French startup WeCo wins the Excellence Award from the Chinese Ministry of Tourism and the Gates Foundation for its innovative concept of public toilets.
WeCo, French startup, inventor of an innovative concept of ecological and design public toilets, autonomous in water and energy, won the Excellence Award of the national technology competition, organized by the Chinese Ministry of Tourism and the Bill & amp; Foundation Melinda Gates . This award confirms WeCo, which defines itself as a “born global”, in its global industrial ambitions.
The Chinese Ministry of Tourism and the Bill & amp; Melinda Gates hosted China’s first national toilet technology competition in spring 2016. Among more than fifty applicants, companies and universities from China and around the world, the award of excellence was awarded to the multi-service public toilet project of the French company WeCo.
Public toilets represent considerable environmental health issues on a global scale in terms of the consumption of resources and energy, in addition to the water pollution they cause and the lack of recycling of the waste they create. Recently, research in this area has developed rapidly, mainly funded by the Gates Foundation. The Chinese Ministry of Tourism is also making it a priority subject The Chinese Ministry of Tourism is also making it a priority .
Following this award given to Yiwu (China), the Franco-German team WéCo is preparing to carry out its first installations in Europe: the Biennale Internationale du Design de Saint-Etienne will host the first“ outside ”prototype in 2017, in a 100% autonomous module, without connection to the sanitary system. WeCo will also join an incubator of “tech-makers” in Lyon ( Bel Air Camp ) and will present its “inside” installations there. end of 2016.