Dubai,
11
February
2022
|
07:38
Europe/Amsterdam

Prince William’s Incredible Earthshot Innovators Backed by DP World with £1 Million Global Investment

Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO of DP World

Innovative technologies will play a major role in achieving global targets in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and we are excited to invest in both Coral Vita and Living Seawalls as part of our efforts to develop technologies that address issues facing marine ecosystems. 

Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO of DP World
Summary

DP World commits £1million - £500k each - to scale two Earthshot Oceans Finalists’ solutions, including laying the foundations for the first-ever commercial land-based coral farm for reef restoration in the Middle East and installing the largest living seawall on the planet to support the native marine life of the region

Earthshot Prize Council Member Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan joined Prince William via video message at the exclusive Earthshot Prize Innovation Showcase at Expo 2020 Dubai

At the Showcase, Prince William challenged the distinguished audience of investors, philanthropists, and business leaders to support the Finalists' solutions to repair our planet

Prince William was joined today by His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum and His Excellency Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO of DP World, at the first-ever Earthshot Prize Innovation Showcase. During Prince William’s visit to the Middle East, His Royal Highness attended the event at the

DP World Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai and applauded DP World’s announcement of the £1 million investment to two Earthshot Prize Finalists, designed to scale their work in the UAE and Middle East.

The stunning Innovation Showcase profiled the ground-breaking solutions from the 2021 Earthshot Prize Finalists and included remarks from Earthshot Prize Council Members Prince William and Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah who participated via video message, challenging the distinguished audience to help scale the Earthshot Prize solutions that will repair and regenerate our planet.

Prince William said:

“We have reason to hope, our future is not yet set, and while the task ahead is great, we still have the ability to repair our planet, and create a better world. The Earthshot mission is more than just a prize. It’s a global team effort to spark urgent optimism and game-changing innovation to transform our future. I’m inviting all of you to join the Earthshot team and support our Finalists - the eco-innovators - to take their solutions to scale.”

Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan said:

“The future is these Finalists—and so many like them around the world. They remind us that human ingenuity is the ultimate renewable resource.” Queen Rania added: “Every sector has a role to play— public, private, philanthropic. And the bottom line could not be clearer: If we work together, everybody wins.”

During the event, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO of DP World, announced a landmark investment from DP World – a Founding Partner of The Earthshot Prize - of £1million to scale two Earthshot Prize Finalists’ solutions. Revive our Oceans Earthshot Prize Winner Bahamas-based Coral Vita will receive £500k to develop a strategy for the deployment of large-scale reef restoration in the UAE, which will implement approaches to grow climate resilient corals up to 50 times faster than traditional methods.

With these funds, they will begin collaborative work on reef restoration in the region, including scoping for the first commercial land-based coral farm for reef restoration in the Middle East. Revive our Oceans Prize Finalist Australia-based Living Seawalls was also awarded £500k from DP World.

This investment will scale their innovative work creating panels that mimic natural habitats like rock pools and mangrove roots, which are fitted to coastal sea defences to return marine life to coastal shorelines. DP World’s commitment will fund the design and installation of the largest living seawall on the planet adapted to support the native marine life of the UAE and wider region.

DP World Group Chairman and CEO, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, said:

“Our business is connected to the oceans and their protection is an important priority across all our operations as part of our sustainable business commitments evidenced by our target of net zero carbon emissions by 2040. Our sustainability strategy, Our World, Our Future, steers all our initiatives with climate change a major feature in what we do. Partnerships with global organisations are also key to achieving change and only by joining forces can we tackle these challenges over the next decades.

Innovative technologies will play a major role in achieving global targets in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and we are excited to invest in both Coral Vita and Living Seawalls as part of our efforts to develop technologies that address issues facing marine ecosystems. “As Global Alliance Founding Partners with Expo Dubai 2020 and as a logistics business with a network across 69 countries around the world, we look forward to working closely with The Royal Foundation and in the promotion of The Earthshot Prize.”

The Innovation Showcase featured pitch presentations from five 2021 Earthshot Prize Finalists, including:

  • Eshrat Waris from SOLshare, Bangladesh: The world’s first peer-to-peer energy exchange network in a country on the front-line of climate change.
  • David Auerbach from Sanergy, Kenya: A circular sanitation solution reducing waste and supporting local farmers.
  • Olugbenga Olubanjo from Reeddi, Nigeria: Solar-powered energy capsules making electricity affordable and accessible in energy-poor communities. These pitches were in addition to hearing from Sam Teicher and Gator Halpern from Coral Vita, and Dr Mariana Mayer Pinto from Living Seawalls.

