Critical and Mushroom Material were selected by Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington, official Earthshot Prize nominator in New Zealand. KiwiLeather Innovations was selected by Singapore-based Better Earth Ventures.
James Griffin, General Manager at Sustainable Business Network, says: "What's exciting about these nominations is that they show world-class sustainable innovation is already emerging in Aotearoa New Zealand – not as distant ideas, but as practical, scalable solutions solving real problems right now.
“We're thrilled to see Critical, Mushroom Material and KiwiLeather Innovations nominated for the world's most prestigious environmental award. They were selected from our Next List, which exists to help elevate the innovators building tomorrow's economy today."
Andrew Wilks, Manutaki – Director, Sustainability at Victoria University of Wellington, says, “As a sustainability thought leader in New Zealand, Vic Uni is charged as an official nominator in a global network of 361 nominators for The Earthshot Prize.
“There were remarkable applications again this year, but Vic Uni is excited to elevate six New Zealand solutions to the world stage through The Earthshot Prize because every single one has the power to change the world. They’re affordable, immediately scalable, and could create true global transformation.”
Mr Wilks says the prize is awarded to projects that highlight human ingenuity, drive change, and inspire collective action.
“The very best national qualities are clear in our successful New Zealand nominees. There’s the No. 8 wire ingenuity that’s led to developing alternatives to plastic or reusing it by Critical, Mushroom Material, and KiwiEconet. Meanwhile, the power of the Kiwi working bee is evident in the community-building work of AgriZeroNZ, Mountains to Sea Wellington Trust, and Sea Cleaners.”
The New Zealand nominees for the Earthshot Prize 2026 are:
- Critical. : a Māori-led clean-tech company transforming hard-to-recycle plastic waste into near carbon-neutral circular building materials called Cleanstone. Made in Aotearoa from 100 percent reclaimed plastic waste, Cleanstone replaces short-life interior materials that typically end up in landfill after only a few years. Critical. is now developing compact microfactories designed to help communities around the world transform local waste into high-value materials, jobs, and circular economic opportunity through regenerative manufacturing.
- Mushroom Material: A fully biodegradable alternative to expanded polystyrene on which the packaging industry relies is Mushroom Material. The innovation lies in mycelium-based pellets, designed to integrate seamlessly with existing moulding equipment, making the switch to a sustainable solution a truly viable option.
- AgriZeroNZ: The public-private partnership AgriZeroNZ invests to accelerate the development and deployment of tools for farmers to reduce agricultural emissions while staying profitable and productive. Half-owned by the New Zealand government and half-owned by major agribusinesses and banks, it's driving solutions for pasture-based farms that can be scaled globally.
- KiwiEconet: This Southland invention of 100 percent natural and organic jute fibre netting, KiwiEconet, replaces the plastic wrap used for baling hay and silage. It is eco-friendly, biodegradable and edible by livestock, with nutritional benefits.
- Mountains to Sea Wellington Trust: The Love Rimurimu project, led by the Mountains to Sea Wellington Trust, is restoring declining kelp forests in Wellington Harbour through science, community action, and Indigenous partnership. It also empowers communities with hands on education and opensource knowledge sharing.
- Sea Cleaners operates a fleet of purpose-built vessels intercepting plastic pollution at the final point before it disperses beyond recovery, removing millions of litres of waste from waterways each year. Now expanding into the Pacific, it is building an island-led clean-up network that combines on-water recovery, data, and circular recycling to stop plastic pollution at scale.
- KiwiLeather Innovations: an innovation that transforms kiwifruit waste into a world-first, plastic-free vegan leather. This reduces carbon emissions by more than 90% compared to animal leather while creating value from waste.
The first six innovations were selected by Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington, official Earthshot Prize nominator in New Zealand. KiwiLeather Innovations was selected by Singapore-based Better Earth Ventures.
About the Earthshot Prize
Every year in the 2020s, The Earthshot Prize Trust, led by Prince William, will award £1 million ($1.9 million) each to five environmental solutions. The global search identifies the most ambitious and inspiring solutions to the planet’s greatest environmental challenges across five goals or ‘Earthshots’: ‘Protect and Restore Nature’, ‘Clean our Air’, ‘Revive our Oceans’, ‘Build a Waste-Free World,’ and ‘Fix our Climate’.
This year's finalists will be announced in September, with winners revealed at the awards ceremony in Mumbai in November.
The Sustainable Business Awards open for entry this year on 2 June 2026. Finalists will again have the opportunity to be considered for nomination for the Earthshot Prize.