Green Horizons: Entrepreneurs Shaping Lebanon's Sustainable Future
From Innovation to Creation programme fostering green entrepreneurship in Lebanon
Welcome to From Innovation to Creation programme, where innovation meets sustainability! The Scale Hub initiative, a component of the ‘From Innovation to Creation’ programme, has supported 16 green startups thanks to funding from the European Union and through a partnership between SPARK and The Nawaya Network in Lebanon. SPARK and The Nawaya Network have empowered promising entrepreneurs in Lebanon to spearhead the shift towards a greener and more sustainable future. Explore the success stories, collaborations, and transformative projects that have blossomed through Scale Hub, as a part the ‘From Innovation to Creation’ programme.
“It is about sowing the seeds now and reaping the rewards later”
Jad Issa, co-founder of Climberspace
Climberspace: leading the Middle East's eco-friendly climbing scene
Amid Lebanon’s economic crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, climber Jad Issa witnessed the climbing community grappling with limited access to essential equipment. Scarce raw materials and machinery for shoe repair forced many climbers to discard their shoes over minor tears, contributing to environmental issues in landfills and depriving fellow enthusiasts of necessary gear for their pursuits. Out of a desire to keep Lebanon’s climbing scene alive and to protect the local environment, Jad co-founded Climberspace in 2020. This pioneering startup offers a place for climbers to bring their worn out climbing shoes for repair. In Climberspace’s workshop, shoes are examined, cleaned, and repaired accordingly, with the option of entirely re-soling the shoe if necessary. After their makeover, the shoes are returned to the customers who can pursue their passion without it contributing to the accumulation of waste in Lebanon.
“My journey began with my passion for nature, agriculture and beekeeping”
Marcel Joe Hoayek, founder of Pure Farm
Waste less, upcycle more !
Margot Wehbe founded her startup UWYTA to raise awareness on the importance of effective waste management and sustainable economic development in Lebanon. UWYTA collects non-recyclable potato chip bags, which frequently litter the country’s landscape, and upcycles them into brand new products. Through the Scale Hub programme, she improved her green skills and boosted her confidence as a young entrepreneur through coaching and training sessions in financial management, digital marketing and export strategies. Initiating positive change is at the core of Margot’s work and she believes in the potential of youth to build a more sustainable Lebanon.
“ Our project is the first ecological farm in Lebanon”
Ramy Badawi, founder of Ramy's Ecological Farm
From farm to fork: bringing sustainable and organic farming to Lebanon’s agricultural scene
In 2019, Ramy Badawi founded ‘Ramy’s Ecological Farm’, becoming the first ecological farm in Lebanon. The farm is located in Batloun, in the ‘Chouf’ region of Lebanon known for its fertile soil and beautiful scenery. To run his farm efficiently and sustainably, Ramy has combined land-respecting farming methods with intelligent technologies. This way, the farm produces an array of organic produce which visitors are able to savour at the farm’s restaurant. Scale Hub helped Ramy to consolidate and expand the farm’s activities as well as develop its productivity. According to Ramy, the programme helped the farm’s plant production rate increase by more than 45% , now producing up to 30,000 plants each season. “Scale Hub equipped us with all the training we needed to introduce our business to the local market”. Ramy, founder of Ramy’s Ecological Farm.
Mortben's Recipe for Success: Healthy, Ethical, and Green Delivery Service in Lebanon
As Hanine Ghannam studied for her PHD while working two jobs, she struggled to find the time to prepare healthy and nutritious meals. As a dietician and an environmentally-conscious individual, she knew that getting take-away meals everyday was unhealthy and unsustainable. In the face of this conflicting dilemma, Hanine took charge by founding a green, organic and ethical food delivery business called ‘Mortben’. Mortben provides a food delivery service which delivers ready-made healthy meals to its customer’s doorstep.
“ I wanted to create something that combined vertical farming with green walls”
Mitri Harmouche, co-founder of Ground Vertical Farming
Redefining sustainable home-farming from the ground up
For individuals living in the city or in gardenless living spaces, the idea of growing their own plants and vegetables seems impossible. But Mitri Harmouche, the co-founder of Ground Vertical Farming, believed he could make the impossible possible through his ground-breaking and gravity defying agricultural project. In 2019, Mitri Harmouche co-founded ‘Green Vertical Farming’, to produce home-farming systems which optimise both the use of space and resources needed for growing plants. Through Scale Hub, Mitri benefited from a variety of training and tools to develop his business. Among them, he was guided in determining his system’s sales and production capacity as well as received tailored coaching for his overall business plan. Today, Ground Vertical Farming stands as a thriving start-up, and Mitri has become a respected figure in the farming community.
“Our main objective is to ensure that used tires do not end up in the wrong hands”
Ali Wehbe, co-founder of Loop Tire Recycling