Elsevier Foundation Awards $50,000 to Green Chemistry Projects in Sri Lanka and Malawi

Event summary

  • Elsevier Foundation awarded $25,000 each to two projects addressing deforestation and energy poverty in Sri Lanka and Malawi.
  • The winners were selected from 285 proposals and announced at the 10th Green & Sustainable Chemistry Conference in Dresden, Germany.
  • Prof. Thilini D. K. Mudiyanselage and Dr. Amila K. Jeewandara developed a sawdust-natural rubber latex composite as a sustainable wood alternative.
  • Milemo Lusambya of MAGUFINA created a circular biomass system for clean energy, biochar, and menstrual health products in Dzaleka Refugee Camp.
  • The Challenge has supported 20 winning projects across 19 countries over its ten editions.

The big picture

The Elsevier Foundation's Chemistry for Climate Action Challenge highlights the growing intersection of scientific innovation and community-driven solutions to climate change. By focusing on waste-to-value propositions in the Global South, the initiative addresses both environmental degradation and economic empowerment. The Challenge's emphasis on gender equity reflects broader industry trends toward inclusive sustainability efforts. With $50,000 in grants awarded this year, the program continues to demonstrate how targeted funding can catalyze practical, scalable responses to climate challenges.

What we're watching

Scalability
Whether the winning projects can transition from pilot phases to commercially viable, large-scale implementations.
Impact Measurement
How the Elsevier Foundation will track and report the environmental and social outcomes of these grants.
Replication Potential
The pace at which MAGUFINA's model could be adopted in other refugee camps across East Africa.