Smile Compostable Solutions Named Honorable Mention in Energy/Sustainability Category of Fast Company's 2023 World Changing Ideas Awards

PR Newswire

From a palm oil alternative and a handheld x-ray to an animal-free egg white and a repurposed airport, the seventh annual awards honor creative solutions to some of the biggest issues facing us today.

DARIEN, Conn. , May 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The winners of Fast Company 's 2023 World Changing Ideas Awards were announced today, honoring sustainable designs, innovative products, bold social initiatives, and other creative projects that are changing the way we work, live, and interact with the world.

Smile Compostable Solutions is an honoree under the energy and sustainability category for its compostable coffee pods. The company's main mission – to bridge sustainability and convenience. Whether for consumers or companies, Smile is bringing patented, plant-based innovations to link the almost-hard-to-believe pair. The honoree sells compostable solutions to counter the plastic pollution building up in landfills from our make-take-waste society. Smile offers compostable alternatives to two of the top three most polluting single-use plastics – straws and coffee pods.

This year's World Changing Ideas Awards showcases 45 winners, 216 finalists, and more than 300 honorable mentions—with health, climate, energy, and AI among the most popular categories. A panel of Fast Company editors and reporters selected winners and finalists from a pool of more than 2,200 entries across urban design, education, nature, politics, technology, corporate social responsibility, and more. Several new categories were added this year including rapid response, crypto and blockchain, agriculture, and workplace. The 2023 awards feature entries from across the globe, from Italy to Singapore to New Zealand .

Fast Company 's Spring 2023 issue (on newsstands May 9, 2023 ) will showcase some of the world's most inventive entrepreneurs and forward-thinking companies that are actively tackling global challenges. The solutions cover everything from water reuse in urban environments and modular housing to an initiative combating book bans and a program that spotlights trans-friendly salons around the world.

Smile's CEO Michael Sands states, "We are honored to be included in this remarkable list of innovative solutions. Sustainability is imperative – and we are proud to be recognized for our materials that are helping to reduce single-use plastic."

"It's thrilling to see the creativity and innovation that are so abundant among this year's honorees," says Fast Company editor-in-chief Brendan Vaughan . "While it's easy to feel discouraged by the state of the world, the entrepreneurs, companies, and nonprofits featured in this package show the limitless potential to address society's most urgent problems. Our journalists have highlighted some of the most exciting and impactful work being done today—from housing to equity to sustainability—and we look forward to seeing not only how these projects evolve but how they inspire others to develop solutions of their own."

Smile Coffee Werks and the green coffee pod are U.S. registered trademarks of Smile Beverage Werks, LLC. All rights reserved. Smile is not affiliated with, endorsed or sponsored by Nespresso or Keurig Dr Pepper. Commercial composting facilities may not exist in your area. Visit FindAComposter.com or CompostNow.org to find a compost facility near you!

About Smile Beverage Werks PBC

Smile Beverage Werks, PBC is a Delaware Public Benefits Corporation d/b/a Smile Compostable Solutions. Smile utilizes its best-in-class compostable materials for solutions in food packaging, including single-use coffee pods, straws and bags. Founded by Michael Sands and Frank Schuster , Smile's compostable pods won the first-ever U.S. Plastics Pact Sustainable Packaging Innovation Award. Smile produces all plant-based, compostable and carbon neutral products. Follow Smile on Facebook , LinkedIn , and Instagram or visit our website SmileCoffeeWerks.com to learn more.

About the World Changing Ideas Awards

World Changing Ideas is one of Fast Company 's major annual awards programs and is focused on social good, seeking to elevate finished products and brave concepts that make the world better. A panel of judges from across sectors choose winners, finalists, and honorable mentions based on feasibility and the potential for impact. With the goals of awarding ingenuity and fostering innovation, Fast Company draws attention to ideas with great potential and helps them expand their reach to inspire more people to start working on solving the problems that affect us all.