At the food stands and bars, Greenswapp’s CO2 labels gave festival-goers immediate insight into the carbon impact of their purchases. “We’re excited to see how the climate labels influenced food sales,” said Ajay from Greenswapp. “The results will help us communicate food impact more effectively and nudge consumers toward lower-carbon choices. We also learned why some designs, like the traffic light system, are more intuitive for people.”

Meanwhile, Mycofarming wowed the crowd with their innovative mycelium biofilters, which purify wastewater. Co-founder Rutger shared his excitement: “We’re offering something most people have never seen before, so it was amazing to interact with the crowd and see their reactions. After so many positive responses, we’re exploring if we can use event waste streams, like paper and water, to grow our mushrooms.”

Nativenergy’s cutting-edge wind turbine also faced some unexpected challenges. “We learned a lot about optimizing for crosswinds,” said founder Kartik. “The propeller changed direction due to the wind, preventing the turbine from working at full efficiency. Design-wise, we realized it’s better to show visuals of the final product next time, as prototypes often look rough and that can distract people from providing useful feedback.”

At the same time, Droppie engaged festival-goers with an interactive waste-for-cash system, challenging their knowledge of plastic and recycling and sparking important conversations about sustainability.

Lastly, Roboat demonstrated their autonomous boat technology, highlighting its potential to enhance safety and efficiency on the water.

Want to test your innovation with us too? Apply now via innofest.co/en/register-today.

A massive thank you to Gemeente Amsterdam, Fonds 21, and Goeie Grutten for powering these incredible tests!

Pictures by Calluna Denkers.