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Eight in ten employee’s feel more motivated by a good company benefits package, and according to a new study, these benefits are greatly on the rise since the start of the pandemic.

The study by Easy Offices, looked at areas of what employee benefits were commonly offered in the UK, the most popular since Covid, and those in highest demand- and the results clearly highlight that companies are trying harder than ever to promote employee satisfaction and better mental wellness in doing so.

It was found that since Covid, 79 % of companies are offering free drinks in the office, 76% are offering employee assistance programs, 74% offering paid sick leave, and 48% are offering financial support for those in isolation.

Key Findings:

• 76% of companies are now offering employee assistance programs since Covid
• 35% of employees rated virtual mental health counselling as one of the most valuable benefits
• 34% equally rated mental health insurance, support groups and mindfulness tools as most valuable benefits
• 82% of employees offer paid bereavement leave
• 78% now offer training and career development
• There has been a 22% increase in companies offering physical fitness since the start of the pandemic.

Mental-health workplace benefits are most important to employees

The pandemic took its toll on everyone, especially in regards to mental health, and it comes as no surprise that many people are still feeling the effects. Due to this The study has found that mental health related employee benefits are in highest demand.

These are the wellbeing benefits that are most valuable to employees:

Since Covid, there has been a noticeable rise in wellness-related benefits, including:

The five benefits most commonly offered in the UK include:

Increasing employee engagement with benefits

A recent YouGov poll reveals that only 57% of employees have been told about the benefit schemes at their work. Even fewer (53%) have been given information on how to access their benefits, and only half know how their benefits could help them.

This points to a crucial way for employers to improve employee engagement and create productive benefits schemes. Beyond just investing in attractive benefits packages, employers need to shout about them and inform their teams of everything on offer in their workplace too.

Across the UK, job conditions and expectations have seen a serious shift over the last few pivotal years. Factors that may not have been a priority pre-pandemic, such as well-being support and flexibility, are now of the utmost importance. As many of us have come to find, your working environment can have a huge effect on your mental and physical health – never mind your performance.

Research conducted by Phoenix Health & Safety has revealed which jobs are the most dangerous and the best for your career welfare. Enter the ‘Career Welfare Index’.

Most dangerous jobs 

Topping the risk list are roles in the transport and distribution sector, which has over 1.5 million people working within it. There is an average of 437 people per year injured in these jobs, but this comes with little surprise, as many of the roles require the operation of heavy machinery both within a warehouse and on the road. Those working within this sector should be taking the necessary health & safety training to ensure they aren’t exposing themselves to further unnecessary risk.

Unexpectedly, retail came in as the second riskiest industry with an average of 395 people being injured per capita. Often an overlooked, but important area for health & safety training, those who work in retail are particularly at risk from manual handling and working at height.

Best jobs for your welfare 

Keen to find a working environment that works for you? We’ve got you. After amalgamating data on 5 key factors affecting people’s career and workplace wellbeing, Phoenix Health & Safety was able to award different job sectors with an overall ranking score – the higher the score, the better the employee wellbeing in that job role.

Coming in at number one with the best career welfare was media, advertising, marketing and sales – with employees in this industry earning an impressive 33% above the national salary average. Closely followed by the IT & Telecoms and legal sectors. Both of these industries tally a fierce 50 points on the index as, not only did they score highly for loving their job, employees in this sector generated a low level of non-fatal industries. So, if you’re keen for a safer career, desk-life might be just the right kind of role for you.

According to findings, people who work in the legal sector are the happiest with the best pay, with 28% of employees enjoying their job as well as earning over 39% more than the average UK salary.

Construction, which sees many of its tradespeople benefitting from an average 12% higher salary than other industries, also placed fairly well at number 6 – with 21% of construction workers claiming that they really enjoyed their job. Nick Higginson, CEO of Phoenix Health & Safety, further observes:

“Coming in strong at second place was media and marketing, with 27% of workers saying that they were passionate about their roles and enjoyed their working environment. Due to many marketing agencies placing a lot of value on creating an attractive work culture, this result isn’t a huge surprise.  

