Royce-verified Sustainable Technology Nominated for Earthshot Prize
, an organisation tackling plastic circularity within the conveyor belt industry, have been nominated for a prestigious .
Ecobelt’s conveyor belt production technology creates stronger joints for a longer operating life, reducing the resource and energy demands of an essential but often overlooked technology.
Materials and goods are moved using conveyor belts of all sizes all day, every day. Conveyor Belts are made from fossil fuels, their manufacturing consumes huge natural resources, whilst producing significant carbon emissions. The in-use life of a conveyor belt is typically determined by the performance of its splice joint. They are not recyclable, so are consigned to landfill or incineration at the end of operation.
Ecobelt’s patented AnnStuMax technology is a revolutionary new belt splicing technique that increases the strength of the belt joint beyond that of the rest of the belt.
The company used Royce’s to independently verify the strength of the splice joints. A Life Cycle Analysis from the SMI Hub has also confirmed the environmental benefits of AnnStuMax.
The impact of this technology has led to the Earthshot Prize nomination, made on Ecobelt’s behalf by The Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA).
The Earthshot Prize finds, supports and celebrates innovations that will repair the planet, helping them to grow and awarding the very best five solutions each year with £1 million each to scale their work.
Commenting on the nomination, Ecobelt CEO David Waite said:
“This nomination reflects our commitment to sustainability, cutting-edge technology, and driving meaningful change. It reaffirms that our work in revolutionising conveyor belting is not just about efficiency – it’s about shaping a greener, more sustainable future.”
Prof. , SMI Hub and Sustainable Futures Director said:
“Conveyor belts are ubiquitous in nearly every sector of our economy – from unearthing our luggage from the bowels of an airport to transporting goods through warehouses to optimising manufacturing workflows – yet they are often unnoticed and taken for granted. Innovation has been slow in this enabling industry – a significant issue given that such materials are often impossible to recycle and break down frequently.”
“Ecobelt are tackling this urgent issue with their breakthrough AnnStuMax technology. Focussing on repair, the technology keeps belts in circulation longer – improving productivity as belts do not need to be replaced and so operations can continue without delay while also keeping the material in circulation longer and preventing waste ending up in landfill or incinerators. I’m delighted they have been nominated for the prestigious Earthshot Prize – it has been fantastic to work with the team and to assess their product’s game-changing environmental footprint and material performance.”
Learn more about Ecobelt’s work at
Learn more about SMI Hub at
Learn more about Sustainable Futures at
