4REVS

4Revs (=4 Revolutions) is a flagship project of NELIS which links young social innovators and social entrepreneurs worldwide with corporate innovators and intrapreneurs. The project started in April 2020 with 20+ major Japanese Corporations and Salesforce.com as participants.

We have a global secretariat and research team of more than 30 people working on finding innovative cases from all corners of the world related to the four main survival challenges we need to overcome: (1) FOOD/AGRICULTURE; (2) WATER, (3) RESOURCES/CIRCULAR/ECOSYSTEMS, and; (4) ENERGY/CLIMATE/GHG.

The challenge

Humanity is facing four essential survival challenges which we must overcome to enable the continued flourishing of life on Earth, relating to food, water, resources, and climate change/energy. Clearing these four bottlenecks will require revolutionary innovation – and will provide a treasure trove of new opportunities.

4Revs is a unique, co-creative ecosystem that aims to help humanity solve the four survival challenges in one generation – between 2020-2050. We have partnered with corporations, social ventures, sustainability practitioners and entrepreneurs, educators, public and civil organizations, and creative minds on all six continents to inspire and implement next-generation initiatives in each of the 4Revs.

4Revs Innovation Challenge is a global call to identify the solutions that are already creating a path for the revolutions humankind needs to survive.

Food | Agriculture protein supply

Eating is about much more than survival; it is a social and political activity with a multitude of under-exploited local ideas and traditions.

• How do we provide food, and reduce food waste, to support a population of 8.6 (2030) – 11.2 (2100) billion people on Earth?
• How do we conduct agriculture sustainably to produce healthy food and protect both humans and our global ecosystems as a whole?
• How do we secure a sufficient and sustainable supply of protein?

WATER | Water tech & Water management

• Water is the great paradox of our human survival – essential, abundant, and still so fragile and difficult to use. Closely linked to both energy and food.
• How do we manage water resources sustainably to avoid severe water stress (projected by MIT to affect 52% of the global population in 2050)?
• How do we help spread new water technologies and management systems for them to be useful and effective in all parts of the world?

RESOURCES | Circular system & Ecosystem usage

• Ecosystem restoration and cyclical and sustainable resource use are closely related to all agricultural and industrial activity, while also being inextricably linked to lifestyle changes.
• How do we manage both natural and mineral resources sustainably to enable a continued and sustainable supply?
• How do we create circular economic and social systems that minimize waste and pollution of the Earth’s ecosystems?
• How do we manage land and key ecosystems sustainably?

ENERGY | Climate chance & Greenhouse gas

• Human health and the continuation of life on Earth are critically influenced by the way we produce and consume energy and minimize climate disruption.
• How do we secure sufficient energy supply for a growing population without compromising human health or contributing to severe climate change?
• How do we rapidly decarbonize the economy and society as a whole?
• How do we manage and adapt to future changes caused by climate change?

Participation requirements

• The solution must be in the market
• The solution must contribute to at least one of the 4 Revolutions
• The person responsible for the application process must be over 18 years old by October 13, 2020, and the owner of the solution

Awards

• 10 finalists will be selected to showcase their solutions to the 4Revs ecosystem formed by Japanese and multinational corporations, social ventures, sustainability practitioners and entrepreneurs, educators, public and civil organizations, and creative minds on all six continents.
• Among these finalists, 6 solutions will be selected as potential case studies of an inspiring example (“seed cases”) for the 4Revs platform and will compete to additionally receive financial support:
  • USD 1,500 for the first place
  • USD 750 for the second and third placeUSD 500 for the fourth fifth and sixth place

4REVS