Interestingly, however, only a small 4% of estate agents said that they enjoyed their job – 12% even expressed that they hated it! With pressures such as individual sales and commission coming into play with this type of role, the estate agency sector may need to consider more of a team-led environment to boost morale” 

Nick elaborates: 

“Much to our surprise, retail came in as the second riskiest sector to work in after transport, with a high average of 395 employees being injured per 100,000 workers in the industry. Though it may seem like a safe option, working in retail often entails hazardous high storage units, use of ladders, high powered machines and a reliance on teamwork. Without the proper safety measures in place, industries that involve a lot of manual handling like retail – are a risky business to enter into” 

By Andrew MacAskill

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain will offer work visas to graduates from the world’s best universities in an expansion of its post-Brexit immigration system that is designed to attract the “best and brightest” workers.

Since leaving the European Union, Britain has ended the priority given to EU citizens and introduced a points-based immigration system that ranks applicants on everything from their qualifications and language skills to the type of job offered to them.

But the country has faced a tight labour market for several years – compounded by Brexit and COVID-19 – and companies in manufacturing, logistics and the food sector have urged the government to loosen the rules for entry-level jobs.

Under the scheme announced on Monday, graduates with a bachelor’s or master’s degree from the top 50 universities abroad can apply for a two-year work visa and will be allowed to bring family members with them. Those who receive doctorates can apply for a three-year visa.

Successful applicants will then be able to switch to longer-term employment visas, the government said.

Rishi Sunak, the finance minister, said it would enable Britain to grow as an international hub for innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship.

“We want the businesses of tomorrow to be built here today – which is why I call on students to take advantage of this incredible opportunity to forge their careers here,” Sunak said.

Under the new scheme, applicants must have been awarded degrees no more than five years before the date of application.

Eligible universities must appear in the top 50 rankings of at least two of the following: the Times Higher Education world university rankings, the Academic Ranking of World Universities and the Quacquarelli Symonds world university rankings.

The most recent list of eligible universities from 2021, published online by the UK government, comprises more than two dozen U.S. universities, as well as institutions in Canada, Japan, Germany, China, Singapore, France and Sweden.

The government said candidates must pass a security and criminality check, and be able to speak, read, listen and write English to an intermediate level.

(Reporting by Andrew MacAskill; Editing by Hugh Lawson)

LONDON – May 30th, 2022: Florence, the UK-based tech innovator for social care, today announced it has raised $35 million (£28.5m) through a Series B funding round. Florence will use the investment for product expansion to support care in the UK and multiple international markets, and to expand its services beyond elderly care. 

The Series B round was led by Axa Venture Partners with participation from Roo Capital and existing backers SEEK Investments.

“We believe everyone should have the care and dignity they deserve,” said Dr. Charles Armitage, Florence co-founder. 

“We see this funding as an investment in solving the issues our broken system faces on a daily basis, which disproportionately impact the most vulnerable people in our society. 

With an expanded scope, we are positive we can help revolutionise care at a greater pace than ever before.”

Florence’s free app connects nurses with open shifts, cutting out agency middlemen so shifts are filled directly with the right temporary staff. The app also provides care organisations with intuitive rota and e-learning tools.

To date, 100,000 e-learners, 90,000 care professionals and over 2,000 care organisations have signed up to Florence. With 11% of staff in both the NHS and social care permanently leaving the sector in 2021, the need for better ways to keep skilled people in the profession is more urgent than ever. 

“There is a global shortage of healthcare workers, and staff management is very outdated compared to other industries,” said Imran Akram, Axa Venture Partners General Partner. 

“Florence is tackling these issues head on, and we are really impressed with what the team have done to date. Most of all, we’re excited to be part of realising their ambitious plans for care in the future.”

