Prototyping for Green Solutions: Accelerating Innovation for a Greener Tunisia

Tunisia faces major environmental challenges, exacerbated by the health crisis, including:

• Pollution caused by sanitary and plastic waste.
• Sustainable management of natural resources, especially water.
• Lack of biodegradable equipment for the agricultural and industrial sectors.
• Limited access to hygiene infrastructure in public spaces.

A lack of resources and support hinders the transition from idea to prototype, limiting the emergence of concrete and viable solutions to these challenges.

The Prototyping for Green Solutions program provides project leaders with the resources, training, and guidance they need to design a functional prototype. Through a complete cycle of training, bootcamps, and designathons, participants gain the skills and mentorship required to structure and test their innovations.

The program is built around several key components:

• Training & capacity building: Developing essential skills such as market research, negotiation, and prototype design.
• Intensive bootcamps: Workshops with coaches and experts to refine projects and prepare them for testing and implementation.
• Prototyping & testing: Supporting participants in designing and optimizing their solutions.
• Personalized support: Tailored technical and financial assistance to meet the specific needs of each project.

Four innovative initiatives have been selected to receive this support:

• 7ata Bio: Providing biodegradable protective gear (masks, gloves, suits) for farmers to reduce the environmental impact of traditional sanitary equipment.
• Dracoss: Developing Hydreau, a smart IoT-based device that enables households to monitor and optimize their use of recycled water.
• Mask Box: Designing containers for disinfecting and recycling used masks, helping reduce post-Covid sanitary waste.
• Tounes El Mezyena: Installing hygiene stations and disinfection columns in public institutions such as municipalities and post offices to reinforce sanitary practices.
  

Through Prototyping for Green Solutions, these projects have benefited from a structured framework to develop their first functional prototypes, test their feasibility, and refine their business models. This program represents a key step in fostering practical solutions for a more sustainable and resilient Tunisia.