The Prince of Wales has told his Earthshot Prize finalists “we are here for you” as he geared up for the awards ceremony being staged in Cape Town.
William chatted to the 15 environmental entrepreneurs in the picturesque setting of Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden in the shadow of Table Mountain.
He told the group: “You are all amazing. You should be immensely proud of yourselves. The whole Earthshot team loved hearing about your ideas, the solutions you are all coming up with, and I hope you’ve found it beneficial to be here together and creating such a great vibe.
“We are here for you for the next 12 months and I want to get around to see as many of you as possible, but good luck tonight.”
William will join around 2,000 guests in a sustainable eco-dome for the ceremony on Wednesday evening, which will feature stars like Heidi Klum walking its green carpet alongside the show’s hosts – Emmy award winning actor Billy Porter and TV presenter Bonang Matheba.
Dubbed the prince’s “Super Bowl” moment, the prize-giving event will recognise environmental solutions to “repair” the planet, with five category winners each receiving £1 million to “scale up” their plans.
Speaking to the creators behind Build Up Nepal, a social enterprise that has developed an earthquake-resilient brick with 75% lower carbon emissions compared to traditional clay-fired bricks, William said he was “blown away” by the technology being used.
Homes built with the new bricks are affordable and have been proven to withstand earthquakes in areas that have been left flattened by natural disasters.
Co-founder Bjorn Soderberg told the prince that 25 houses made with the company’s bricks were untouched in an area of Nepal where last year 75,000 houses were damaged by an earthquake.
William said: “I was blown away by what you are doing. It has the capacity for so much scale, it’s such an incredible idea.
“What would it mean for you to win the Earthshot Prize?”
Mr Soderberg replied: “Being recognised here as a finalist has given us such a platform already, but that would give us a huge boost.
“We are in talks with the local and national governments in Nepal, they realise the capacity for our product, but it would be a massive step in the right direction for us.”
The 15 finalists all joined together for the annual Earthshot Fellowship Retreat last week ahead of the awards, giving them the opportunity to access mentorship, resources and technical support from experts attached to the Earthshot Prize.
William was also “amazed” by progress made by American firm Natural Fiber Welding (NFW), which produces natural-based materials aimed at replacing plastic in a range of items from cars to clothing, while reducing carbon emissions and supporting regenerative farmers.
Speaking to Mary Allen, who leads the “creative expression” at the organisation, William revealed he had received a pair of NFW’s plastic free, compostable trainers.
Pointing at Ms Allen’s shoes he said: “Wow, look at them. It’s unbelievable, and with zero waste as well? I read you can crush them up and put them back into the soil, so we really are full circle, such a great idea.”
The Earthshot finalists – from countries including France, Ghana, the UK and Indonesia – are competing to be named winners in five categories, or Earthshots: protect and restore nature; clean our air; revive our oceans; build a waste-free world; and fix our climate.
The Earthshot Prize’s green carpet has been a fixture since William first staged the awards ceremony three years ago in London, followed by Boston and Singapore last year.
Guests have been asked to “rewear” their wardrobe or spotlight African designers to highlight the importance of local talent and sustainable fashion.