After increasing revenue fivefold in 2021-22, and a successful launch in Northern Ireland, Florence now serves more than a quarter of social care in the UK and operates across 99% of the country. 

Florence will use this funding round to achieve further product innovation and open in new markets. With increased digital services a key point of the government’s £500m levy to nurture adult social care talent, Florence’s expansion comes at a crucial time to help the sector grow.   

“Making sure our nurses and care providers are equipped with the knowledge, skills and support needed for their role is essential for providing quality care, and remains at the heart of our mission at Florence,” said Dan Blake, Florence co-founder. 

“With this additional funding we can continue to develop our services, while offering the opportunity for more nurses and care providers to join us as we continue on our journey to make care outstanding.”

 2021 has seen a strong rebound post-pandemic in online shopping as the global e-commerce market amounted to 13 Trillion dollars in value that year. Emerging markets such as India, parts of Africa, The Balkans and the Baltics, have gradually become a stronghold for eCommerce businesses. The online sales increase from emerging marketplaces is expected to contribute to 20% of all retail sales in 2022. Local payment methods(LPMs) played a crucial role in supporting the growth of this economic activity by setting a native and stable payment infrastructure to support the demand for online shopping both locally and cross-border.

Frank Breuss, the CEO of Nikulipe and an expert on LPMs & cross-border payments, shares his overview of the current landscape and trends in payments in the Fast-growing and Emerging markets.

Sub-Saharan Africa

Mobile payments dominate the sub-Saharan region as a preferred Local Payment Method, with adoption in countries such as Kenya reaching up to 72%. The context is very important —  only around 35% of the region’s population has a bank account. The estimated transactional value of mobile payments was 701.4 billion dollars in 2021, which accounts for 70% of the world’s $1 trillion mobile money value. While that year in Kenya alone, the transactional value reached 60 billion dollars. Mobile payments have become the norm amongst African consumers as internet access and smartphone usage in the region is rapidly increasing.

“The demand for ecommerce and cross-border shopping is growing in the African region, which means merchants entering the market will have to solve the challenge of catering to the consumers’ payment preferences,” states Mr. Breuss. “For this reason, the merchants will have to work together with PSPs (Payment Service Providers) to establish efficient infrastructures including Mobile Payment providers, banks, or the companies, like Nikulipe, who can facilitate access to local LPMs.”

The Baltics

In total, the Baltic e-commerce market value is projected to reach 3.47 billion dollars in 2022. According to data from Lithuanian, Latvian, and Estonian statistical institutions, more than half of the population in the region aged 16-74 made a purchase online at least once a month each year. Moreover, data shows a growing number of Baltic residents shopping on international merchant websites: in 2021, approximately 50% of Estonian and 25% of Latvian and Lithuanian online shoppers made cross-border purchases. Credit card penetration levels in the Baltic states — are less than 30% in Estonia and approximately 16% in Latvia and Lithuania, which means traditional card payment is not the best option for Baltic consumers.

“The fast-growing markets like the Baltics, where e-commerce is booming has the opposite issue than emerging markets — they often have too many LPMs, which places international merchants in a tight spot to offer as many preferred local payments methods in the region as possible. If the merchants or their supporting PSPs don’t have the local market know-how— they risk a high rate of shopping cart abandonment if a particular payment method is not offered.” explains Breuss.”When we built the product for The Baltics (banklinq), we spent most of the development process making sure we can integrate the region’s largest number of major traditional and challenger banks to cover the local consumer base completely.”

The Balkans

The southeast European states have seen a big surge in ecommerce activity ever since the pandemic started. For example, Slovenia has seen a 16% growth and Croatia a 23% increase in online shopping — more than double compared to the EU average. An increase in activity prompted a wider adoption of debit and credit cards within the region with Visa and Mastercard dominating as the preferred payment method for the Balkan consumers. Except for the Czech Republic and Serbia, where the locals are slow to sign up for e-money services or still widely use cash to pay for goods.

