eventually degrade into waste, adding to the more than 2 billion tonnes of solid waste generated each year.
The programme aims to support startups that will contribute to the creation of a circular economy that is safer, more sustainable, and more equitable for everyone, thereby rebuilding a relationship with physical resources and addressing circularity challenges.
The accelerator provides ten weeks of virtual programming with technical assistance and mentoring from Google engineers and external experts via a mix of one-on-one and one-to-many learning sessions.
Participants will also be assigned a dedicated success manager for organization-specific support.
Applications for this programme will be accepted from October 4, 2022, to November 14, 2022, with the programme beginning in February 2023.
