Logitech’s 2025 Future Positive Technology Challenge winners

Logitech has introduced the winners of its annual Future Positive Challenge, a know-how and engineering initiative that identifies “disruptive sustainable options in electronics.”

Now in its third yr, the problem invitations entrepreneurs, startups, and researchers from all over the world to suggest options that make engineering and course of design extra sustainable. The main target at current is on areas like battery know-how, printed circuits, supplies, waste administration, and sustainable manufacturing with a view to scale back environmental affect.

Prakash Arunkundrum, President of Logitech for Enterprise, commented on this yr’s problem and why it was initially arrange. “The Future Constructive Problem was created to uncover breakthrough improvements able to remodeling how we scale back carbon affect in our product portfolio. This yr, we noticed extremely disruptive options to deal with the pressing challenges of carbon discount in shopper electronics. The concepts shared characterize daring steps ahead in rethinking supplies and processes.”

“The subsequent section is collaborating with these groups to analyze the scalability of their options in Logitech merchandise and within the broader business,” Prakash mentioned.

2025 Future Constructive Know-how Problem winners

Jiva Supplies Ltd

Jiva Materials is a Hampshire primarily based startup and developer of Soluboard, the world’s first fully-recyclable and biodegradable substrate for printed circuit boards (PCBs). When the circuit board reaches the tip of its use, the fabric can dissolve in sizzling water, making it simpler to separate and recuperate digital elements and beneficial metals. Subsequently, these components can then be reused as an alternative of wasted.

Soluboards have a carbon footprint as much as 67% decrease than conventional glass-fibre + epoxy PCB laminates, offering an environmental benefit. By dissolving in sizzling water below a managed surroundings, the substrate allows the restoration of copper, pure fibres, and digital elements, creating end-of-life recycling alternatives, and decreasing waste.

It’s appropriate with customary PCB manufacturing strategies akin to drilling, plating, etching, routing, and curing, and helps double-sided, plated-through-hole (PTH) designs. By switching to Soluboard, Jiva Supplies declare it might probably save an estimated 11.42 kg of CO₂ per sq. metre of PCB in comparison with typical supplies, and scale back plastic waste by 590 g per sq. metre at {hardware}’s end-of-life.

Conventional PCB manufacturing and disposal contributes considerably to carbon emissions and e-waste, as they depend on supplies like glass fibre, epoxy, and the necessity for incineration to extract supplies. Jiva has recognised the worth and materials misplaced on this course of, alongside the air pollution generated, and is striving to fight points with a recyclable and biodegradable substrate.

Flint Labs Pte

A tech startup headquartered in Singapore, Flint Labs Pte develops rechargeable paper low carbon batteries which can be cleaner, safer, extra cost-efficient, and versatile than customary lithium-ion and alkaline batteries.

In accordance with Flint Labs, its mission is to “construct the world’s most sustainable battery,” with a perception that nature holds the solutions to attaining this. The corporate makes use of renewable supplies and bio-mimicry to provide batteries which can be sustainable and purposeful. Flint Labs’ paper battery is water-based and rechargeable, and made with renewable and non-toxic supplies. It delivers excessive efficiency with a low carbon footprint and “reduces the inexperienced premium” – it’s basically extra reasonably priced and but environmentally pleasant than conventional batteries.

Use instances for Flint’s paper battery embrace vitality storage methods (properties and companies), house know-how (satellites or space-tech functions), shopper electronics, wearables, medical applied sciences, and distant sensors and IoT gadgets.

Suzhou CIYI Digital Know-how

Suzhou CIYI Digital Know-how is a Chinese language high-tech enterprise that develops and produces a spread of magnetic merchandise and options, together with its Samarium Iron Nitride (SmFeN) magnet, designed to interchange Neodymium (NdFeB) for low and medium grade functions like sensors and motors.

Samarium Iron Nitride is a kind of everlasting magnet, produced from the rare-earth factor, samarium. It is a highly-valued magnet which boasts vital magnetic energy and may work properly at excessive temperatures. It additionally resists rust and corrosion, and may stand up to excessive circumstances for longer lifespan.

When in comparison with different rare-earth supplies utilized in magnets, like neodymium, samarium is extra accessible and accessible and cost-effective, and simpler to recycle. It’s proving to be a extra sustainable and reasonably priced selection for magnetic functions.

CIYI has gained the Logitech Future Constructive Know-how Problem for its SmFeN magnets analysis and improvement, by decreasing environmental affect, securing provide chains, decreasing prices, and supporting extra sustainable manufacturing practices.

Particular recognition

In addition to the principle winners of this yr’s problem, GRST Holdings was given particular recognition for its revolutionary method to battery recycling. The inexperienced know-how firm relies in Hong Kong, and specialises in water-based manufacturing, PFAS-free binders, and recycling options for lithium-ion batteries.

Logitech collaboration

All three winners of the Logitech Future Constructive Problem will now have the possibility to collaborate straight with Logitech on initiatives to check and scale their applied sciences. The purpose is to help Logitech’s sustainability targets, together with decreasing the corporate’s carbon footprint and enhancing recycling and circularity.

Earlier winners embrace Elephantech, a startup within the electronics manufacturing sector. After profitable in 2023, the corporate labored with Logitech to develop a sustainable inkjet-based additive printing technique for circuit boards, leading to extra eco-friendly manufacturing processes.

2024 winner, Bin-e, an AI-based, auto-sorting bin, partnered with Logitech and examined an AI-powered e-waste recycling bin, enhancing digital waste administration.

Along with Logitech, 2025’s Future Constructive Problem winners are driving sustainable innovation with options that scale back environmental affect. With Logitech’s help, these applied sciences might be scaled for real-world functions, probably driving change.

(Supply: “Battery Recycling” by moria is licensed below CC BY 2.0.)

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