“Card user number in the Balkans continues to rise and if no alternative payment method initiatives are made this can have repercussions in the future as Visa and Mastercard fee increase in Europe has a big probability,” comments the expert. “This should be seen as an opportunity by Fintechs to introduce new LPM solutions in the region.”

India

A country with around 1.4 billion consumers is the largest Emerging market globally and the e-commerce market is projected to reach 100 billion dollars in 2022 alone. A market this big is naturally more diverse when it comes to preferred payment methods — LMPs include e-wallets, mobile payments, and even government-run initiatives like e-RUPI. At the same time, credit and debit card adoption per capita is just 0.66 percent. Mobile commerce accounts for 36 percent of all e-commerce transactions in India, while ​digital wallets are used in a quarter of all e-commerce payments.

“India’s payment industry is taking shape before our eyes, with so much space for growth still left as people move away from cash to digital payment methods to shop online both locally and cross-border,” explains Mr. Breuss. “Merchants will have to identify the correct strategic direction for their unique case and work with local PSPs, and both private and government institutions.”

Latin America

It comes as no surprise that the LATAM region transactions are mainly dominated by cash and card payments with Visa and Mastercard as the main providers. Some countries in the region have started initiatives to foster alternative payment methods. For example, Mexico recently announced opting for a regulatory path similar to that of Europe while Brasil is already advancing far into their Open Banking regulation roadmap.

“The payment industry landscape of Latin America is quite diverse but cash & card are still kings in the region,” states Mr. Breuss. “While the unbanked population still relies on their mobile phones and cash to make payments, some countries are working on payment innovations involving Open Banking technology. The maturing payments infrastructure is in line with the growing appetite for international goods and it is only a matter of time until this market skyrockets to increased e-commerce activity”

Emerging markets will continue to grow and take a more significant share of the global ecommerce market. Merchants entering the aforementioned markets will have to solve unique challenges by offering native LPMs preferred by local consumers. The preferred LPMs range from mobile payments to online banking and eWallets instead of traditional card payments seen in established western markets.

Brand new exclusive data surveying 250 English and Drama teachers reveals seeing live/streamed theatre performances is essential to the greatest understanding of core curriculum texts; provides best chance to achieve top grades in English and Drama 

• 78% of teachers state that students are more engaged with dramatic texts after seeing a performance
• 72% of teachers state that seeing live or filmed performances helps students memorise context, meaning and quotes – all essential for exams
• More than half of teachers cite key factors prohibiting access: cost barriers + lack of resources

DIGITAL THEATRE+ today announced a study involving 250 English and Drama teachers intending to give a deeper understanding of the importance for students to have access to performances of the dramatic texts they study.  

Background information

• By law, dramatic texts account for a minimum of 25% and often up to 50% of the GCSE English Curriculum. 
• Digital Theatre+ spoke exclusively to the people on the ground – teachers of English and Drama – to discover the perceived educational benefits when students are able to access live or streamed theatre.
• A previous study (2017) by Shakespeare’s Globe found that ‘half of teenagers ‘never been in a theatre’. 
• Today Digital Theatre+ spoke to teachers to gain an understanding of the core barriers to being able to witness live performance.

KEY FINDINGS 

Factors that prohibit trips to the theatre:

For the many students who do not get the opportunity to witness performances of the plays they are studying, the two key factors that most prohibit this are:

• Cost barriers for schools and parents (Identified by 58% of teachers) 
• Time/lack of teacher resources due to current extra squeeze on arts subjects (identified by 54% of teachers)

Benefits of seeing live or streamed performances:

• 78% of teachers stated that students are often more engaged with dramatic texts after having seen them in a theatre or a film adaptation as opposed to only being able to read the text in a book.
• 72% of teachers stated that watching theatre or film adaptations as opposed to simply reading text helps their students to memorise context, meaning and quotes, which is essential for exams.

