Zurich/Lausanne – Dimpora has won the Sports for Nature Challenge for its smart technology. The company has developed the first highly functional membranes for outdoor clothing that replace toxic materials. For this purpose, they are recyclable.
Dimpora emerged as one of three winners at the Sports for Nature Challenge finals. The Zurich-based company won in the Intelligent Technology category. The winners were announced May 9 at THE SPOT, the networking and accelerator event for the sports industry, at Lausanne’s SwissTech Convention Center. This competition aims to stimulate new thinking about biodiversity conservation, according to a media release from organizer Think Sport.
Dimpora, a spin-off of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, has developed the first highly functional membranes that are not only PFA-free but also recyclable. PFA, also known as PFAS or PFC, are fluorinated chemicals that allow textiles to be both breathable and water repellent. But they are also carcinogenic and non-biodegradable.
“We have developed a polyurethane-based membrane that is harmless to health and the environment,” Dimpora co-founder and CEO Mario Stucki told “Handelszeitung.” “Put simply, we open precise pores in the polymers. These let sweat vapor through, while larger water and dirt droplets bead off.”
Out of 70 applications from all continents, first 30 were selected for the semi-finals and then ten for the final round. The winners were selected by a jury of proven sustainability experts.
In the Effective Campaigns category, Norwegian footballer Morten Thorsby’s We Play Green won for its program that inspires players worldwide to mobilize the football family in support of green change. In the Innovative Infrastructure category, Red Knot Racing was honored for its sustainable infrastructure and sports tourism solutions in Tanzania to preserve biodiversity on Mount Kilimanjaro. ce/mm
