A report from the World Economic Forum’s UpLink initiative has detailed the environmental and economic impacts of early-stage innovators working on sustainability solutions. The Annual Impact Report 2025 stated that UpLink-supported ventures prevented 142,400 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions over the past two years, an amount comparable to the annual emissions of more than 30,000 cars.
In addition to reducing emissions, these start-ups protected 140 million hectares of terrestrial and aquatic areas, an area nearly one-fifth the size of the Amazon rainforest. Other reported impacts included the treatment of 2.5 billion litres of hazardous wastewater and the tracking of 28 million tonnes of waste.
More than 30,000 new jobs were created between 2023 and 2024, according to the report. Nearly 500,000 smallholder farmers and fishers experienced income growth and 18,000 waste collectors gained access to formal markets, contributing to waste reduction efforts. Additionally, 2.7 million people received improved access to water, sanitation and hygiene solutions, reducing health risks linked to unsafe water, the paper stated.
Canada-based EnviCore was cited as an example of sustainable innovation, using waste materials from mining operations to reduce emissions in the construction industry. Similarly, Umgrauemeio, a Brazil-based company, applied AI-powered satellite imagery to monitor and detect wildfire risks across 6.7 million hectares of forests and natural reserves in 2024.
In India, Indra Water increased wastewater treatment capacity, processing 1.2 billion litres in 2024, marking a 243 per cent rise compared to 2022. Additionally, SHAYP implemented an anomaly detection system that saved 7 billion litres of water in 2024, with a target of reaching 100 billion litres by 2027.
The report also highlighted investment trends, noting that UpLink-supported ventures raised $633 million in 2024, an increase of $196 million from the previous year. Nearly half of these ventures reported a customer base increase of more than 40 per cent.
UpLink also supported 13 start-ups in the Traceability for Circularity Challenge, which focused on creating transparent, circular value chains to minimise waste and promote ethical practices, the report said. GreenPlat Data Management, for example, tracked and traced 12.3 million more tonnes of waste in 2024 than in the previous year, while S4S Technologies reduced 60,000 tonnes of food waste — enough to feed 2.7 million people for a month.
The UpLink Annual Impact Report 2025 presented data on the role of early-stage sustainability-focused innovators in addressing environmental and economic challenges. The initiative connected start-ups with industry leaders and investors, aiming to enhance their ability to scale and implement solutions.
Looking ahead, UpLink stated it planned to expand its engagement in areas such as sustainable mining, carbon capture and AI-driven environmental monitoring to further accelerate impact.