Challenges for students when reading text-based plays as opposed seeing them performed:

• Issues with attention or sitting still for a long time when reading a text – 52% of teachers found this a notable issue 
• trouble understanding the language of older texts – 51% of teachers found this to be a notable issue.

Neelay Patel – CEO of Digital Theatre and Digital Theatre+ said: “These findings indicate that unless there is a core shift in priority, many students will never have a chance of achieving the best grades they can in the core subject of English.

 It is no secret that the Government has chosen an education policy that focuses on STEM subjects to the detriment of the arts – but GCSE English is still considered completely vital in the world – almost all university courses require at least a 4 for a standard pass or 5 for a “strong pass” or higher, and a passing grade is also required by many employers.  

When current English literature statutory requirements mean that between 25-50% of an English Literature GCSE is based on being able to understand and interpret dramatic texts. And when we have solid proof that the vast majority of English and Drama teachers consider students seeing a live or streamed performance of those texts as essential to their teaching. It is incredibly frustrating to see that, due to budget and time constraints – however dedicated the teachers – schools are not in a position to help their students achieve the best grades. 

Full survey data here 

About Digital Theatre 

Digital Theatre is a company that provides digital platforms for theatre fans and arts educators. In 2011, the company’s flagship digital educational platform – Digital Theatre+ – was launched to partner with theatres and producers worldwide to capture and share original content with the education sector, and currently provides students and educators in 98 countries access to invaluable on-line productions. It also provides educational resources tailored to fit each production which including e-learning, study guides, essays and interviews to support the teaching of English, Drama and Theatre.

Beanstalk launches crowdfunding round to extend market reach 

An innovative, award-winning app, which makes it easy and affordable for families to invest for their children’s future, has embarked on a six-figure crowdfunding round to further grow its market reach. Beanstalk, which recorded 350% growth in assets under management (AUM) last year, has now registered more than 12,000 users since launching in 2020.   

The business was co-founded by Julian Robson, who co-led the UK business of global financial services company Capital One on its launch, and Cem Eyi, who spent seven years at Capital One in data analysis, marketing and business development roles. Prior to launching Beanstalk, the pair set up the cash-back brand KidStart in 2008, which now has over one million registrations.   

Charging a competitive annual asset management fee of just 0.5%, Beanstalk brings together a combination of tools that make it simple for parents to save money for their children and themselves. Through the app, users are able to manage all their children’s as well as their own accounts on a single portal where they can also invite friends and family members to contribute to a child’s Junior ISA or directly send money for birthdays and other special occasions. As part of KidStart, Beanstalk also offers its users money back at over 2,000 retailers with rebates going directly into their child’s Junior ISA.  

With research showing that only five per cent of UK parents open a stocks and shares Junior ISA, Beanstalk is focused on making it easier for people to save for their children and manage their wider financial affairs. The app has proven popular amongst its users generating high rankings on a range of consumer review sites, including a 4.6 rating on Trustpilot.  

Last month Beanstalk further underlined its market potential after being awarded the Best Junior Investment ISA at the Good Money Guide Awards. 

Through its new crowdfunding campaign, Beanstalk aims to raise investment primarily to build scale through customer acquisition and partnerships. The company will also invest in product development and growing its team.  

Beanstalk co-founder Julian Robson said: “We are on a mission to help parents by making it simple and affordable to build a nest egg for their children’s future, regardless of how much they are able to save. As well as encouraging families to invest for the first time, we are also seeing a number of parents transferring existing Junior ISAs and child trust funds to Beanstalk as we offer a cost-effective and easy-to-manage platform where users can view their accounts in real time.   

“These factors have led to a significant increase in our level of AUM, which we are focused on further growing in multiples over the course of 2022.”  

Fellow co-founder Cem Eyi commented: “The crowdfunding campaign will support our growth ambitions. This additional investment will help Beanstalk scale up our business through customer acquisition and investment into new strategic partnerships that will further enhance our brand and help us grow our presence in the UK market.” 

