Introducing four entrepreneurs from the Gen.T community whose work creates a positive impact through responsible consumption

This Wednesday evening, September 25, is the final of the R.A.W. Prize.

Standing for Responsibility, Awareness and Wonder, the R.A.W. Prize is a grant to support a member of the Gen.T community whose for-profit or non-profit project catalyses responsible consumption and works towards the targets set out in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12 (SDG12).

The R.A.W. Prize is a collaboration between Gen.T and Luxarity, a social initiative of the Lane Crawford Joyce Group.

As well as the grant, the winner of The R.A.W. Prize will receive additional benefits, mentorship and access from both Lane Crawford and Gen.T that will help the winner further develop their project.

Of the dozens that applied, seven entrepreneurs from the Gen.T community—six of them Gen.T honourees—will pitch their business at the final, with judges from Gen.T and Luxarity announcing the winner on the night.

Here are four of the seven finalists. Introducing the co-founder of an online wellness community, the founder of a green engineering consultancy, and two companies that both tackle excessive waste in manufacturing.

See also: Meet The R.A.W. Prize Finalists (Part One)

Raja Jesrina Arshad

Tatler Asia

Co-founder, PurelyB

 

What is PurelyB?
PurelyB is Asia’s leading online wellness community and lifestyle brand. We make healthy living accessible, affordable and sustainable for all—guiding transformative lifestyle changes through our trusted digital health content and traditional natural health products, which are rooted in Asian heritage and co-created with the best health experts in the region. 

What problem does your company aim to solve?
We want to help inspire and guide more communities to live healthier lifestyles and contribute towards reducing the growth of health risks and issues affecting us all today. We also want to provide remedies with a focus on local Asian heritage—ancient Asian remedies are powerful and effective, yet easily accessible and affordable.

Can you give us a humblebrag?
We've grown 2,000 percent and gained 4.5 million users in four years across 15 countries—including the US, UK and Australia—despite our effects being purely focused on Malaysia for the first three years.

How does your company’s work support UNSDG 12?
Through our content we advocate, inspire and encourage communities to adopt a healthy and sustainable lifestyle, focusing on clean-eating, reducing meat and zero waste initiatives. Our products are 100 percent plant-based, natural, organic and sourced locally.

Why should you win the R.A.W. Prize?
Our overall vision is to invigorate Asia, improve the quality of life of many and empower sustainable, holistic lifestyle change. We are the only local brand in Asia today that caters for the modern Asian consumer while also preserving our ancient Asian healing traditions and making healthy living accessible for all. With the support of the R.A.W. Prize we can further preserve Southeast Asia’s local herbal industry, improve the livelihoods of marginalised women and continue to make a positive difference in the health and wellbeing of our communities in Asia and globally.

What would you use the grant for, should you win?
We will further expand our targeted data-driven health and wellness content on a global scale so we can positively impact more lives and marginalised communities in a sustainable way.

What’s one thing you want the judges to know about you and your company?
My co-founders and I recognise that leading a sustainable healthy lifestyle is a journey, not a destination, and we will be there for our community members every step of the way. 

Alessandro Bisagni

Tatler Asia

Founder and Managing director, BEE

 

What is BEE?
BEE is a sustainability-focused engineering consultancy and technology company. We specialise in the creation of green buildings.

What problem does your company aim to solve?
New environmental laws can take years to actually come into effect, so BEE takes the lead by improving the quality of our built environment worldwide. We do this by highlighting the importance of sustainability to our corporate clients, setting the bar for green design principles and ultimately driving the demand for greener buildings and spaces within the corporate sector.

Can you give us a humblebrag?
We are the largest consultancy in the world that provides sustainable design solutions for luxury retailers. We’ve been involved in more than 300 projects since 2009, with a global footprint of over 30 million square feet. Some of our clients include Prada, Ferragamo and Tiffany.

How does your company’s work support UNSDG 12?
We focus on using green designs to promote water and energy efficiency, actively guiding brands to minimise the negative impacts associated with the extraction, processing, transport, maintenance and disposal of building materials.

Why should you win the R.A.W. Prize?
Winning the R.A.W. Prize will provide us with the opportunity to further develop engineering, technology and design solutions to create built spaces, which in turn enables us all to be happier, healthier, and more productive.

What would you use the grant for, should you win?
If we were awarded the R.A.W. Prize, we would use the prize money for research and development so we can launch products and services that use big data analytics and develop smarter monitoring capabilities, allowing us to create greener and healthier built spaces.

What’s one thing you want the judges to know about you and your company?
I started the company in 2009 with no funding. I left my previous job and secured a small consultancy order for what was to become the most sustainable hotel project in China: Naked Stables. Because we focus on being efficient, doing great work and keeping overheads low, we’ve never taken on any investors or loans, and our story has really defined who we are as an organisation.

Sissi Chao

Tatler Asia

Founder, REmakeHub

 

What is REmakeHub?
REmakeHub is a young social enterprise that focuses on turning waste into renewable materials and products through innovative technology and creative designs.

What problem does your company aim to solve?
The issue we aim to solve is our planet's excessive waste problem.

Can you give us a humblebrag?
You’d never imagine the beauty we can create from what most people would consider to be trash.

How does your company’s work support UNSDG 12?
We are highly committed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12.  We've been incubated under the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Youth Co:Lab, and we won the UNDP Asia-Pacific Innovation Award last year.

Why should you win the R.A.W. Prize?
We are highly committed to the values of the R.A.W. Prize. Our work shows the world completely new possibilities in manufacturing. We believe our future is based on the decisions we make today, and we must continue to look at things differently. If we win this prize we will continue to share our work with more people, organisations and brands, who can join us to create a better future.

What would you use the grant for, should you win?
If we win the R.A.W. Prize it would result in more people being educated as to how we can remake waste into new lifestyle products, and how we can continue to make a difference by purchasing more sustainable products.

What’s one thing you want the judges to know about you and your company?
REmakeHub was born to solve the issue of excessive wastage, and we will need your help to support the planet because what we do in the next ten years will determine the next thousand. Please be responsible for your decisions, and let's create miracles together!

Walden Lam

Tatler Asia

Co-founder, Unspun

 

What is Unspun?
Unspun creates perfect-fit products, made on demand, through seamless automation and regenerative methodologies, with the mission to reduce global carbon emissions by 1 percent.

What problem does your company aim to solve?
Waste in the fashion industry.

Can you give us a humblebrag?
Beyond any stats or numbers, the most motivating data points come straight from our customers, such as “I’ve worn these jeans three times so far and my other pants have quickly become second class citizens. These jeans just feel so good! They fit right, feel right and I feel good in them.”

How does your company’s work support UNSDG 12?
We don’t have inventory. Every material and garment created has a use or a home. Furthermore, we’ve considered what happens to garments once they’re no longer wanted. Our integrated 3D weaving technology allows for a never-before-seen zero-waste process.

Why should you win the R.A.W. Prize?
Every cent won will go towards our zero waste effort.

What would you use the grant for, should you win?
Building the world’s first “manu-factory” in Hong Kong—a hub that provides customers with 3D scanning and personalisation services, and automates manufacturing.

What’s one thing you want the judges to know about you and your company?
We’re a misfit band of designers, engineers, industrialists, serial entrepreneurs, poets, roboticists, artists, and builders. This diversity liberates us from conventions to tackle age-old fashion supply chain issues from fresh perspectives, and we are equally eager to work with incumbents and fellow disruptors. That’s the only way we will have a real shot at solving the 1 percent climate change challenge.

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