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Laurier’s Waterloo Enactus team was named runner-up at the Enactus World Cup competition in September. The team, representing Canada, also won the 1 Race 4 Oceans challenge, which recognizes students taking action to address issues facing the world’s oceans, including pollution, overfishing and climate change.
Laurier’s team competed against 32 other countries before making it to the World Cup finals, along with teams from Egypt, India and Brazil. The Enactus World Cup, held virtually this year, sees student teams present projects to a group of international business leaders, with teams evaluated based on their success at using business concepts to improve quality of life and standard of living.
The EarthSuds team that presented at the Enactus World Cup: Daniel Moll, co-founder; Marissa Vettoretti, co-founder; Abbey Bibbings, vice-president of strategy; and Madelaine Wilson, work program manager. All four team members recently graduated from the Bachelor of Business Administration program at Laurier's Lazaridis School of Business and Economics.
“Being named one of the top teams in the world out of 2,258 post-secondary schools is a surreal feeling,” said Daniel Moll, Enactus Laurier team member and a recent graduate of Laurier’s Lazaridis School of Business and Economics. “It’s been an incredible journey and it’s rewarding to see all our hard work pay off.”
The Waterloo Enactus team presented two of their ventures, EarthSuds and Last20. EarthSuds, created in 2017, produces single-use shampoo, conditioner and body wash tablets to eliminate the need for plastic toiletry bottles.
The venture launched its e-commerce site last fall and its plastic-free toiletry products are now carried in more than 68 retail stores across North America.
Last20 seeks innovative and sustainable ways to upcycle plastic waste. The company sells shirts, each made with six upcycled plastic bottles, and is working with researchers to develop a way to replace some of the bitumen used as a binding agent in pavement with waste plastic bags.
Laurier’s team was named national champion at the Enactus Canada National Exposition in May, earning the right to represent Canada at the World Cup. More than 72,000 post-secondary students from around the world participated in regional and national events ahead of the global competition.
“I am beyond proud of the team,” said Laura Allan, assistant professor in the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics and faculty advisor for the Waterloo Enactus team. “What they have built and the impact they have made is awe-inspiring. These students truly embody ‘inspiring lives of leadership and purpose.’”
– Laura Allan
Another Laurier Enactus venture, as well as a student, were also finalists in the national competition. Mighty Hawks, which supports individuals with developmental disabilities to become more financially independent, was named the national runner-up in the CWB Financial Literacy Challenge and Abbey Bibbings, a former Laurier Enactus co-president, was one of six finalists for the HSBC Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Award.
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