2023 Winning Green Ideas announced

On June 20, “ARNO” announced the winners of this year’s “Green Ideas” competition. The jury committee of the competition in the category of green ideas chose the ideas “Design of handbags with knitting technique without creating waste.” Made by single moms; ” by Nathalie Ristovska – JOVANKA MAISON DOOEL Skopje and “Designer hats” by Mirjana Josifoska from DPTU MIR-JOS DOOEL, while Blagojce Najdovski’s idea “APICO-PRO SUPERFOOD” was chosen as the embryonic winning idea. All of the three ideas reflect strong business model for integration of local communities, while the two existing companies showcase their commitment to regenerative economy.

The jury that evaluated the applications was composed of experts: Marija Gjosheva-Kovačević from the “Agricultural Institute – Skopje”, Miranda Ajdini from the Chamber of Commerce of North-West Macedonia, Robertina Brajanoska from the Macedonian Ecological Society (MED), Gligor Mihailovski from the Association for Management and Consulting-“MKA2000” and Galena Cunningham from “Macedonia 2025”. For the national winners, this year as well, the partners secured awards: vouchers for consulting services from the Management and Consulting Association “MKA2000”, free registration on the Connect2MK platform and mentoring services and/or participation in the CESO SACO program of “Macedonia 2025” and a free two-year membership in the Chamber of Commerce of North-West Macedonia. This year, ARNO awarded the three national winners promotional packages of eco-plantable cards made by the Macedonian green business Vizart, a former winner of the competition.

“This year, as last year, we have a winning idea related to insects and protein food; the global challenge is out there and here are our local solutions. We are glad that we have Macedonian innovators. It is interesting that this year, in 9 years of organizing the competition, we are giving the chance to two new companies to prove their strong commitment to regenerative economy in the field of fashion. The strong element of a social enterprise business model and the belief that these two young women founders are truly in line with the green dimension encouraged the jury to say Yes to sustainable fashion. We have two very solid Macedonian brands, ready to enter the market with products made exclusively for pre-order, and we want to see businesses that generate both profit and good for the local communities.” – said Irina Janevska from ARNO.

“Our products are created from the remains of textile waste from factories in the country, thereby reducing textile waste and the negative impact on the environment. From the scraps created during the production of the hats, we make smaller hair accessories – scrunchies. Moreover, all products can be decomposed from 6 weeks to 6 months. The ARNO program itself was great, including the workshops I participated in before the start of the competition, and I’m very glad that green ideas and green businesses are being supported in our country.” Stated Mirjana Josifoska

“Yova is the first Macedonian ethical fashion brand. We handcraft fashion accessories with crochet technique and without creating waste. We make sure that the entire life cycle of a product is ethical and closed, which means that we not only make sure that a product has a long shelf life, but how, with what and under what conditions it is made and what happens when its life century will end. As female founders, we care about supporting women, so our products are made by single mothers and by women from vulnerable categories and rural areas,” statement by Natalie Ristovska.

“Our Apico-Pro product is an innovative, alternative, insect-based protein, functional superfood for healthy life for the whole family. We offer a new approach and technology for the production of Apico-Pro which is a combination of vegetable protein (locally produced chickpea that has been known for centuries in these areas) and a highly nutritious powder of drone larvae which is produced by drying the larvae under vacuum conditions with freezing at ultra-low temperatures, also known as lyophilization. I was impressed by the fact that my idea is one of the 3 winners. It is a challenge and an incentive for me. I want to register a startup company through which the entire range of products that I presented at the competition will be able to be made available to stores ” – stated Blagojce Najdovski

“Green Ideas” is an Annual competition that supports the development of small, local and sustainable business ideas in our country and in Albania, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, Greece and has been held since 2012. Every year three representatives from each of the countries compete in a regional competition. The four representatives who will win the regional competition receive 5,000 or 10,000 dollars each for the realization of their ideas in their countries.

“ARNO”, for the ninth year in a row, administers the national competition “Green Ideas” and is proud that so far the country has regional winners and a total investment of 85 000 dollars for the development of green businesses in the country: The first cooperative of organic consumers “Our Good Earth” (2015), the initiative for upcycling furniture led by the architect Marta Mojsova – “SPIN” (2016), the platform for sales of last minute food “Food for All” (2017 year), education through illusions “Green Magic Production” (2017), “Bio smart rice” rice production in a sustainable way (2019), “Challenger” mobile application that rewards citizens green points for each kilomtera walked (2019), , “Wice Additive” which produces a food additive by processing grape pomace (2020), “O-Krug” (2021) a circular startup that produces essential oils and fresheners from orange peels and “Insect Pilot Room” (2022) production of insect protein pet food.