Ecobuild is teaming up with Marks & Spencer for its Big Innovation Pitch to uncover the latest retail engineering solutions and innovations.
The initiative is open to any company operating in the UK construction, building performance and engineering sectors. It supports M&S’s Plan A sustainability strategy: to source responsibly, reduce waste and help communities, with the ultimate goal of becoming the world's most sustainable major retailer.
The Big Innovation Pitch, which is in its third consecutive year, provides the industry with a platform to pitch innovative building products and engineering solutions. The winning company will have the opportunity to become an M&S supplier, as well as significant visibility to the Ecobuild audiences, as the finalists duel it out on the main Arena stage before the winner is selected.
Ecobuild is calling on all companies operating in the UK’s engineering market to participate in the Big Innovation Pitch to fast track their growth and expansion into a wide range of markets. The competition gives entrants an unrivalled opportunity to receive feedback from the major British retailer on their product and the way in which they present it.
Discussing the initiative, Martin Hurn, brand director at Ecobuild, explained: “For the 2017 event, we’re focusing on redefining what sustainability means to those operating in the built environment, and identifying the latest innovative solutions is a key part of that. The Big Innovation Pitch is a great platform for companies to share their sustainability solutions and be in with a chance to work with a prestigious organisation like M&S.”
Previous years have seen a number of innovations take the top spot, the most recent being 2016 winner Waterblade, a water saving device that is a cost effective alternative to existing solutions. 2015’s Big Innovation Pitch winner was central heating additive firm, Endotherm Enterprise, that created a bio additive for wet heating systems that helps save 15 per cent on heating bills. Since the Pitch, Endotherm has been trialled across 25 M&S stores, and Waterblade trials are about to start.
Imogen Cust, Engineering R&D Manager for Property, Development and Facilities Management at M&S added: “Working with previous Ecobuild Big Innovation Pitch winners like Endotherm Enterprise and Waterblade has been a key element in reaching our sustainability goals, so we’re looking forward to seeing more ideas and clever thinking this year.
“If I could give any advice to those looking to enter this year, it would be to provide as much information from a supplier and innovator’s point of view as possible. Ultimately, it’s all about saving energy, so any relevant data that helps support the entry is crucial and will make a real difference.”
The Ecobuild Big Innovation Pitch is open to any UK company offering innovative products, materials and services. This could range from engineering solutions such as battery storage to support demand side response potential, passive refrigeration and fluid modelling (refrigeration or HVAC design), to wireless lighting technologies and energy management (big data analysis). Deadline for entries is Friday 13 January 2017.
