WasteOlas is honoured to have been awarded the Canton of Geneva’s 2026 Sustainable Development Prize. This award was granted for one simple reason: a practical solution for CO₂ recovery is working in practice and demonstrates that it is possible to reconcile environmental impact, economic value and local implementation. It recognises the work accomplished to date, whilst providing fresh momentum to accelerate the next phase.
This award forms part of a competition organised by the Canton of Geneva, through the Department of Territorial Development and the Department of Sustainability and Climate. It recognises projects that successfully balance economic, environmental and social considerations, whilst having a positive impact on Geneva and its region.
From the field to scaling up: a solution already in use, ready to be replicated
This award recognises an achievement that has already been realised. WasteOlas is developing a system to capture, purify and recycle the CO₂ emitted during the beer fermentation process, thereby preventing its release and enabling its reuse during the tapping process.
The solution has been in operation since the start of the year at a pilot brewery, Docteur Gab’s. It relies on monitoring via a digital platform (gas flow, pressure, energy consumption), and the next step is clear: to replicate the system whilst enhancing the supporting services, notably advanced monitoring, reporting, performance tracking and operational support. To gain a clearer understanding of how this initial roll-out unfolded, the launch at Docteur Gab’s sets out the context, objectives and lessons learnt from the deployment.
Stepping up the next phase: rolling out measures and supporting stakeholders on the path to decarbonisation
But what matters most is what comes next. This recognition is not an end in itself; it is a stepping stone to scaling up: rolling it out to other breweries, and then more broadly to SMEs.
The aim, for SMEs, is to help them analyse their flows (CO₂, energy, resources) in order to identify opportunities for financial savings, as well as for resource savings and CO₂ reductions. WasteOlas is also open to other companies that wish to receive support through a practical decarbonisation process, from assessment through to implementation and long-term monitoring.
At the same time, the ambition is to mobilise the local ecosystem (partners, engineering, operations, maintenance, performance monitoring) in order to build the expertise of local businesses and accelerate concrete, proven and transferable industrial decarbonisation.
Moving forward: turning this recognition into proven results and widespread adoption
This award will primarily serve to accelerate the next stage: strengthening evidence from field trials. It will support a research project with HEPIA, complementing an initiative already underway with Innosuisse, with a view to validating thermal optimisation models in the field. The objective is clear: to consolidate performance, reliability and deployability, and then scale up with a robust and reproducible solution.
A big thank you to the teams at the Canton of Geneva, the Department of Territorial Development and the Department of Sustainability and Climate, as well as to everyone who supports and promotes this competition. Thanks also to Nicolas Walder (State Councillor responsible for the Department of Territorial Development) and Andrea von Maltitz (Chair of the 2026 jury) for their words of encouragement and their commitment to concrete initiatives.
To find out more and explore the topic further:
- Research project (HEPIA / Innosuisse): WasteOlas receives an Innosuisse innovation grant in partnership with HEPIA
- Official video: Développement durable, vidéo concours 2026, WasteOlas Sàrl
- Official brochure (PDF): Bourse, prix et distinction cantonaux du développement durable 2026 (PDF)