Hampshire, 24th May 2022 – Today marks the 3-month anniversary of Freedom Day and when the Government lifted the last remaining restrictions brought in to help control the spread of coronavirus in England. CV-Library, the UK’s leading independent job board, surveyed more than 3,000 UK professionals to find out how their working lives have changed over this period. 

70% of workers feel safe in the workplace with no legal restrictions in place but, 36.1% report that going into the office, since restrictions have been lifted, has affected their mental health. 

Overall, 80.7% state that the precautions their employer was taking to prevent infections spreading amongst the workforce have reduced over the last three months. However, 19.3% say they’ve actually increased as more people have returned to the workplace. 

The top changes employees have noticed in the workplace are*: 

1. 50.8% – More people in work

1. 34.9% – There’s a more relaxed atmosphere 

1. 30.4% – People are less cautious around each 

1. 18.3 % – Sickness levels have increased  

*based on top 3 answers  

In terms of feeling vulnerable to catch COVID-19, people feel more likely to catch COVID-19 in the following ways: 

1. 30% – When socialising 

1. 27.9% – When shopping 

1. 27.1% – When at work 

1. 12% – Being around school age children  

Lee Biggins, Founder and CEO of CV-Library comments, “In many ways, Freedom Day feels a lot longer than three months ago. The Ukraine war and the spiralling cost of living have taken precedent for many. However, there has been a big period of adjustment for UK workers and it’s reassuring to know that the majority now feel safe in their place of work.” 

Biggins continues, “Whilst the Prime Minister feels that working from home ‘doesn’t work,’ these results prove that the benefits are significant for many, particularly when it comes to positive mental health. In all of CV-Library’s recent survey results the message is consistent and clear, and UK professionals appear in no hurry to return to pre-pandemic working patterns.”  

Established software development company, Green Gorilla Apps, has today announced its plans to trial a 4-day week for all employees, as it continues to implement new ways to create a truly flexible working environment.

The firm, who are industry experts in the development of online and mobile platforms, have confirmed that salaries and contracted hours will remain the same, but this restructuring of the working week will allow employees a greater degree of control over their schedules.

Green Gorilla Apps have long been proponents of flexible and remote working, having initially trialled a flexible model in 2014 to continue attracting the very best talent to the business. They made the switch to a fully remote model in 2015, further increasing the potential talent pool.

The news comes ahead of a nationwide pilot scheme in June, where over 60 UK companies will take part in a 6-month trial of a 4-day week, coordinated with 4-day week global and researchers at Cambridge and Oxford university. 

The announcement has received an overwhelmingly positive response from existing employees, noting that the switch to a 4-day week has afforded them an even greater degree of freedom with their work, while new employees cite the company’s culture of balance as a key reason for joining the firm.

Paul Rhodes, Technical Director of Green Gorilla Apps, explained: “The switch to a 4-day working week seemed like a natural one for us to make. Since our inception, we’ve prided ourselves on creating an environment that truly promotes flexibility. 

“At Green Gorilla Apps, our focus is on maintaining our high standards of work, not micro-managing when our staff choose to carry out their contracted hours. 

“We have successfully created a culture where everyone knows what it expected of them. By openly communicating expectations to employees and clients alike, we are already beginning to reap the benefits of our transition to a 4-day week with increased productivity, performance and staff morale. 

“The working landscape has dramatically evolved, and I believe it is up to businesses to adapt to the changing expectations of workers so they can continue to attract and retain the very best.”

Earlier this year, the company launched its tech-for-good platform, WellGiving, designed to improve the mental and physical wellbeing of remote and hybrid employees through fundraising fitness challenges.

The platform has already recorded a staggering 3.5 million minutes of exercise across 1900 participating athletes, with £77,000 raised for 27 charities while still in its beta phase, WellGiving is well on its way to achieving its ambitious plans for 2022 and raising £1 million for charities across the UK, while Green Gorilla Apps continue to make a positive impact on employee wellbeing in their own business and beyond.

