Poverty. Illiteracy. Depleting energy resources. Some of the world’s biggest problems seem insurmountable—but not to the growing number of innovative companies that are tackling these issues and finding promising ways to solve them. From Coca-Cola’s portable water purification system to the Toronto-based startup that’s pioneering new ways to ship emergency supplies to remote corners of the globe, the world of business is building a brighter future—for everyone.
Here are a selection of our favourite companies and entrepreneurs that are saving the world (and making a buck doing it).
1. Hitting drug-resistant bacteria with a one-two punch
The Problem: Deadly bacteria have become resistant to drugs
The Solution: Destroy the bugs’ own defence systems before going in for the kill
2. Fighting food fraud with a beer-tasting robot
The Problem: Humans aren’t reliable taste-testers
The Solution: Give the job to a robot instead
3. Helping the visually impaired see again with digital specs
The Problem: Our aging population needs help with declining sight
The Solution: Create glasses so good they restore sight to the blind
4. Reducing the cost of food in the world’s slums
The Problem: The world’s poor pay too much for food
The Solution: Boost their buying power with a text-message-based app
5. Saving lives with flexible, wearable electronics
The Problem: Our aging population needs help with declining sight
The Solution: Create glasses so good they restore sight to the blind
6. Saving trees by making paper out of wheat
The Problem: Making paper destroys forests and makes Woody Harrelson unhappy
The Solution: Use the chaff left behind after harvesting wheat instead
7. Preventing water-borne illness with a solar-powered toilet
The Problem: Millions die as a result of poor sanitation
The Solution: A waste-zapping toilet that reduces the toll
8. Boosting vaccination rates with a painless needle
The Problem: People hate getting needles (and they injure health care workers too)
The Solution: Flush injections directly into the skin
9. Dreaming of faster, cheaper public transit
The Problem: North America needs better, faster transit
The Solution: Listen to Tesla CEO Elon Musk and build the hyperloop
10. Empowering employees by getting rid of bosses
The Problem: Bosses suck
The Solution: Create an org structure that doesn’t need them
11. Building a better-fitting bra
The Problem: 80% of all women wear ill-fitting bras
The Solution: Develop a better sizing system
12. Reinventing education in poor countries
The Problem: Education systems in poor countries are patchy and unreliable
The Solution: Create prefab schools that run like coffee franchises
13. Building planes that don’t need a runway
The Problem: Conventional cargo planes can’t reach many remote areas
The Solution: Eliminate the need for runways (and fuel)
14. Mixing drinks that make eating unnecessary
The Problem: Earth’s growing population needs fast, nutritious food
The Solution: Deliver it in a glass
15. Stabilizing gunshot wounds with tiny sponges
The Problem: Gunshot victims bleed fast on the battlefield
The Solution: Shoot back (with a syringe full of sponges)
16. Stopping the spread of hospital-borne superbugs
The Problem: Superbugs are a growing risk in hospitals
The Solution: Vaporize them by sterilizing whole rooms in one go
17. Foiling counterfeiters with butterfly-inspired tech
The Problem: Holograms are becoming easier to fake
The Solution: Create a look-alike technology with wild new properties
18. Providing clean water anywhere on earth
The Problem: Billions need clean water
The Solution: Develop an H2O purifier in a box and get Coca-Cola to distribute it
19. Reinventing the cardboard box
The Problem: Conventional packing containers are wasteful and hard to open
The Solution: A pop-up box that doesn’t need tape and assembles in seconds
20. Treating malaria at the source
The Problem: Malaria-bearing mosquitos are tough to wipe out
The Solution: Kill the disease, not the insect
21. Turning greenhouse gases into useful algae
The Problem: Oilsands energy producers need to cut greenhouse gas emissions
The Solution: Use the gas to grow algae that can make all sorts of new things
22. Building houses out of mushrooms
The Problem: Conventional building materials aren’t environmentally sustainable
The Solution: Make them out of mushrooms that you can compost when you’re done
23. Unlocking the secrets of creamier Camembert
The Problem: The world needs better cheese
The Solution: Reverse-engineer the biochemistry of rinds to produce tastier results
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