Dimpora wins Sports for Nature Challenge

Dimpora has emerged victorious as one of three winners in the finals of the Sports for Nature Challenge. The Zurich-based company won the smart technology category. The winners were selected at Lausanne’s SwissTech Convention Center on May 9 during THE SPOT, the networking and accelerator event for the sports industry. According to a press release from the organizer Think Sport, this competition aims to encourage fresh ideas on maintaining biodiversity.

Dimpora, a spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, has developed the first high-performance membranes that are not only free from PFAS but also circular. PFAS, also called PFCs, are fluorinated chemicals that enable textiles to be both breathable and water repellent. However, they can also cause cancer and do not biodegrade. 

Dimpora’s co-founder and CEO Mario Stucki commented to the Handelszeitung publication: “We have developed a membrane based on polyurethane that is harmless to health and the environment. Put simply, we open precise pores in the polymers. These let sweat pass while larger droplets of water and dirt drip right off.”

Out of 70 applications from every continent, just 30 were selected for the semifinal and then ten for the final round. The winners were chosen by a jury including renowned sustainability experts.

The impactful campaigns category was won by We Play Green from the Norwegian footballer Morten Thorsby for its program inspiring players across the world to mobilize the football family to support green transformation. In the innovative infrastructure category, Red Knot Racing was honored for its sustainable infrastructure and sport tourism solutions in Tanzania for maintaining biodiversity on Mount Kilimanjaro. ce/mm