For more information, visit:

https://wellgiving.co.uk/

May 24th 2022, London: Greyparrot, the AI startup using computer vision technology to monitor, analyse and sort tonnes of waste at scale, has closed a $11 million Series A funding round. The investment, led by Una Terra, with participation from investors including Closed Loop Partners, Unreasonable Collective and Speedinvest will enable Greyparrot to grow its global footprint, expand to new waste types to include some of the world’s heaviest polluting industries, and double down on its research and development.

To date, there has been limited data on the 2.1 billion tonnes of waste produced each year and this means there has been no systematic transparency on its composition or accountability for how waste is managed. This goes some way to explain why recycling rates have remained at 10% at best. Despite consumers’ best efforts to recycle, poor packaging design and ineffective sorting means that much of what goes into recycling bins still ends up in landfill. Greyparrot’s investment comes as mounting regulation fuelled by consumer demand continues to put pressure on the $1.6 trillion waste management industry to clean up the planet.

Since its inception in 2019, the Greyparrot AI-powered computer vision system has analysed over ten billion packaging items in sorting plants to increase recycling rates and introduce accountability to the waste value chain. Its customers cover 60% of the waste management market including industry leaders such as Suez, Biffa and Veolia. The unprecedented data the company has gathered on product packaging is directly impacting policy and packaging design, enabling data-backed decisions to be made by stakeholders along the entire waste value chain. Additionally, suppliers of recycling hardware have integrated the Greyparrot AI model into their sorting machinery and robots. With this, Greyparrot enables the industry to elevate the performance of its sorting infrastructure with AI intelligence. 

Mikela Druckman, co-founder and CEO, Greyparrot said: “Waste has been recognised as the fourth biggest contributor to climate change, yet the data surrounding it has been sparse at best. This is a huge missed opportunity. We are putting a monetary value on waste – something that is perceived to have a negative value. Providing access to granular waste data can also have a big impact at a macro level, helping to shape government policies around recycling and influencing the decisions producers make about their packaging.”

Biffa, a sustainable leader in the UK’s waste and recycling industry, is trialling the Greyparrot system at its Plastics Recovery Facility in Wigan. “The technology has the potential to give us great visibility into our operations and directly aligns with our vision of enabling a circular economy,” said site manager Ian McSpirit. “We’re using the systems to provide real-time analysis of the purity of our PET output material.”

Luca Zerbini, previously the VP of Sustainability at Amcor and now Partner at ESG-focused VC fund Una Terra, said: “Greyparrot is on its way to transform the $1.6T waste management industry and significantly influence the $1T packaging industry, enabling a feedback loop to FMCG players and providing EPR-relevant data. From the first meeting, we knew we wanted to lead this round: Greyparrot has a stellar founding team with a wealth of industry experience across waste management, AI and Machine Learning, a technology solution that works with existing infrastructure, and industry-leading customer satisfaction rates which is the best predictor of significant growth ahead”.

Ron Gonen, Founder & CEO of Closed Loop Partners, added: “Greyparrot’s AI-powered system has the potential to track billions of packages and materials in the recycling value chain which will lead to a number of major efficiencies. Their technology can integrate easily with existing recycling infrastructure, improving efficiency and material capture rates. Closed Loop Partners looks forward to working with their team as they grow their reach and impact around the world.”

Recognised as a technology pioneer by the World Economic Forum 2021, Greyparrot is the brainchild of three co-founders: experienced commercial leader Mikela Druckman, serial entrepreneur Ambarish Mitra and AI expert Nikola Sivacki. United in their mission to bring together the best tech talent in the world to address the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In the coming year, the company is on track to double its team, deploy hundreds of Greyparrot systems globally and divert 30,000 tonnes of waste from landfill.