Three finalists presented their innovative ideas at the Brightlands Health Campus in Maastricht, the Netherlands, on October 10, with Giulia Bellinetti taking home the award and a cash prize of EUR 35,000. The Award, co-sponsored by Stamicarbon, is for candidates who – in the spirit of Marc Cornelissen – are on their way to making an innovative contribution to accelerating the circular transition to a sustainable society.

Future Materials

With the Future Materials program, Giulia Bellinetti and her team focus on spreading knowledge and use of waste and sustainable materials by artists, designers and other creative people worldwide. If we want to become a fully circular society, science, technology, business, policy makers and the creative sector need to join forces. Giulia: ‘We focus on circularity, permanent reuse. Stuff made of hair, concrete waste, sawdust, urine, you name it. We have been building for more than three years, it is time for a business model. With the prize money we can make a start.’

‘For us, this is a great recognition’, says Giulia Bellinetti. ‘It is so important to bring together art and design, science, technology and industry and move towards circularity. This is also a recognition for them, the more than four hundred makers, artists and designers who are already working with us. We do this with a purpose and that purpose is to stimulate the circular economy.’

More about Future Materials

About Marc Cornelissen Brightlands Award

The award pays homage to Marc Cornelissen, the Dutch polar explorer and sustainability pioneer who died during a polar expedition in 2015. Its main objective is to motivate sustainability pioneers in areas such as circularity, nutrition, digitalization and health. Stamicarbon has co-sponsored this award since 2020, supporting sustainable innovations and the talented people behind them. 

Learn more on the Marc Cornelissen Brightlands Award website.