Henrique Guilherme Brammer Junior
Frustrated by the environmental impact of waste like cigarette butts, disposable diapers and espresso pods, started looking for technological solutions. Convinced that there had to be ways to use not only recyclable waste but also more hard-to-recycle products, founded Wisewaste in 2011 and renamed it Boomera in 2017. The company has created a methodology called the Circular Pack in order to gain scale and impact by turning waste into a line of products with a cause, bringing together technology, design, science and social inclusion. It has been recognized by the World Economic Forum and Entrepreneur magazine among start-ups making America more sustainable. Has been recognized with numerous honours and awards for work as an entrepreneur in sustainable development: 2019 Social Entrepreneur Award, the largest socio-environmental entrepreneurship contest in Latin America; Social Entrepreneur 2016 by Pequenas Empresas Grandes Negócios magazine; Professional of the Year 2016 by Embanews; Social Entrepreneur 2019 by Folha de São Paulo and the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship. Studied Materials Engineering at Mackenzie; MBA in Marketing from the University of the South Pacific; Specialization in Sustainable Business from Fundaçao Getulio Vargas, in São Paulo.
- Model
- Hybrid Social Enterprise
- Headquarters
- Brazil
- Areas of Impact
- Latin America
Boomera
Boomera is based in Brazil where only three percent of waste is recycled. In the country’s largest cities, every citizen produces about 1.2kg of waste per day and 41% of it ends up in garbage dumps. Boomera (then Wisewaste) set about creating answers to this problem. It has engineered a recycling option for BOPP, a type of plastic film used in the packaging industry, developed an industrial tarpaulin five times more resistant than traditional tarpaulin, and is researching ways to reuse coffee pods to create an alternative plastic resin, as well as to turn disposable diapers into garbage pails and coat hangers. Boomera has also established partnerships with major customers like Procter & Gamble, Adidas, Braskem, Natura and Nestlé to find environmentally-friendly solutions for their waste.
One hundred and twenty one employees strong, Boomera is based on a circular economy business model that brings together industry, academia and environmental agents. The company has created a methodology called the Circular Pack. Made up of six steps, it starts with creating engagement and awareness within companies and includes a technical evaluation to find the best way to recover the waste, as well as suggestions for the development of new materials.
In 2020, Boomera was chosen by Plug and Play as the startup of June. Regarded as the biggest startup accelerator in Silicon Valley, Plug and Play celebrates innovative solutions for technology, environment and society as a whole.
awardees
Our awardees
Asif Saleh
Jesús Gerena