Following the Showcase, the Finalists joined Prince William and the DP World Group Chairman and CEO at a networking event in the DP World Pavilion. This was an opportunity for audience members to speak directly to the Finalists about their solutions and discuss potential scaling and investment opportunities. Also at the reception, the attendees were able to see some of the solutions first-hand including a Reeddi capsule and 3D models from Coral Vita.

Notes to Editors

Social media: @earthshotprize / @dukeandduchessofcambridge / #EarthshotPrize

For more information about The Earthshot Prize, visit: www.earthshotprize.org

 For photos and video content from The Earthshot Prize Innovation Showcase: Cantu

Notes to Editors

About The Earthshot Prize:

Founded by Prince William and The Royal Foundation in 2020, The Earthshot Prize is a global environmental prize and platform to discover, accelerate, and scale ground-breaking eco-innovations to repair and regenerate the planet. Inspired by President John F. Kennedy’s Moonshot which united millions of people around the goal of reaching the moon, The Earthshot Prize aims to catalyse an Earthshot challenge to urgently encourage and scale environmental innovations that can help put the world firmly on a trajectory towards a stable climate, where communities, oceans & biodiversity thrive in harmony by 2030. The five Earthshot challenges are: Protect and Restore Nature; Clean our Air; Revive our Oceans; Build a Waste-free World; and Fix our Climate.

The Prize is an urgent call to action to the world and aims to turn the current pessimism surrounding environmental issues into optimism, by championing inspiring leadership and helping to scale incredible cutting-edge solutions. It will discover 50 winners over 10 years with the power to repair the planet. In October 2021 the inaugural Earthshot Prize awards ceremony was held in London hosted by Dermot O’Leary and Clara Amfo and included performances from Coldplay, Ed Sheeran and Yemi Alade.

About DP World:

DP World is a leading provider of worldwide smart end-to-end supply chain logistics, enabling trade flow across the globe. The Group has an interconnected global network of 190 business units in 69 countries across six continents, with a significant presence in high-growth and mature markets. The company has more than 71,255 employees from 150 nationalities committed to delivering unrivalled value to customers and partners.

The Earthshot Prize Council:

The Prize is backed by The Earthshot Prize Council, a truly global team of influential individuals from a wide range of different sectors, all of whom are committed to championing positive action in the environmental space. Every year from 2021 until 2030, The Earthshot Prize Council will award The Earthshot Prize to five Winners, one per Earthshot.

They are:

His Royal Highness Prince William;
Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah (Jordan);
Cate Blanchett – actor, producer and humanitarian (Australia);
Christiana Figueres – co-founder of Global Optimism and former UN Climate Chief responsible for delivery of the landmark Paris Agreement on Climate Change (Costa Rica);
Dani Alves – professional footballer (Brazil);
Sir David Attenborough – broadcaster and natural historian (UK);
Ernest Gibson – community activist (Fiji);
Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim – environmental activist (Chad);
Indra Nooyi – business executive and former Chairman & CEO of PepsiCo (US & India);
Jack Ma – philanthropist, entrepreneur and UNSDG Advocate (China);
Luisa Neubauer – climate justice activist (Germany);
Naoko Yamazaki – former astronaut onboard the International Space Station (Japan);
Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala – Director-General World Trade Organisation (Nigeria);
Shakira Mebarak – singer and philanthropist (Colombia);
Yao Ming - Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer and environmentalist (China).

About The Earthshot Prize Global Alliance: The Earthshot Prize is supported by its Global Alliance, an unprecedented network of organisations worldwide which share the ambition of the Prize. Within the Global Alliance are:

The Global Alliance Founding Partners are a group of leading global organisations and philanthropists which act as strategic funding partners to the Prize, including Aga Khan Development Network, Bezos Earth Fund, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Breakthrough Energy Foundation, Coleman Family Ventures, DP World in partnership with Dubai EXPO 2020, Holch Povlsen Foundation, Jack Ma Foundation, Marc and Lynne Benioff, Paul G. Allen Family Foundation and Rob & Melani Walton Foundation.

Global Alliance Partners are non-profit environment and sustainable development organisations that bring expertise, global reach and serve as nominating organisations each year. For full list see website: Global Alliance - Earthshot Prize

Global Alliance Members are some of the world’s largest and most influential companies and brands who will support The Earthshot Prize, implement ambitious changes within their businesses and accelerate the advancement of the solutions of Prize Finalists and Winners.  They are: Arup, Bloomberg L.P., Deloitte, Herbert Smith Freehills, Hitachi, Ingka Group (IKEA), Microsoft, The Multichoice Group, Natura &Co, Safaricom, Salesforce, Unilever, Vodacom Group, Walmart.

About The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge:

The Royal Foundation mobilises leaders, businesses and people so that together we can address society’s greatest challenges. Led by The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, our work is built on world-class research, long-term partnerships, and measurable, scalable impact.