National Scoop! competition – Portugal

We are proud to announce that the winner of the Portuguese National Scoop! competition is SPONGELOVE, an idea developed by 6 students from Externato Oliveira Martins, which was selected as the most complete in response to the social needs of Espinho, the city where the school is located!

Three teams from three VET schools in Aveiro District participated in the competition for electing the best social cooperative idea, which was held in Espinho on the 16th of July 2021.

After all the groups presented their social cooperative idea, the jury had a difficult task to decide which idea was the best.

The jury consisted of 2 experts in two different fields: Miguel Reis, architect, teacher and current local leader of the ruling political party in Portugal and elected city councillor, and César Reis, who has a great experience in managing projects dedicated to social promotion.

The evaluation consisted of the following criteria: (1) consistency of the idea, (2) originality and feasibility of the product on the market, (3) marketing and promotion, (4) financial resources management, (5) contribution to Sustainable Development Goals, (6) social innovation and (7) presentation of the project idea.

Congratulations to all and we wish good luck to our winners in the preparations for the EU Scoop! Competition which will take place in Florence (Italy) at the end of September 2021. At the international competition the winning teams from Croatia, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain will compete for the title of best social cooperative idea in the SCoopConSS project!

APSU would like to thank all the students and teachers from all the participating Portuguese schools and we hope to see their ideas grow and develop in successful social enterprises.

Here is the list of schools which participated on the National Scoop! Competition and a short description of each idea:

HELPP is a mobile app that was created with the intention of sending a danger alert to the authorities at the click of a button. The great advantage of HELPP is that when you open the app, the mobile device on which it is installed (mobile phone, tablet, etc.) activates the ‘location’ function, helping the authorities to detect where the incident is and act quickly. If the person who pressed the button is able to report the situation, HELPP also has a voice recording function and/or text box, to which the authorities will also have access, as well as a photo function, either to help detect the place in danger or to identify the perpetrator of a crime.

POUPeVESTE is a second-hand clothing shop, which also contains an online shop platform, as well as an app, created by young Portuguese entrepreneurs, which aims to promote the circular economy by extending the cycle of use of clothing. They collect second-hand clothes in good condition all over Portugal and look for someone to give them a new life. The main objective is to promote the circular economy by extending the useful life of clothes, thus reducing the environmental impact of the clothes we buy with a social aspect.

Local Apption is a mobile app made for reporting community “problems” to the municipalities (eg. e.g. potholed roads, damaged buildings, inefficient/inexistent municipal services, illegal trash dumping, faulty street lights, broken tiles on sidewalks, and illegal advertising boards). It is a fully integrated solution for local inhabitants to report their suggestions/problems to the municipality where they live. It is also possible to receive feedback on reports through the app and still remain completely anonymous. In the list of reported issues it is possible to check the status of both your own and other reported issues. The procedure followed by users is the following: download app, report issue/opinion, receive response from Municipality and promote other issues/opinions

HIDROPONIX will be a greenhouse dedicated to the sale of horticulture-related products, which consists of a method of growing plants in a solution of water and nutrients in which the roots are supported by a medium other than the soil. This technique can be used from small domestic crops to large commercial farms. In short it is a method of growing without soil that stimulates plant growth whilst controlling the quantities of water, mineral salts and dissolved oxygen. Hydroponics can be used to grow the most varied types of plants, vegetables, flowers, shrubs, aromatic herbs, etc.

Spongelove’s aim is to develop and market cleaning sponges that are environmentally friendly, reusable and made from plastic bags, addressing the same problem (damaging the environment) in two distinct ways: producing a fully recyclable and sustainable product by collecting plastic bags, which pollute our planet. Its target audience are environmentally conscious people, who are charged with carrying out household chores with a sense of responsibility for the environment.

Inkredible’s objective is to guarantee the highest quality products based on scientific research, development and technological innovation, while ensuring maximum environmental protection by using recyclable packaging, eco-friendly production processes and offsetting CO2 emissions, thus avoiding contributing to climate change.

In terms of target group, we aim to reach vendors of hair color products who aim to be focusing on forming partnerships with professional salons for competent, responsible of a sustainable, eco-friendly product distribution. However, with a growing number of consumers preferring to dye their hair at home, we also aim at reaching men and women in this situation. Their profile will probably be of an eco-friendly, outgoing person who respects the environment.

At MARVEGANOUS we contribute to a more informed consumer, who always puts their well-being and health first and at the same time prefers the best for the planet, the people and animals that inhabit it. We want to collaborate for a better and more conscious world, always working with the least environmental impact possible. As more solutions and sustainable ways are shared, the more creative we become, so we can reduce our environmental footprint.

Our target group is generally young adults born around the transition between millennials. Millennials are more informed consumers who make independent decisions, and their purchases are very much guided by certain values and ideas. Therefore, this group of people also has, in terms of their buying and consumption behaviour, specific trends that can provide some insight to companies interested in marketing vegan and vegetarian products, such as ours. However, we can extend our spectrum to other generations, as long as the vegan cause is present in their minds.

Our main goal is to drastically contribute to the reduction of the ecological footprint in the celebration of Carnival and other thematic parties, since, in addition to confetti, we also witness many materials (often that are not biodegradable) being thrown on the pavements of our city, causing a huge amount of dirt and disrespect for the great environment, while reducing waste and, by reaching out to various associations participating and organizing the great Carnival party, contribute to a drastic reduction of pollution in the city on the days of the party. All of our products are biodegradable, or may be upcycled at the end of their lifespan.

Our target group are organisations and associations linked to the competition and organisation of the Carnaval de Ovar, in the first place, and various companies linked to all activities involving the organisation of thematic parties.

OvarEnergy intends to work directly with the country’s carnival industry, mainly with carnival associations and samba schools, seeking to produce props and materials to be used in parades, props and costumes of these groups through recycling and reuse of wasted materials, ultimately preserving the environment in several ways.

The main objectives are to preserve the environment and contribute to saving resources in the regions of the entities that may work with us, offering viable, environmentally friendly and long-lasting alternatives, saving the environment in various ways (animals whose feathers are used to make costumes, huge quantities of plastic that then go to waste, etc.).

Our target audience will be mainly members of Carnival schools and associations linked to this event, but we may also reach other entities that organise festivities of this type or seek to create disguises/corsos (theatre groups, thematic party organisations, etc.).

Our company aims to take materials found in the rubbish and transform them into playful materials associated with beach related activities (from beach football and tennis balls, to rackets, buckets, shovels, etc.), in order to help preserve the environment in two distinct ways: i) avoiding waste by finding materials that serve our purpose in the rubbish and ii) trying to produce reusable materials, built without the use of plastic, that can last a long time, and that are recyclable.

Our target audience is mostly green consumers. A green consumer is someone who is aware of his or her obligation to protect the environment by selectively purchasing green products or services. He/she tries to maintain a healthy and safe lifestyle without endangering the sustainability of the planet and the future of mankind. In our particular case, we add the characteristic that, in addition to being a green consumer, they like going to the beach and practicing sports and recreational activities during the time they spend there.

Results of the competition

1st place: SPONGELOVE – Externato Oliveira Martins

2nd place: Beach Friendly – VET School of Cortegaça

3rd place: Local Apption – VET School of Espinho

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