Green Transition Challenge: Sustainable Ideas Creating Future Business Opportunities

Building on the success of the previous year's initiative, the Green Transition Challenge was launched in 2025. The challenge was designed to identify ideas that can support Mirka's journey towards a more sustainable future and accelerate the green transition within the surface finishing industry. Participants were invited to propose solutions within three key focus areas: boosting circularity, extending product life cycles, and developing sustainable material solutions. Together, these themes address some of the most important opportunities for reducing environmental impact while creating future business value.

Open to startups, entrepreneurs, researchers, students, employees, and other innovators, the challenge attracted diverse perspectives and expertise. This openness reflects M.INC's belief that valuable ideas can emerge from many different sources and that collaboration is essential for tackling complex sustainability challenges. Throughout the challenge, participants received feedback, mentoring, and opportunities to connect with experts and stakeholders within Mirka's innovation ecosystem.

The winner of the Green Transition Challenge was Wood K Plus, an Austrian research organization, with its Zero Waste Chemical Recycling concept. The solution focuses on replacing fossil-based coating materials with sustainable bio-based alternatives. As in the previous Remanufacturing Challenge, the winner received a cash prize of EUR 10,000. The challenge also recognized team Laiffi and SAPM-Disc as joint runners-up, each receiving EUR 5,000 for concepts involving AI-driven life cycle assessment of manufacturing data and intelligent sanding discs.